It’s an election year.

We’re sure you knew that. Political ads for President Barack Obama and GOP contender Mitt Romney are flooding the airwaves of radio and television stations across the nation. A few even pop up around here.

Political pundits are turning red in the face debating the merits of Obama’s healthcare plan or Romney’s jobs plan.

Callers are lining up to share their opinions with radio show hosts, and the inboxes of newspaper editors from California to Georgia are flooded with letters detailing why this candidate or that candidate should be elected.

Here in Greenville the local political scene is a bit quieter.

There’s an election coming up in just more than a month, but if you aren’t paying attention, you might miss it.

That’s because just three names will be on the ballot. Keith Gibson, Jerry Myers and Bryan Reynolds are vying for the seat vacated by Dr. Jean Thompson.

Mayor Dexter McLendon and councilmen Ed Sims (District 2), Tommy Ryan (District 3), James Lewis (District 4) and Jeddo Bell (District 5) were unopposed when qualifying closed at 5 p.m. last Tuesday. That means a simple resolution by the city council will declare them winners in their respective races.

We believe that is a positive for the City of Greenville.

Don’t get us wrong; we know that like any group, our council isn’t perfect, and we look forward to the race in District 1.

But in the last several years our council has worked hard to bring jobs to the area.

Just this year, CorStone Industries announced plans to add additional jobs. The increase in jobs was aided by a loan from the city’s Industrial Development Board.

That shows a willingness on the city’s part to help area businesses prosper in order to employ more citizens.

Hwashin has also announced an expansion that will bring the company’s total number of employees at the Greenville plant to 585. Hysco has also undergone a recent expansion that increased the number of jobs it provides to the city.

Jobs creation is a buzzword for any politician these days. It’s no secret that jobs are hard to come by, and the promise of a job, or even the possibility of a job, will go a long way toward garnering most people’s vote.

With our unemployment rate hovering at 12.7 percent, it’s clear that Greenville and Butler County need more jobs.

We believe that having experienced leaders on our council will serve the city well as it attempts to attract more industry to the area in order to create more jobs for our citizens and improve the overall quality of life in Greenville.