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

Maryann Edwards drives around Temecula and she's proud of what she doesn't see.

Specifically, graffiti left behind by miscreants.

"It sends a signal to the gangs; it's like putting down a welcome mat," said Edwards, a Temecula council member elected in 2006 who is one of five candidates running for the three open seats on the City Council.

The other candidates are Mayor Jeff Comerchero, retired nurse Patrice Lynes, Councilman Ron Roberts and real estate executive Paul Runkle.

Edwards, 55, brought up graffiti ---- and the special truck that eradicates it after it's spotted ---- during a recent interview because keeping the city free from the clutches of gangs and other criminals is a platform of her re-election campaign.

"I'm a zero-tolerance mom," she said.

During her time on the council, Edwards, who serves as the chief executive officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest County, said she has backed that up by authoring legislation to bar sex offenders from moving to areas of the city that are near schools or parks and supporting the county's gang task force.

She said she's also been a strong supporter of the city's police and fire departments, making sure during budget sessions that the ratio of police officers to residents does not drop below 1 per 1,000.

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.

Although half of $54.5 million might seem like a lot of money, Edwards said the city gets "more bang for its buck" by contracting with Riverside County for its police and fire services.

Plus, she said, the city will avoid spending even more money in the near future when it converts a storefront in the new Civic Center to a police substation and, down the line, when it converts the old City Hall into a police station.

"That's millions of dollars by not having to pay for a new station," she said.

In addition to stressing her support for public safety, Edwards also has been talking about jobs on the campaign trail.

In the last few years, the council has been working to bring a hospital and a four-year university to the city, efforts that Edwards has supported.

As an example, she voted to authorize the use of $3 million in redevelopment agency funding to renovate classrooms at the Sparkman Alternative Education Center for use by Cal State San Marcos, which is offering a number of nursing programs in the space.

In the future, if that partnership remains a strong one, the city could be the site of a university, a plan Edwards has helped along by her work on a land swap.

The Firestone family, owners of a large parcel east of Temecula, have talked about giving the city land for a university. In exchange, the city would cover the cost of environmental documentation on their plan to develop the land surrounding that school.

"We want high-tech, biotech and medical jobs," she said, adding that the council is having multiple discussions with medical service providers to bring a hospital, or two, to the city.

"People move to Temecula because they love it here and I want to make sure that it stays that way," she said.

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