Editor's note: This is the first in a series focusing on the five candidates seeking three seats on the Temecula City Council. The election is Nov. 2.

Jeff Comerchero has seen Temecula grow from a relatively sleepy suburb to a city of about 100,000 people.

And, as a council member since the late 1990s, Comerchero has had a hand in how the city has grown.

The challenge now, he said, is to make sure that the city doesn't lose the "sense of small town" that attracted those people to the city in the first place. If elected to a fourth term on the council, he said that will be one of his top priorities.

Comerchero, 63, president of The Rancon Group, is one of five candidates running for three open seats on the council. The other candidates on the ballot are Councilwoman Maryann Edwards, retired registered nurse Patrice Lynes, Councilman Ron Roberts and real estate broker Paul Runkle.

Providing examples of how the city can foster small-town ambience and a sense of community, Comerchero pointed to the town square that fronts the new Civic Center.

"That's meant to be the congregating point, the heart of the city and a place where events will take place," he said.

Last year, the square was used as the site for an ice skating rink and New Year's Eve celebratory event that saw the city drop a cluster of grapes in a sort of New York City-inspired ball drop.

"Those are the kind of things ---- and moving the Christmas parade to Old Town ---- that creates a much better ambiance. It gives people the sense of place that creates that community feel."

The city of Temecula, incorporated in 1989, has a budget of $54.5 million, with about 48 percent of spending going toward the Police and Fire departments. Each council member is elected to a four-year term and they receive a $600 a month stipend plus a car allowance, health coverage and membership in the CalPERS retirement program.

As the city grew, much of the growth was driven by developers who built tract housing, a staple of suburbia since the 1950s, Comerchero said.

If elected to another term, Comerchero said he plans to work with contacts he's made through the National League of Cities to develop a new way to provide housing for families and young people.

Tract housing, he said, is not designed to meet the needs of current families.

"It's very difficult for young people to live independently and be able to afford it," he said.

But Comerchero said he won't be dictating a certain type of housing.

"I want to bring together the best minds around the country, the various think tanks that deal with housing ... and look at the current need for all segments of our population. How can we make sure the housing provided as a nation matches what our demographic looks like? We haven't done that type of homework for 50 years," he said.

Although that sort of large-scale push to change how cities foster new types of housing developments will take a long time to develop, Comerchero said it's important to start sowing the seeds now for future generations.

On a similar tack, Comerchero said he wants to continue working for the people and families in the community with special needs: a subgroup that he said includes families who have children with autism, those with infirmities or disabilities and the elderly.

Providing specific examples, he mentioned continued support of Councilman Mike Naggar's autism task force and the installation of specialized exercise equipment for senior citizens at the park near the senior center.

That equipment, he said, has been introduced in certain parts of Europe and increased the level of activity for those seniors.

On jobs and the economy, Comerchero said the city's unemployment rate of just a bit over 10 percent, while better than other cities in Riverside County, is still too high.

To get that number down, he said the city is working to transform the Jefferson Avenue corridor, which is dotted with plenty of "available for lease" signs, into a financial hub on par with a similar area of Irvine that is home to a cluster of financial services companies.

Call staff writer Aaron Claverie at 951-676-4315, ext. 2624.