Better late than never.

Calistogan Mike McGirr turned in 20 signatures late last week to become the most recent addition to the city’s mayoral race as a write-in candidate. Another potential write-in candidate, Zack Del Sarto, has yet to officially qualify for the race.

McGirr, 39, wants to assume the leadership role on the City Council to become a facilitator for greater public discussion Calistoga issues — be it through public participation on city commissions, surveys stuck in city water bills or design ideas delivered to the doorstep of neighbors affected by nearby projects.

“I would encourage more public interaction on these issues,” McGirr said, talking about planning growth, revitalizing the business community, providing workforce housing and drawing more local students to Calistoga schools. “What we don’t seem to have is a broader public discourse. Frankly, the mayor is responsible for forming committees and wielding the gavel.”

His campaign is already treading down that path, with McGirr sending out surveys on issues facing Calistoga and maintaining a Web site with a questionnaire.

In a way, running for mayor is a natural for McGirr. The two-year Calistoga resident works in marketing and advertising, where finding out about target audiences is de rigueur. McGirr insists it is the way to inject more life into city politics and involve more of the community — directly — in city machinations.

“I feel that I am best suited to serve as a moderator and a facilitator and would have the best return on the time if I were in a role that I were moderating debate — that is the role of the mayor,” McGirr said. “I definitely would be more effective as a leader ... I love this town so much and I really want to reduce the bureaucratic experience in dealing with the city or in trying to push agendas forward in the city.”

McGirr supports trying to find more ways to build housing for workers like police, firefighters, teachers, service workers and other essential city workers. He wants to build a pool, but urges the city to make itself crystal clear from now on about how it goes about doing that. He also wants the city to take a more active role in promoting local schools and businesses.

“There are a lot of disparate groups throughout town,” he said. “We need to sit at a table together, hold hands and come to an agreement on something.”