For New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer has done an outstanding job as Manhattan borough president and would make a fine New York City comptroller. He is not a flashy candidate and he has no measurable notoriety. But in this turbulent election season, we don't need another celebrity office seeker. Comptroller is a powerful but obscure position that oversees the city's finances and acts as guardian of its pension funds and watchdog over its day-to-day operations and contracts. The office keeps an eye on the city's debt, finds ways to save money, and - a very important job in these difficult times - enforces its living-wage requirements connected to public contracts. The comptroller sits on many boards, committees and commissions. The ideal candidate is politically astute and ethically impeccable, and works well with others. Mr. Stringer has shown all those qualities as a public servant. As a state assemblyman, he was committed to the principles of good government. In his nearly eight years as borough president he has improved the scope, effectiveness and reputation of that sometimes marginal office. He has been a strong voice for civil rights and marriage equality, a defender of immigrants and the poor. Mr. Stringer's opponent, Eliot Spitzer, has intellect and cunning, but he lacks the qualities critical for this job. Mr. Spitzer entered the race at the last minute, seemingly for no reason except to thrust himself back into the limelight and to offer his services again as sheriff of Wall Street. But that is a problem: it's the same character, in a different play, on the wrong stage. Still, he could win the race handily, given his own fortune, which has allowed him to spend on ads and capitalize on his name recognition. People remember him as an aggressive, effective state attorney general, and he promises to reprise that role in a smaller arena. That logic falters when you factor in his term as governor, a dismal performance that ended abruptly when he resigned in a prostitution scandal. Mr. Stringer has been effective in every political job he's had, and we have every reason to expect that to continue if he is elected comptroller, as he should be.