In the whirl of bad news from around the globe, pardon us if we highlight a moment of upbeat news that appeared between the lines of our news coverage Wednesday: the six men and one woman who applied to replace Jim Bush as council representative for West Waco.

Basic news: 57-year-old Malcolm Duncan Jr., president of Duncan Motors, longtime civic leader and son of one of Waco’s most prominent philanthropists, was chosen by the Waco City Council in a 4-0 vote to fill the post with Bush’s election as mayor in May. Duncan describes himself as conservative, “transparent to a fault, and direct.”

Rest of the story: Any of the seven would have likely done us proud, based on their statements and answers to questions by council members Tuesday. We suspect Duncan, seeing the company he was competing with, would heartily agree with us.

Take, for instance, Chris Gutierrez, 50, a real estate broker who in our opinion has long served forcefully yet quietly on the planning and zoning commission, which he chairs to the admiration of many, and the Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization, which maps out critical transportation issues. Behind the scenes, he has brokered deals furthering Waco’s reputation as a great place for businesses to thrive.

What’s more, Gutierrez has displayed a keen sense of what will be necessary if East Waco is to one day flourish. His contributions were a point of pride for council members Wilbert Austin and Alice Flores Rodriquez, both of whom have championed Gutierrez in the past.

We were also wowed by Cheryl R. Allen, 49, who prides herself on the rich variety of nonprofit boards she has served on, including the Community Visioning Project and, for the past few years, the Greater Waco Community Education Alliance.

While impressing council members with specific examples of individuals helped by nonprofit groups she has worked with, she reminded the city council that sprawling District 5 in West Waco has many concerns, including traffic snarls in the rapidly growing China Spring area. “We’re so excited,” she quipped. “We had a Sonic open last week. We never thought we’d see that.”

Max Steinke, 45, was an obvious standout for his neighborhood endeavors. He works for the Texas attorney general’s office in child support cases but also serves as three-term president of the Mountainview Neighborhood Association. In that role, he has addressed such matters as park improvements and public safety.

Others stood out, as well, including Brandon S. Gilliam, 35, involved in various endeavors, including the Bluebonnet Girl Scout Council, and Chuck Wilson, 49, a recently defeated Republican candidate for Congress eager to serve. He cited the coming complexities behind health insurance reform.

We enjoyed 70-year-old Simon Bunn Jr., a longtime pathologist who served in various medical roles till retirement permitted him to branch out into public service. His account about problems with city inspectors involving his sprinkler system reminded us again of the need for more interdepartmental efficiency at City Hall.

With such an array of qualified contenders, we sympathized with council members Rodriguez and Randy Riggs. Both told us of the difficulty in settling on someone to fill Bush’s post. We’re particularly encouraged in light of fears we voiced only a few years ago that many in the up-and-coming generation showed little interest in public service. That seems no longer true, judging from the strong resumes we saw this week.

Gilliam told the council he had a feeling he would find himself in competition with an “impressive collection of candidates” for the post, to which he added, “I really hate it sometimes when I’m right.”

And was he ever.