3 CANDIDATES FOR 2 COUNCIL SEATS CONSERVING SMALL-TOWN ATMOSPHERE A TOP ISSUE IN RACE.

Byline: Angie Valencia-Martinez Staff Writer

MOORPARK - Bolstering the city's economy. Breathing life into historic High Street. Conserving that small-town feeling in spite of being Ventura County's fastest growing city. Truck traffic on Los Angeles Avenue.

Those are among key issues for three candidates for two City Council seats on the Nov. 2 ballot in Moorpark.

Council members Roseann Mikos, 56, a grant writer for Moorpark College, and Keith Millhouse, 43, an environmental attorney, are seeking re-election to the five-member board. Bruce Thomas, a 56-year-old financial adviser, is challenging them.

Mikos, a lifelong educator who has served on the council since 2000, is also board chairwoman of the Commission on Human Concerns and director of the Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency. She co-authored Moorpark's Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources initiative, a measure to stop urban sprawl.

If elected, Mikos would focus the next four years on public safety, a business-friendly stance to help the economy, preserving open space, promoting affordable and senior housing and keeping Moorpark's semi-rural community character.

``I have a lot left to do,'' she said. ``I'm the one who keeps asking the tough questions. One of the things my supporters like is I'm not an automatic yes or no on anything. I weigh the pros and the cons.''

Such as with North Park Village and Nature Preserve, a proposed 1,650- house development north of town that is currently in the public hearing process. If approved by the City Council, the project would go before voters sometime next spring.

One of the concerns raised during a council meeting this past week was the fact that the developer of North Park has yet to secure land for a Highway 118 interchange vital to alleviating traffic.

``A lot of the questions that keep getting asked sort of get talked about and don't get answered,'' she said. ``If we do our job right, voters will know what they're voting for or against.''

The revitalization of High Street is also important, she said, adding that she wants to save the Theater on High Street, which is currently up for sale. She also points to the addition of a new fire station, a police center under construction and the development of a Human Services Center as evidence of her success in office.

``The next four years will be full of great revitalization.''

Millhouse said he brings a history of community service from serving on the council since 2000, being a planning commissioner, and past chairman of the county's transportation commission.

``I just don't show up in an election and run,'' he said. ``I've given to the community because it is a community that I love and enjoy giving back to. I bring regional respect and working relationships.''

Providing the resources so Moorpark can continue as the safest city per capita in Ventura County is a top priority, he said. Other goals include providing facilities and programs for youth and to ``continue to fight for transportation improvements on the 23, 118 and an alternate route for gravel trucks,'' which invade Moorpark city streets daily.

And to that he said, ``People can help me by supporting Measure B.''

The councilman also is committed to ``preserving the natural beauty by protecting our ridge lines and open space.''

Businessman Thomas said he is running because the council needs new blood and ideas.

If elected, he would focus on bringing together the city, school district and county agencies to work as a team.

``We need to build bridges with the school district and county,'' he said. ``We need to find creative ways to get things done because of the limited public resources for the foreseeable future.''

Keeping open lines of communication with constituents also is among his top priorities.

``I'd like to bring Moorpark together,'' he said. ``We need to have openness. Also, I bring the needed leadership and management perspective the current council is lacking.''

Thomas also wants to create an arts and historical commission.

Mayor Patrick Hunter is running unopposed for another two-year term.

The 43-year-old lieutenant with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department outlined his plans for the future.

``I want to ensure that we remain financially healthy,'' he said. ``Second, to provide a safe and secure city for our residents - free from the fear of crime and violence.

``I look forward to the opening of the police station in spring which will bring together members of the Sheriff's Department and Highway Patrol. The benefit is the added number of officers to our community.''

Angie Valencia-Martinez, [phone]

angie.valencia(at)dailynews.com