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37 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, November 6, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 7, 2004 Phoenix council candidates give a nod to Home Depot By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune PHOENIX — All four candidates vying for three City Council seats in the Nov. 2 general election support a Home Depot coming to town — as long as traffic concerns are addressed. Incumbents Hal Burks and Curt Georgeson will fight to keep their seats against newcomers Steven Schulman and Terry Helfrich. Burks, 73, said he hopes to continue his efforts to create an identity for the small city divided by Interstate 5 and by "new and old." Burks worked with Mayor Larry Parducci last year to get the city’s several ZIP codes combined into one. The San Jose, Calif., native said he hopes to find creative ways to plan growth without over-taxing residents. Advertisement He said Home Depot, which has expressed interest in property at the I-5 interchange at Fern Valley Road, would be a boon for the city. The large home improvement chain should be encouraged to locate in Phoenix without waiting for the state to fix traffic congestion at the interchange, he said. "We definitely need some type of revenue," he said. "(Home Depot) would provide a lot of jobs and roughly $135,000 or so in taxes yearly for the city. ... We’re not talking about peanuts here." Burks moved to Phoenix from California in 1984 after retiring as a masonry contractor. He said he worked on local issues as a citizen before running successfully as a write-in candidate for council in 2000. Burks joked he had "no illusions of starting an empire" at his age. "I just thought I had some talents I could bring to the table to get Phoenix aggressively ahead of where they were," said Burks. Georgeson, 70, also elected in 2000 by write-in, wants to continue efforts to finance a new City Hall, manage urban renewal and help plan growth. Georgeson moved to Phoenix six years ago from a small Nebraska town where he was an elected official. He retired as a factory representative for Goodyear Tire. Georgeson said he was a strong supporter of urban renewal and would be sympathetic to residents leery of tax increases. "I don’t want to pay taxes anymore than anybody else. Sometimes we just have to do that," he said. "I’d hope that we could find ways to do things without putting more burden on the taxpayers." Georgeson said his feelings regarding the proposed Home Depot echoed many of those on the council. "I think we need something like that in Phoenix," he said. "It’d be a big boost for us, but it’s also going to cause some traffic problems. We’ve got traffic problems now and we’ve got to continue to try to get that straightened out before we have an even bigger mess." Retired from retail management, Schulman, 65, moved to the city last year from Yreka, Calif. Schulman said he always had an interest in politics and decided "now was the time to give back." Schulman said he favored growth — properly managed — and wanted to see the city continue urban renewal efforts and find ways to increase its tax base, such as bringing in Home Depot. "There are questions about the traffic patterns," he acknowledged. "I’m all in favor of (Home Depot) coming but the whole package has to be in place. We can’t base choices on the state possibly redoing the interchange; otherwise you just end up with problems." Helfrich, 55, a local orchardist and resident of more than 30 years, said he threw his hat into the ring over a "desire to work with the local community to achieve a balance of growth and quality of life" for the city. Helfrich said he’s been to meetings in which Oregon Department of Transportation officials talked about the traffic concerns at Fern Valley. "They (ODOT officials) seem willing to work with us to develop something that would work," he said. Helfrich said his primary concerns include the city’s "lack of a downtown," urban renewal needs and limited tax base. "I think Phoenix is kind of a little sleeping jewel that’s going to eventually emerge," he said. "It just needs to be guided in the right direction." Ballots will be mailed out Oct. 15. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 12. Chamber sponsors forum The Phoenix Chamber of Commerce is planning a candidates forum from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday in the Bear Lake Estates Community Room, 300 Luman Road, Phoenix. Robin Stroh of the League of Women Voters will be moderator. Invited are candidates for Phoenix mayor and council, county commissioner, justice of the peace, House District 5 and Senate District 3. Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected]. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities