HOLYOKE — Three candidates for the open Holyoke Ward 7 City Council seat will compete in a preliminary election Tuesday to determine which two contenders advance to the November general election.

Eileen Brady Leahy, Meagan Magrath-Smith and Steve N. Rosenbush are running to succeed Ward 7 City Councilor Todd McGee, who announced in March he would not seek reelection after serving 18 years on the council. The two candidates who receive the most votes on Tuesday will move forward to the general election on Nov. 7.

Only Ward 7 residents are eligible to vote in the Sept. 26 preliminary, and both Precinct A and Precinct B in Ward 7 can vote at the E.N. White School Gymnasium.

Eileen Brady Leahy

Public service runs in the family for Eileen Brady Leahy, 54, a lifelong Holyoker who has served on the Conservation Commission and boards of the Holyoke Children’s Museum Board and Springfield YWCA for years.

Leahy is a trial attorney, an occupation that she said has taught her how to fight for what she believes in, while remaining cordial with those who oppose her viewpoint. She is married to former At Large City Councilor James Leahy, whose years on the council showed her the importance of prioritizing constituent services and doing homework on the issues facing the city.

Among Leahy’s priorities for her first term in office are supporting the school committee’s efforts to get out of receivership. Leahy also wants to make Holyoke a business-friendly community by breaking down the often “muddy” process that comes with opening a new establishment.

Leahy’s son is a police officer in Holyoke, and the trial attorney spent years working with the police as part of her legal career. Holyoke has the “best police force in the country,” according to Leahy, and she wants to ensure the police and fire departments remain “fully funded.”

“I’m a fighter,” Leahy said. “I’m not afraid of making hard decisions because that’s what I’ve had to do my whole life.”

Meagan Magrath-Smith

Meagan Magrath-Smith, 38, was part of the group of citizens who advocated to save the historic Lynch School from demolition. After their campaign failed and the building came down, Magrath-Smith recalled a number of city councilors telling her she should remain involved in Holyoke politics. Their encouragement led her to join — and ultimately chair — the city’s Community Preservation Act Committee, while continuing to work as a teacher in Springfield.

Magrath-Smith wants to preserve Holyoke’s historic character while investing in the city’s future. She expressed interest in putting Whiting Reservoir under conservation, as the city may need the reservoir for drinking water down the line.

And if Holyoke tears up the roads to fix the sewers, Magrath-Smith suggested they simultaneously install a municipal fiber system — which would allow the city to manage its own IT infrastructure.

Through door-knocking, Magrath-Smith has realized how eager residents of Ward 7 are to learn about their city government. During her first term, she would create a newsletter to pull back the curtain on city council and share upcoming projects.

She has deep familial roots in Holyoke — her great-great-grandfather worked in the paper business, as did her great-grandfather and grandfather — but welcoming newcomers is important to Magrath-Smith.

“Our community is vibrant because it’s inclusive,” Magrath-Smith said. “Anyone who wants to live here is a Holyoker.”

Steve N. Rosenbush

Steve N. Rosenbush describes himself as an ideas man. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Rosenbush worked at five advertising agencies in New York City before he moved to Holyoke in 2009. Working in marketing taught Rosenbush how to multitask, manage budgets and “sell almost anything,” he said. Now, he wants to sell business owners on the benefits of setting up shop in Holyoke.

Among Rosenbush’s top priorities, the city council candidate wants to lower the cost of living in Holyoke. He suggested the city suspend the CPA tax until the next presidential election, when there may be new fiscal policies and lower interest rates.

To lower property taxes, Rosenbush pitched two options: reduce government expenses, or attract new businesses. Affordable grocery chain Aldi or banking company Chase could contribute to the tax base, Rosenbush said, and offering flexible work hours to city employees instead of raises could be another source of savings. He also suggested replacing roll call voting at city council meetings with an electronic voting system to save time.

Rosenbush said he is committed to representing the needs of Ward 7 residents, not “making the City Council [his] personal soapbox to push any particular agenda.” At 75 years old, Rosenbush wants to round out a lifetime of public service helping those impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic because — in his words — “it’s now or never.”

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