Identity-group voters in Ferndale, Mich. are now faced with a tough choice: Reelect its current gay mayor, or vote for the other gay candidate, who served as the city’s mayor from 2008 to 2011. As the Detroit Free Press reports, “the race has left some of Ferndale’s gay voters perplexed as they now have to decide between two strong gay candidates in the November election.”

The race between Ferndale mayor Dave Coulter and former mayor Craig Covey has the community divided, according to paper. There is one other candidate running, long-time resident and attorney Sherry Wells, and some believe pitting Coulter against Covey and splitting the vote could curb progress for the gay community. But, the Free Press reports, “Others said that a gay politician should be free to run against anyone, anytime.”

Coulter, “like many Ferndale gays,” the paper explains, isn’t too happy that Covey has decided to jump into the race, but is confident he can run on his governing record.

Ferndale is known in the Detroit area for its LGBT population, which helped Covey become Michigan’s first openly gay mayor in 2008. For nearly a decade, the city hosted the Motor City Pride festival (it moved to Detroit in 2011).