Bridget Nee-Walsh is just what the Boston City Council needs — badly — today.

She’s a single mom who said in a recent candidate interview that she can do all that and “still hold your composure and be a professional.” She’s a 44-year-old union ironworker from South Boston and is locked in a tight race for an open at-large seat.

Her chief rival is Henry Santana, who has won the endorsement of Mayor Michelle Wu. Santana, 27, emigrated from the Dominican Republic as a child, and became a U.S. citizen at 17. His is a great story, but he has admitted he registered to vote just this year and cast his first vote in the preliminary election held Sept. 12.

It’s clear the City Council, too often splintered and known more for being in the headlines than making wise decisions, should not be a training ground for novice politicians. No votes? For an at-large seat?

The city could use another mature voice of reason and that person is Bridget Nee-Walsh.

Give Santana time to work his way into the council and possibly run for a district seat, but there’s just too much going on in the city and this is a moment when people will look back and see the Hub did finally take a turn for the better.

The City Council has been an embarrassment. The car crashes, backroom politicking, fighting in the hallways, and delayed votes on critical matters need to stop. At-large councilors have gone on to be mayors and congresswomen.

Tuesday’s vote is vital. The city is already on a winning streak, with Ricardo Arroyo and Kendra Lara losing in the preliminary elections.

An ironworker from the family who helped make this city what it is today deserves a chance to prove herself.

The Mass and Cass tents have come down and the council finally got out of the way to allow that to happen. The budget cuts to police and veterans — vetoed by the mayor — still sting and have sent the wrong message about what it means to live and work in Boston.

Veterans who loyally served our country in times of crisis, putting their lives on the line for the rest of us, should be respected, not vilified, by a council that seems to cater to the prevailing political winds over time-honored duties.

The police, fire, EMTs and others who run into danger should also be given the respect they deserve.

It’s time to say enough with the council clown show and put some adults in those seats and let this body get to work and come up with changes that will improve the city, not make it a debating society for those looking to grandstand.

We’re not saying Henry Santana would be party to this ridiculousness. It’s just that he is still building a resume, one that will only get stronger with time now that he has shown he’s a candidate for the council.

It takes a lot of guts to run for any office these days. But that’s why this election is an opportunity to get it right for once and go with a candidate who has lived with taxes and the schools. On Tuesday, vote Nee-Walsh.

Editorial cartoon by Gary Varvel (Creators Syndicate)