JOAN BRADY HAS an impressive grasp of a wide variety of issues facing the Legislature, is committed to vital reforms of our governmental structure and tax code, and favors a more rational approach to setting budget priorities.

She also has a genuine commitment to public service and a commendable record on the Richland County Council. That experience has made her keenly aware of the problems the Legislature causes when it meddles with local governments or shifts responsibilities to them, and she hopes to be a voice for local government in the House — which we desperately need.

Ms. Brady says she has grown since a summer primary that was, to many people’s surprise, her first contested election. The best example may be her shift on cigarette taxes. In the spring, she explained why she thought raising the tax made sense, but then parroted the House Republican Caucus’s absurd arguments against it; this was one reason we worried she would take marching orders from party leaders. Now she says she would support an increase — which clearly defies the leadership team — and says she made that fact clear when she signed a pledge not to raise taxes. What’s important isn’t that she agrees with us, but what this change indicates about how she would do her job.

We still have some concerns about her susceptibility to party-think and are troubled by her willingness to sign a pledge that lawmakers have managed to keep by forcing local governments to raise taxes. And we are slightly more confident about the commitment of her opponent for the House District 78 seat, Todd Specter, to meet the state’s financial obligations to the schools.

But only slightly. Ms. Brady’s stated views concerning education are not quite what one would expect given the enthusiastic support she is receiving from groups that want to divert tax money to support private and home schooling. Ms. Brady says she has an open mind toward giving tax credits for home schooling and private schools, but only if they don’t drain money from the schools. That, she told us, means she could not have supported Gov. Mark Sanford’s proposal last year.

Moreover, we are concerned about Mr. Specter’s lack of experience and knowledge and the way he answered our questions. He makes values statements that sound good; but probe for specifics, and his ideas fall apart, or else it’s clear that he doesn’t understand the issue. He answered most questions by telling us what people in his district say or describing (sometimes incorrectly) the issue. These tactics seemed designed to avoid being pinned down. This might stem from his belief that he should operate like a homeroom representative on student council, dutifully casting the vote his classmates request, even when his research and debate have convinced him they are ill-informed or wrong. No candidate we have ever interviewed more perfectly stated the antithesis of our view of how legislators should do their jobs.

Ms. Brady’s knowledge, track record and willingness to reconsider her positions when faced with new information make her the better choice. If she works as hard in the House as she has on the County Council to demonstrate that she won’t take orders from party leaders, she will serve the district and the state well.