It is odd that two Boise City Council incumbents would have to run on their voting record on health care reform.

But that's the situation facing Vern Bisterfeldt and Maryanne Jordan, thanks (using the word advisedly) to a non-binding health care reform resolution passed Sept. 15.

I've never been a big fan of non-binding resolutions — which, at the Statehouse, are a common device designed to make it seem like lawmakers are doing something. And to say the least, this was a strange expenditure of political capital. The council considered the resolution at the behest of Mayor Dave Bieter, who said the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities had asked cities to weigh in.

Ultimately, the vote put the council on the record and split the group down the middle. Jordan, David Eberle and Elaine Clegg voted yes. Bisterfeldt, Alan Shealy and Jim Tibbs voted no. Bieter broke the tie, voting yes.

Both Jordan and Bisterfeldt offer good explanations for their votes. Jordan points out that the city spends $13 million a year on employee health insurance — and health care costs are the biggest personnel challenge facing the city. Bisterfeldt said he was unwilling to approve a resolution that could be construed as blanket support of health care overhaul — whatever form that winds up taking in Congress.

In retrospect, I think Bisterfeldt made a shrewd call. The council resolution doesn't support a specific bill — for obvious reasons, since reform legislation is a work in progress. But the resolution does advocate a public health care option and "affordable, quality health coverage for all Americans." The public option now seems all but dead on Capitol Hill — and the health care bill passed by the Senate Finance Committee last week still would leave some 25 million Americans uninsured.

It's difficult to reconcile Boise City Hall's health care vision with the reality that is unfolding in Congress. So what, exactly, does a resolution like this one accomplish?

It does, of course, give City Hall's opponents an easy point to criticize. Our editorial board asked all eight council candidates about the resolution.

Five of the six non-incumbents said they would have voted no: Bisterfeldt opponents Dan Dunham and David Honey; Jordan opponents Lucas Baumbach and David Webb; and Dave Litster, who is seeking to succeed the retiring Tibbs on the council.

TJ Thomson, who is also running for Tibbs' council seat, said he would have voted yes, reluctantly, on the resolution.

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Hear the candidates for yourself.

Listen to the audio of our editorial board meetings with the Boise candidates. We will go live with more candidate interviews later in the week. Click below on the links:

City Council Seat 2

• Vernon L. Bisterfeldt

• Daniel L. Dunham

• David Honey

City Council Seat 4

• Dave Litster

• TJ Thomson

City Council Seat 6

• Lucas Baumbach

• Maryanne Jordan

• David Webb