Editorial: A local mayor?

City Councilor Felix Arroyo has announced a mayoral run, and other local elected officials are potential candidates. We are excited about the chance for a Jamaica Plain mayor to be elected this fall.

That is because representing Jamaica Plain means representing a microcosm of the real, modern Boston in all its struggles and successes. JP has remarkable ethnic and economic diversity, outstanding small businesses and arts groups, and residents who constantly propose new ideas and are eager to organize to promote them. JP also has residents who are priced out, persistent gang violence and several massive redevelopments changing the face of the neighborhood.

We’re not saying that JP candidates automatically make great mayors, or that other candidates could not be great mayors. It is simply a fact that representing JP is a great training ground for representing all of Boston. Incidentally, it has sky-high voter turnout, too. We look forward to hearing about JP loud and often in this mayoral contest.

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