COQUILLE — Three challengers will face incumbents seeking re-election to the City Council in November.

Dian Courtright, Amanda Davidson and John Spencer added their names to the ballot, opposing incumbents E.N. Daniels, Kathy Hagen and Fran Capehart in the upcoming election.

All three council seats are at-large seats.

Hagen, who has been on the council since 1996, said she is delighted that the council race has attracted more candidates this time around.

“I wish more people would run for council,” she said. “I think people need choice.”

All three challengers say they want more citizen participation in local government.

Courtright said one of her goals is to make the city council more accessible to the public. Spencer agrees.

“Nobody shows up to the city council meetings,” Spencer said. “I want to do something more informal, where people can sit and talk to a councilor.”

Courtright wants to encourage more attendance at meetings. The first step, she said, is a campaign to teach the public about issues facing the city.

Davidson said she wants to focus the council’s energy on Coquille citizens. She said being available is a critical part of serving the people.

“Everybody should have access,” she said.

The newcomers aren’t the only ones who want more people involved. Hagen said she would like to see crowds at council meetings, though the past year has seen better attendance than ever before.

“Things are looking up,” she said.

Each challenger has a different reason for running.

Courtright said her work with the Concerned Citizens of Coquille and the positive response from members of the public gave her the confidence to step forward. She wants to bring a new perspective to the table.

“One thing I noticed about the city council is that there is never any contention,” she said. “I hope I bring some new blood ... I want to bring my own ideas.”

Spencer said the city lacks ideas about one question: What kind of city does Coquille want to become? He spent many a summer in the area as a child visiting his grandparents, before moving to the South Coast at age 18. He spent several years working in restaurants and on fishing boats before moving to California.

He moved back in 2006, after 25 years away. He says Coquille just isn’t the vibrant town he remembers. Reversing the decline of businesses and tourism is his main reason for running.

“I want to try to create something other than cobwebs in the doorway of a building because it is empty and has a ‘For Rent’ sign on it,” Spencer said.

Coquille should decide what it wants to be and write a plan to achieve it, whether that be building an industrial park or transforming downtown into an artist community, he said. Spencer contends city government should help shape the future, rather than just react to what happens.

“There needs to be some hard questions answered,” he said. “Nobody is trying to do that.”

Davidson said her 10 years in the U.S. Navy has helped her understand organization. She said she has what it takes to see issues through.

She works in marketing for Oregon First Community Credit Union, but in the Navy she helped young sailors find career paths. She moved to Coquille in 2006, after making several visits to relatives here.

“I just fell in love with it,” Davidson said. “It’s the best little small town there is.”

Now she wants to use her leadership and counseling skills to help improve the city.

“It’s a great city, but we could do more to make it better,” Davidson said.

Hagen wants to make the city more attractive. She has been part of efforts to trim hedges, especially those in Sturdivant Park, that used to block the view of the river. Fixing streets is on her to-do list as well. The recently instituted gas tax is a start toward smoother driving.

“It’s a small start, but we have to start somewhere,” she said.

Hagen and fellow council member Daniels say they hope to finish developing the old Georgia-Pacific mill site.

“We’ve been working on that for a number of years,” Daniels said earlier this month. “I would like to see that completed before I leave.”

Capehart was not available for comment.