Voters trying to decide who should be the next mayor of Sacramento face clear choices and a difficult decision.

Both the clarity and the difficulty derive from the records of the candidates for mayor. Heather Fargo, seeking an unprecedented third term, is for better or worse a proven quantity. Her opponent, Kevin Johnson, is for better or worse a mass of question marks and potential.

Both have strengths that appeal to voters. Fargo has deep experience thanks to her two terms as mayor and three terms on the City Council. Many voters are likely to be drawn to her as the candidate more likely to keep things running at City Hall.

Johnson, well known from his career as a basketball player but making his first race for public office, is a hometown success story with a deep commitment to Sacramento and to the Oak Park neighborhood where he grew up. Many voters will be drawn to him because of his energy and dynamic personality.

But while each of the candidates has distinct strengths, both candidates also have serious weaknesses.

In Fargo's case, the weakness is her leadership, or in some cases the absence of it. In two terms as mayor, she has worked hard on a vital public safety issue – flood control. While she can point to progress downtown and in midtown neighborhoods, that progress has been halting, and much of it took place without her involvement. Her efforts to lead on the development of a new arena for the Sacramento Kings were inept. She has seemed oblivious to the rise in crime in recent years and the needs of the city's public schools. This is not the kind of track record voters should expect from such an experienced officeholder.

Kevin Johnson, too, is flawed. His efforts to rebuild Oak Park through both the St. HOPE nonprofit and his development business have been admirable. But they are clouded by a federal investigation of St. HOPE's Hood Corps contract and Johnson's inclination to take on too many projects at once.

His conduct of this campaign has raised questions about his judgment. With the city facing a huge budget deficit next year, he has promised to increase spending on public safety and has signed a pledge to support a vague but expensive proposal by the powerful firefighters union. The most charitable interpretation of these actions is that he has a lot to learn.

So how, given the candidates' strengths and weaknesses, are voters to decide? Start by naming your top priority for the city – developing the riverfront, combating gangs, diversifying the local economy, whatever – and then ask yourself this: Is that goal more likely to be accomplished through more of the same or through a new direction in the mayor's office?

The answer, it seems to us, is that it's time for new leadership and a new navigator. That makes Kevin Johnson the better choice.

Johnson, more than Fargo, has a vision for what Sacramento's next century could look like. He's spent time traveling to other cities, networking and learning about innovations that would help Sacramento mature.

More than Fargo, Johnson has an interest, and an awareness, in the city's more troubled neighborhoods. He'd be a champion of Del Paso Heights, Meadowview and Oak Park, along with newer neighborhoods, such as the Pocket area and North Natomas.

In voting for Kevin Johnson, Sacramentans will be opting for change, not writing a blank check. They will be saying they are willing to take a chance on him, because they believe he can grow into a mayor who can make Sacramento a better place to live.

The next mayor must guide the city through a period of financial challenges. That will require energy, to be sure, but it also will require toughness, flexibility and vision. In this race between two imperfect candidates, Kevin Johnson has the better chance to deliver what Sacramento needs.