CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- When early voting begins Wednesday, we hope Kanawha Democrats favor longtime community leader John Luoni for their party's nomination for county assessor.

Once an engineer at DuPont's Belle plant, Luoni entered public life in the 1980s by winning a seat on the Kanawha school board.  He was a quiet, reasonable voice who brought stability to the difficult, low-paid job of overseeing schools. Both Charleston newspapers endorsed him repeatedly.

Luoni has deep roots in Charleston, having been valedictorian of his class at the former Stonewall Jackson High School. While on the school board, he also was a member of the county Planning Commission.

In 2005, after 14 years of school service, Luoni stepped down to become a county engineer enforcing development regulations.

Now, we think his low-key, steady personality would be well-suited in the job of property assessor.