After three bizarre and turbulent years, Democrat voters in Cohoes will choose a mayoral candidate in Tuesday's primary. Finally. The worst possible choice on the ballot is all too obvious: Shawn Morse. Fortunately, the best choice is apparent, too: Steve Napier.

Mr. Morse's tenure has been mired in so much personal, political and official scandal that it boggles the mind that he would think another term would be in any way beneficial to the citizens and the image of Cohoes. Even many leading figures in his own party, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy, and Assemblyman John McDonald — a former Cohoes mayor himself — have called on him to resign.

We could fill this space recounting the sordid details, but in short: Mr. Morse has been accused by multiple women, including his wife and daughter, of domestic violence. He denies it all — even what's on police record, even a scrape he sustained that's clearly shown in a photo.

He has abused his power over the Cohoes Police Department, which seems to have looked the other way when it comes to his problems, and which arrested a city resident over a kerfuffle on social media with a relative of the mayor's. And he faces federal felony charges for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars in political contributions for personal use. His campaign treasurer has already pleaded guilty in the matter.

The trial is set for July 23 — which means Cohoes Democrats could have a convicted felon as their champion on the November ballot, or Mr. Morse could be forced off the ballot, leaving party leaders rather than voters to pick a nominee.

Voters, fortunately, can avoid such embarrassing and undemocratic scenarios — and reclaim their party's and city's dignity. Tuesday's primary offers three alternatives — former city treasurer Peter Frangie, retired State Police Maj. Bill Keeler, and Common Council member Steve Napier. While Mr. Keeler and Mr. Frangie are credible candidates, it's Mr. Napier who stands out, offering a clear, comprehensive and encouraging vision for the city.

Mr. Napier, who runs a public relations firm, comes with council experience and plans, lots of them. One would address firefighting staffing challenges that have led to frequent shutdowns of one of the city's three firehouses. Another involves charter changes to impose stronger checks and balances on the mayor; have the council confirm the mayor's city judge appointments; and create term limits. He wants to ban nepotism and bar city elected and appointed officials from holding paying jobs in public and private entities that receive city funding. Mr. Napier has ideas for diversifying the municipal workforce to better reflect Cohoes' population, through efforts like EMT training programs to prepare applicants for public safety jobs. He wants to open Cohoes Public Library on weekends, create a fund to fix sidewalks, and bring a satellite college campus to the city. And, rather than handing out big tax breaks for new apartments, he says Cohoes should focus on making the city more attractive to prospective residents and developers through such strategies as seeking funding for a small business grant program to encourage more shops and restaurants.

With Mr. Morse refusing to leave office, Democrat voters finally have the chance Tuesday to let him know his time in office is just about up. And in Mr. Napier, they have the opportunity to replace him with new, dynamic and decent leadership.