Outgoing Medford City Council members Claudette Moore and Jim Key talk about their time on the council prior to Thursday’s council study session. (Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli)

For City Councilman Jim Key, the biggest issue Medford faces is building on undeveloped land.

"The development community has just run rampant," said Key. "That was one of the reasons I ran for City Council, was to try to slow some of the growth."

He said not all council members agree with his view.

"I often run afoul of some of their desires to see the city turned into Southern California," he said. At least the Site Plan and Architectural Commission does a good job of ensuring thought and planning goes into each project, he said.

He and Councilwoman Claudette Moore will not seek re-election in November. With two other council members, Bob Strosser and Skip Knight, seeking re-election to their seats, a total of four council seats are up for grabs.

Moore, who said growth is inevitable, also said it's important to guide development.

"It's going to be difficult to stop growth," said Moore, a real estate agent. "It's such a great place to live."

"We want to make sure we maintain livability, too," said Moore.

Key, 74, has served on the council for 10 years; Moore, 57, has served for six. They'll both finish their terms through the end of the year.

Key said another problem for Medford is trying to keep up with traffic issues.

"I don't ever see us building out of the transportation problems that we have," he said. "Wal-Mart is going to be a huge issue."

He said numerous e-mails from residents have asked the council to do something to prevent the traffic problems the supercenter is going to cause when it is built at the former Miles Field site on Highway 99.

"That's going to be a big, big problem for the South Gateway Center if we don't do something," Key said of the shopping area that includes the south Fred Meyer and Harry and David's Country Village.

But Moore said the zoning allows Wal-Mart's plans, so the council can't oppose the project. Besides, there's a lot of support for such projects.

"I know the region has always wanted to be a regional shopping center," she said, adding that Wal-Mart's revamped architectural renderings helped her feel better about the large building. "From what I've seen it's going to look good on all four sides."

Moore said her greatest accomplishment as a councilwoman is championing construction of safe sidewalks around elementary schools to the point that the council took up the cause and the voters passed a $4.6 million bond measure in November 2004.

Another success, she said, was helping create the housing commission.

"We have a grant program for first-time homebuyers in the city of Medford," she said proudly.

Moore said there are things she won't miss about serving on the council.

"Like people accosting me and being rude to my face," she said.

"I don't get any of that," Key said.

"You're 6-foot-5," responded Moore, who stands at 5' 11„2 ".

Moore said even if she and Key didn't always see eye-to-eye on the issues, she appreciated his perspective.

"He is such a statesman," she said. "He looks at all sides."

She said his was the voice of reason on the council.

Key said that's what he was striving for.

"I think that I've been some of the directional voice to get the council people to think about what they're doing."

Strosser, one of two on the council seeking re-election, said their departure will be a big loss for the group.

"The council will lose two people who care a great deal about our community and have spent countless hours, and years, wading through the morass of process and bureaucracy trying to get things done in this community," said Strosser, also a real estate agent.

Call Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail mlanders@mailtribune.