Most of the attention this election cycle has been focused on the race for the White House. Meanwhile, candidates for local and state offices have been pounding the pavement selling themselves to voters.

National politics aside, we've always commended local folks - your friends and neighbors - for putting their names and their reputations on the line, be it for a seat on the city council, county board of supervisors or a position in the statehouse. The jobs pay, in some cases, nothing, but if there is compensation, it likely doesn't cover the commitment made by those fortunate enough to win more votes than their opponents.

Last week we made our picks for the White House (President Barack Obama) and the 2nd Congressional District of Iowa (Dave Loebsack).

It's 10 days before Nov. 6, so it's time to pick favorites for county supervisor, Iowa House and Iowa Senate.

Let's get local first.

County supervisor

There are four qualified names on the ballot. There are only two open positions. Picking two isn't easy. But we like incumbent Bob Beck and a man with previous experience in local government, Darwin Bunger.

Beck has proven to be a thoughtful supervisor, understanding the challenges the county faces with the seemingly innumerable changes in public policy made in Des Moines that impact the budget the county must craft. While we wish he would have, for example, not dickered with the Burlington Public Library over its fees for county residents to obtain cards, he has otherwise promoted the welfare of the county while being mindful of the financial challenges taxpayers are facing. He doesn't waste our money. And that's the kind of person we need on the board.

Bunger, too, would be mindful of the cost of doing business. His years as mayor of the city of Carroll gave him the experience necessary to know how to be a careful spender of the public's money while identifying areas where the county needs to invest its resources.

His years as a successful attorney gives him the necessary skills to digest whatever issues land on the board's lap. He knows how to ask the challenging questions of department heads. You can trust that they won't be able to pull a fast one on him. That works to our favor.

Iowa House

This is a difficult one. Dennis Cohoon ably has represented our district for what seems like forever, so why consider a change? We have no beef with Rep. Cohoon. He represents us well.

But, if voters were ever interested in considering a change, this might be their most intriguing opportunity.

Dan Cahill returned to the county board of supervisors and immediately joined his colleagues in questioning, and reversing, the county's spending habits. Like Mr. Beck, we weren't overjoyed about his tug of war with the local library, but in the end, both sides reached an amicable agreement and the county's rural residents can check out whatever they want today. That's good.

Cahill is running as an independent. And independents almost never win. His campaign has been about him not being beholden to either party. That would make for an uphill battle if he were to win this election. The way the system is designed, the two parties hold almost all the cards. An independent is an outsider, which makes getting things accomplished a formidable challenge.

Still, it offers an intriguing opportunity. Cahill has nothing to lose. He doesn't need to worry about working his way up the party ladder. He can say what's on his mind - what's on many of our minds - about how the actions in Des Moines affect us here in southeast Iowa - whether it's property taxes, education funding, gas taxes or the myriad other issues that come before Iowa lawmakers.

When you go to the ballot box and ask yourself why you shouldn't vote for Dan Cahill, ask another question. Why not?

Iowa Senate

Tom Courtney is a polarizing figure. You either like him or you don't. There doesn't seem to be much middle ground. That's due, in part, because Courtney pulls no punches. He'll tell you what he thinks and if you don't like that, well, that's your problem, not his. And he'll do it in a room full of Democrats, with ease, and a room full of Republicans, because he believes in telling the audience his opinion. Regardless.

That candor is refreshing in a politician because we too often get the politician who will say whatever it is to placate the people in the room that he is in at the time.

His opponent, Brad Bourn, is outspoken too, but has some ideas that are hard to accept. For example, he believes the state is too involved in the education of our children, that most of the decisions regarding education should be made in our local communities.

But the state, and the federal governments, have a stake in the education of our children. For one thing, the state pays individual school districts nearly $6,000 for each student. When there's that kind of money at stake it deserves a say in how it is spent. But it's more than an education issue. It's an economic development issue. In Iowa's case, there are more than 300 school districts. Having that many standards of success isn't responsible. We need someone at the state and federal level to establish standards.

His plan to reduce corporate property tax rates also is problematic, as West Burlington Mayor Hans Trousil explained in a recent letter to the editor. It's irresponsible simply to throw out a number and declare Iowans can absorb a reduction in corporate tax rates without a corresponding revenue generation stream.

Courtney has tenure that's put him in a leadership role in the Senate. And that's where we should send him again on Nov. 6.