As part of this newspaper's run-up coverage of the May 21 municipal primary, reporter Valerie Myers asked the candidates for Millcreek supervisor what they view as the township's strengths and challenges and what they would do to address them.

The answers from Democratic incumbent Supervisor John Groh and Republican challenger Dan Ouelett covered much of the same ground — improving roads and other infrastructure, stormwater flooding, the precarious state of staffing at Millcreek's volunteer fire departments.

Those are indeed pressing issues that will require leadership from the Board of Supervisors. Complicating the picture is the leveling off of the township's tax base that has it facing projected deficits in the millions in coming years.

What was missing from Ouelett's and Groh's prescriptions for Millcreek, however, was any mention of the Embrace Millcreek comprehensive plan, which the supervisors adopted last summer. That matters because in question are not only the issues facing the township, but also how supervisors will go about addressing them in light of the fact that its development boom has largely run its course.

There's plenty of time for a debate about Embrace Millcreek in that race. Absent some highly unusual development, the two candidates are assured their parties' nominations and will face off in earnest during the fall election campaign.

Millcreek's comprehensive plan outlines the challenges facing Millcreek and lays out a framework for addressing them. That framework is quite different from the largely reactive governance that marked the township as its leaders worked to manage its growth.

Embrace Millcreek confronts the blight that's creeping into some parts of the township, for example, and a glut of aging retail/commercial space. Millcreek's evolution into a mature municipality requires new ways of thinking, and acting purposefully to create a sustainable future.

The comprehensive plan shows the way. It's an essential reality check that challenges the township's leaders and residents to act proactively and keep the long view front and center in decision-making.

The importance of that was highlighted last month when supervisors voted 2-1 to reject the rezoning of three properties on Edinboro Road in keeping with Embrace Millcreek's finding that Millcreek already has a hefty excess of commercial space that portends more vacancies and blight. Groh voted to approve the rezoning.

In an op-ed piece published in Friday's Erie Times-News, Groh said he supports Embrace Millcreek. But his vote and his approach to the plan as reflected in his words leave questions about the degree to which that professed support will be backed up by action.

Likewise, Ouelett's take on Embrace Millcreek must be fully fleshed out as the campaign progresses. The coming six years, the length of supervisors' terms, will bring defining choices for the township.