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By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune October 24. 2014 2:00AM Phoenix council races draw a crowd — and debate PHOENIX — Economic development related to a soon-to-be-built $72 million interchange, improvements to the downtown and council involvement in urban renewal are hot topics for council incumbents and challengers in the coming election. Six council candidates will vie for three seats while current council member Terry Helfrich will square off against incumbent Mayor Jeff Bellah. An orchardist and long time council member, Helfrich said he's eager to see progress happen in the downtown with urban renewal — sans council involvement — and with new businesses coming to town. "The number one main issue of this city is that we need to start building improvements that the citizens see," Helfrich said. Helfrich, 65, supports separation of City Council and urban renewal despite the current format in which the two agencies are connected. If reelected, Bellah said, his focus would be to bring all city roads up to par over the next five years with plans for some $750,000 in basic maintenance and chip sealing over the next fiscal year. He disagreed with Helfrich on the council-urban renewal division. Additional priorities for Bellah include carefully planning of the new interchange area and city center and continued efforts for a balanced budget and to establish traditions that will build an identity for the city. As for a half-dozen council candidates, three incumbents — Karen Jones, Chris Luz and Bruce Sophie — are seeking reelection with an interest in maintaining current momentum and managing future growth — while newcomers Melissa Wagy, Judy Grillo and former council member Steve Schulman say they will push for more notable progress and better relations between City Hall and residents. Jones and Luz — Sophie did not return calls — said the current council was working hard and should stay in office to continue momentum. Jones, who initiated the Phoenix Food Project and volunteers for the community food bank, said, "We're all for economic development for the city but those things all move slowly and it's hard with so many naysayers dragging us down."  "Development is one thing but I think what's important is encouraging citizen involvement — volunteering in our community. If a project can be completed by 10 people, my focus is to find those 10 people!" Luz agreed that he hoped the current council members would be retained so the city would "not lose the momentum we've already established."  He also said he would work on "re-beautification" of the downtown and maintaining balanced budgets. Schulman, co-editor of a Phoenix Council Watch Facebook page, said he decided to try for a return to City Hall because of citizen frustrations with the current council. If elected, Schulman said he would work for water rate fairness, division of urban renewal and the city and push for a change of culture. "We have a group of people whose list of accomplishments include things that the council just does because they're the city council and it's their job," he said. The other two challengers, planning commissioner Judith Grillo and salon owner and community activist Melissa Wagy, both hope to bring a change of culture, too, they said, in addition to needed improvements to the city. Wagy, whose lists of community boards and events on which she's worked number more than three dozen, listed her goals, if elected, as economic development, separation of urban renewal and city council and water rate fairness. "One of my first priorities would be to see the city complete a community census to determine what the citizens want. The citizens, right now, are literally the last thing on the agenda and it needs to be the other way around," Wagy said. Grillo said she, too, was eager to see things shaken up. "I've been here four years and haven't seen much change in the downtown, my water bill has more than doubled for half the water I used to use and the downtown is an interesting combination of a few nice buildings and dilapidated properties," she said. "I would like to see the downtown become an inviting small little community and I think the first step in doing that is to see things start to get done differently than they've been getting done."   Buffy Pollock is a freelance writer living in Medford. Email her at [email protected].   The candidates Name: Terry HelfrichAge: 65Education: Corporate training for management skills.Experience: Six years on council; budget committee; urban renewal board; planning commission 16 years; appointed by county commissioners to regional problem solving process.Name: Jeff BellahAge: 61Education: Bachelor of science from University of Oregon; executive training with federal employmentExperience: current mayor of Phoenix; Phoenix Budget Committee; city liaison for Rogue Valley Council of governments, regional water coalition with surrounding cities and city representative for ACCESS.Name: Karen JonesAge: 63Education: bachelor of arts and secondary teaching credential, CSU (Sacramento);  three years of building trades classes at College of the Sequoias.Experience: Phoenix City Council, Phoenix Budget Committee, Phoenix Urban Renewal Agency board; Phoenix Food Project founder and district coordinator, steering committee member for Phoenix Food Pantry; Phoenix-Talent Ford Leadership Program; First Phoenix Community Center board member.Name: Chris LuzAge: 54Education: Master of science, University of ConnecticutExperience: Two years on council; Phoenix Urban Renewal; Phoenix Water Commission; Phoenix Budget Committee; Parks commissioner; president of the Phoenix Festival; Phoenix Water Rate Committee.Name: Steve SchulmanAge: 75Education: BA California State (Northridge); master of science from Western Kentucky University; Ph.D. coursework.Experience: City Council (2004-2005); Phoenix Urban Renewal Board (2010-2012); Phoenix Budget Committee during council tenure; editor, Phoenix Council Watch.Name: Melissa WagyAge: 42Education: beauty school in Salem; business classesExperience: 30-plus events, commissions, committees in the city of Talent; Boys & Girls Club; Talent Chamber member and past president. Name: Judy GrilloAge: 66Education: BA in marketing/advertising from Citrus College (California); continuing education student at Rogue Community College.Experience: symphony manager for San Bernardino Symphony; overseas theater management; Phoenix Planning Commission; past Cultural Arts Board member for Fort Collins, Colo. http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20141024/NEWS/141029806 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. 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