The Pierce County executive race may be grabbing the headlines, but several down-ballot contests could prove just as important.

Specifically, the four posts on the Pierce County Council up for grabs could play a pivotal role in the county’s direction during at least the next two years.

DISTRICT 2 (includes Puyallup, East and Northeast Tacoma): Democrat Calvin Goings’ bid for executive leaves his District 2 seat open. If Republican Joyce McDonald replaces him, the GOP will enjoy a veto-proof supermajority.

McDonald, who has served five terms in the state House, faces two relatively unknown Democrats: Pierce County deputy prosecutor Al Rose and Carolyn Merrival, who served on the 2006 Charter Review Commission. All three candidates are solid, thoughtful people; voters can hardly go wrong with any of them. But our choice is Rose, an exceptionally bright new face in county politics.

Rose, a Puyallup resident, has been active in the community, having served on the Summit-View Land Use Advisory Commission and as current chair of the Pierce County Library Board. He has a good grasp of land-use issues in the county and a formidable knowledge of issues involving public safety – which eats up the lion’s share of the county budget.

Although The News Tribune editorial board has consistently endorsed McDonald for the Legislature, we believe she is not the best choice – not this year, anyway – for the County Council.

Unfortunately, the council’s Republican majority has shown a tendency to relax land-use restrictions that preserve rural areas and spare taxpayers the costs of poorly controlled development. McDonald’s election would turn that majority into a supermajority. She has a mind of her own, but any Republican – like any Democrat – is bound to take party-line votes at times.

DISTRICT 3 (includes Spanaway, South Hill, Graham and Eatonville):

Republican Councilman Roger Bush of Graham has gotten his fair share of knocks from us in the last four years, most often for making rash decisions that could have benefited from more deliberation and input.

His unpredictability is most troubling when it comes to growth management. After so many years of unregulated sprawl, the county needs strong voices for smart land-use planning. If Bush is not a foe of the Growth Management Act, he’s certainly no fan.

But the way his Democratic challenger, cranberry farmer and airline pilot Bruce Lachney, might govern also concerns us. Lachney says the district’s council member should vote the district’s wishes every time.

Leadership demands sometimes choosing the greater good and long-term benefit over popular opinion. Bush has taken some of those tough stands, and Pierce County is the better for it. His eight years in the state Legislature also give him a broad understanding of the relationship between state and county government.

DISTRICT 4 (Tacoma): Tim Farrell has scored some significant wins in his first term. Among them was the preservation of additional land near Snake Lake that helped stave off encroachment on an important oasis of nature in the middle of Tacoma.He also helped champion the county’s innovative transfer-of-development-rights program that will help save many other open spaces.

His opponent, independent candidate Ken Paulson, accuses the county of often not doing its homework. He does not make a case for replacing Farrell.

DISTRICT 6 (includes Lakewood, Steilacoom, DuPont, Fort Lewis, McChord Air Force Base and Anderson Island): Republican incumbent Richard Muri of Steilacoom is seeking a second term, and voters should give it to him. The retired Air Force officer has a deserved reputation for accessibility, and he’s been a champion of performance audits and televising public meetings.

Muri’s opponent is Democrat Vincent Stewart, a relocation agent for the state Department of Transportation who lives in a pocket of unincorporated Pierce County between Steilacoom and Lakewood. This isn’t a close call, like the District 2 race. Muri is clearly the superior candidate.