Cover Story: 4th Congressional District, Democratic primary

The job: Democratic nominee, U.S. House, 4th District (includes most of DeKalb County and a sliver of Gwinnett)

The candidates: Former Atlanta City Council President Cathy Woolard; former U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney; marketer Chris Vaughn; state Sens. Liane Levetan, Connie Stokes and Nadine Thomas.

The skinny: In Congress, McKinney’s combative style and controversial mouth led some Democrats to hold her at arm’s length and many Republicans to hold her up as a fundraising foil.

The results: a thin legislative record (after five terms in Congress), lots of complaints about poor constituent service, and a stretch of I-285 named in her honor. On many issues — for example, the environment and social justice — we largely agree with McKinney. On others — the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Bush administration’s venal approach to the “war on terror” — she’s raises important points but then goes overboard.

Those oversteps culminated in her losing the Democratic nomination in 2002 to Denise Majette, who now is running for U.S. Senate. McKinney had her chance — five chances, actually — and failed.

Two of her leading opponents are poor alternatives. A seven-term state legislator, Nadine Thomas knows how to turn on the campaign-trail charm. But her grasp of the issues is so unspeakably poor that her campaign seems more of a vanity trip.

Levetan has similar flaws: After 30 years as a DeKalb politician, the 68-year-old former DeKalb CEO is banking on name recognition — and not much else — to provide a career capstone. But Levetan’s goofy recitation of vague, corny cliches — such as her promise to “bring home the kosher bacon” — and her unseemly propensity to take credit where it isn’t due make it pretty clear she’d be an ineffectual choice.

But either of two other candidates would be effective. First, there’s Stokes, whose political skills and policy expertise are made more impressive by her inspirational personal story: Dropped off at her grandmother’s doorstep at age 6, an unwed mother at 15, she worked her way through fashion school and college.

Stokes takes a fairly familiar line for Democrats on the big issues: Rebuild relations with our allies so that they’ll help defray the costs of Iraq; allow Bush’s tax cuts for wealthy heirs to expire in favor of fiscal responsibility; reduce the absurd emphasis on testing in the president’s No Child Left Behind education bill while funding other portions of that comprehensive law.

Former Gov. Roy Barnes backs Stokes, who served him ably as an assistant state Senate floor leader. We’d share his pleasure in seeing her in Congress.

But Woolard’s election would make us even happier. The former city council president — whose family hails from DeKalb and who lives in the DeKalb part of Atlanta — is an exceptionally well-informed, hardworking and effective public servant. She proved herself as a city councilwoman who stood up to Mayor Bill Campbell without coming off as shrill. As council president, she demonstrated her persistence and intelligence by saving the city millions in energy bills though conservation, and by pushing the beltline rail project further than anyone guessed it could go.

Her positions are similar to Stokes’ — and really not that far from McKinney’s. But Woolard speaks with unparalleled nuance and authority, whether it’s about education, trade, affordable housing or Iraq. She’s also the only candidate who truly understands the county’s huge infrastructure problems and what to do about them. If she’s elected, we expect she’d become a national leader on smart growth and alternative transportation.

While Woolard’s 1980s record as a D.C. lobbyist may give pause to voters wary of insiders’ political influence, we believe that in her case, it’s the kind of experience that would serve her well. Woolard has a knack for making conservative friends while sticking to her progressive principles. In other words, she’d fight for most of McKinney’s best causes, but she’d do so more effectively.

Political handicap: The vote is likely to feel like two primaries, with Levetan favored in the largely white north and McKinney in the mainly black south. Woolard, an energetic campaigner, stands a chance of squeaking by Levetan into the runoff.

Throwaway vote: Vaughn, whose website notes that “desperate career politicians have tried to paint Chris Vaughn as a novice.” If they actually had bothered to say that, they’d be right.

Who you should vote for: Cathy Woolard. A great candidate rarely shows up on the right place on the ballot. This is one of those times.