After Wednesday’s debate, Mayor Greg Sparrow has shown he is more connected and in tune with the wants and needs of students. The Northern Star believes he should continue serving as mayor of DeKalb.

Sparrow has been mayor for 20 years. That alone is not the reason he should continue in his job. But the things Sparrow has done in the community in the past four years have shown that he is realistic in terms of what he can and can’t do for students and community members.

Challenger Frank Van Buer said he wasn’t so sure extending the bar hours on Thursdays was the best way to cater to students and keep them here on the weekends – he said there are other ways to do that. True, but the reality, however unfortunate it may be, is that extending bar hours does have a big impact on students. Bars are a part of college life for many. And although DeKalb may not be the ideal college town, it has a college in it. The city needs to take that into consideration often, and Sparrow is better qualified to do that.

Growth has been a hot topic in the mayoral race, as DeKalb has become a booming environment for retailers. More businesses not only bring in the obvious sales tax revenue and jobs but also provide places for people to shop and dine.

NIU has frequently been tagged as a suitcase school, and as Sparrow said, providing places for students to not only shop, but to work as well, is an incentive to keep them here on the weekends. Plenty of students go home on the weekends to work, and in a city this size, there should be no need for them to do so.

Van Buer opposed the monetary incentives the city was offering to bring Target to DeKalb. He said people are going to come to DeKalb anyway. But the reality is they won’t come to DeKalb. The city needs to stay competitive with others to bring in businesses that will provide revenue and jobs for its citizens.

Van Buer missed a huge opportunity during the debate to tout his local experience as a reason why he should become mayor. He spoke of his experiences working in foreign countries, but what about what he has done on the county board? In challenging an opponent that has 20 years of experience, he needed to speak more of his local experience. He is running to become a mayor, not a foreign diplomat.

However, Sparrow’s plan and vision for the city of DeKalb make him the person for the job.