Tuesday's at-large City Council election will see the departure from city government — at least for a while — of one well-known and long-serving public servant.

It could be one of the four multi-term incumbents in the race or the 17-year veteran former city clerk who himself has served two terms on the council.

Voters are asked to pick their top four of five candidates from incumbents Joseph Ciolino, Jason Grow, Sefatia Romeo Theken and Bruce Tobey and challenger Bob Whynott.

The sheer number of variables in a five-candidate-for-four-seat election makes predicting the odd-person-out difficult, especially with turnout expected to be low and no hot-button issue dividing the contenders.

Like City Council as a whole recently, the candidates have not split openly on too many issues; disagreements with Mayor Carolyn Kirk have been the overriding dynamic.

Exceptions include the perennially touchy subject of Civil Service protections for the public safety chiefs, although that question will be decided by referendum, and how seriously the candidates would consider breaking ties with a new regional vocational school district.

The challenger, 63-year-old Whynott, is running on experience: four years as a councilor starting in the 1970s and 17 years as city clerk, a position from which he retired this year.

He is against removing Civil Service protections for public safety chiefs, which right now prevents hiring chiefs from outside their department, although on Monday he said he would consider a way to open up the hiring process to outside candidates if the other protections remain.

One of the more interesting races within the race will be between Ciolino and Grow, two East Gloucester residents who squared off for the Ward 1 council seat four years ago.

Ciolino, 61, proprietor of Main Street's Weathervane shop, had been representing Ward 1 for two terms in 2005 when he was ousted by Grow, a 44-year-old photographer.

This year, after two terms serving Ward 1, Grow decided to run for an at-large seat, bringing him in competition with Ciolino again.

In the last two years, Grow, chairman of the council's Budget and Finance Committee, has frequently provided scrutiny of Kirk policy, while Ciolino has become one of the mayor's stronger allies.

In Monday's debate, Ciolino's opening statement to voters was that "the city needs to build some bridges between the mayor and Council."

Grow, who has run on education and on his role as the council's chief budget-watcher, spearheaded the push to remove the chiefs from the Civil Service system.

With the upcoming retirement of Councilor John "Gus" Foote, Ciolino may now be the staunchest supporter of keeping Civil Service protections.

Romeo Theken, who has been on the council the longest, is running a populist campaign, promising residents that she will "let your voice be heard" even if "we don't always agree."

On Civil Service, Romeo Theken has been "50-50" on the issue, she said this week, preferring the departments hire from within first, but also wanting accountability within the Police and Fire departments.

The 47-year-old Romeo Theken works at Addison Gilbert Hospital.

Current Council President Bruce Tobey, a former four-term mayor, has also had his disagreements with Kirk.

Tobey, 56, is running on the council's body of work with him at the helm and that the "product is only as good as the process."

In the last two years, the Tobey council has advanced the Civil Service reform package, conducted an audit of the public safety departments, rejected an anti-marijuana ordinance, and tabled a proposal to introduce new local hotel room and meal taxes.

A wide-ranging debate about the best way to pay for mandatory water infrastructure repairs ended with the Council authorizing with a new stormwater fee.

Patrick Anderson may be contacted at 978-283-7000 x 3455 or panderson@gloucestertimes.com.