Three new faces on the City Council will bring fresh discussion — if not a change in direction — on ways to preserve neighborhoods and livability in Medford, say the winning candidates and former council members.

"If nothing else, it'll get us some differences of opinion there," said Ben Truwe, who unseated veteran Councilman Skip Knight in the Ward 2 race.

As an example, Truwe said he's not on a crusade against the proposed multi-block development Middleford Commons but believes there are hoops the project should be required to jump through, such as determining impact on traffic.

"The important thing is having people at the table who just want Medford to be livable," said Truwe. "As a businessman, I want to have as many customers with the most money as possible. But I also want to live here."

Newcomer Jill Stout, a bank teller, took Ward 3, and Al Densmore, a financial planner, ran unopposed for Ward 1. Incumbent Bob Strosser retained his seat in Ward 4.

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Some have characterized the current council as pro-business and development and criticized members for holding minimal discussion before projects are approved.

Medford attorney and former councilman Bill Mansfield said he believes the change is a healthy one.

"I think the council has been unbalanced for some time," he said, adding that Truwe and Stout likely will line up with Councilman John Statler on some issues and not automatically vote for business interests.

He said there's nothing wrong with business interests, but the council's been one-sided.

"I don't equate business interest to the public interest," he said.

Stout said she shares some values with Truwe and Statler.

"We seem to have a little more empathy for the neighborhoods," said Stout. "If we have strong neighborhoods, we're going to have strong businesses."

But former mayor and council member Lindsay Berryman said the unseating of Knight means the loss of vast institutional knowledge.

"He's a fixture at City Hall at this point," said Berryman. "He has a lot of knowledge on transportation issues."

Brad Hicks, president of the Chamber of Medford/Jackson County, said though the chamber endorsed Knight and one of Stout's opponents, Brita Entenmann, it does not see the election results as problematic.

"All the business community is ever really interested in is someone who they can talk to and someone who will listen," Hicks said.

He said he wasn't worried about the fate of the Middleford Commons project, despite new council members and their potential skepticism.

"I think people will continue to have healthy questions about that project," he said.

Densmore, a former Medford mayor and state legislator, said he's not an automatic vote for business or development interests, and he shares concerns for neighborhoods.

"I've never been an automatic vote for anybody," he said. "I think there's a need for us to tune in to helping neighborhoods understand how they could be more effective in communicating their vision." He also hopes to get residents involved in the process early, before projects are approved by city commissions.

"Development can occur ... but hopefully it's less adversarial," Densmore said.

Berryman said because the new people will have to come up to speed on local issues, there will be more explanation during meetings.

"Certainly it means that the council's going to have to go through more discussion," she said. "And it means new ideas are going to come into the hopper. ... There needs to be turnover to have new ideas. I'm happy new energy is coming into the council."

Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail mlanders@mailtribune.com.