The six candidates for Lancaster City Council are excited and encouraged by the downtown's growth and development.

In separate interviews this week, they cited the nascent hotel and convention center's role in revitalization, though they noted it's only one part of the broader equation.

City voters will elect three of the six Tuesday to four-year City Council terms.

The field includes Democrats Pat Coller, Nelson Polite Sr. and Joe Morales and Republicans R.B. Campbell, Kathleen Harrison and Brian Reynolds.

Polite is the lone incumbent.

"Lancaster is on the verge of economic growth and prosperity it hasn't seen in a very long time," Morales said. "I've lived here for 30 years, and I've never seen this kind of synergy and connectiveness between the mayor, City Council and the many community groups."

Coller said she sees the convention center as an important catalyst of economic development.

"I think there are great things in store for Lancaster's downtown," she said. "It's an exciting time."

"I'm encouraged by what I see going on downtown and it's important to keep the ball rolling," Reynolds said. "But I also think, for the City of Lancaster to be a success, we need to keep in mind that there are other things to look at. We have to look at the city as a whole."

Harrison and Polite both said they feel there needs to be an increased focus on public safety, especially in the central business district.

"There is still a perception that Lancaster isn't safe," Harrison said. "We need to look at what areas need more attention. Do we have enough police officers to protect our residents and the people we expect the convention center to bring in? If not, then we need to find money for additional officers."

Polite, who has served on council for 10 years, agreed and said people should not be afraid to come into the city.

He alluded to a fiscal plan, recently released by Mayor Rick Gray, that recommends restructuring the public safety department. That would free up additional officers for the street, Polite said.

"We need to do everything we can to provide a safe and secure environment so people want to come downtown," Polite said. "I look at the number of people on the streets during First Friday — I would like to see that all the time."

Both Reynolds and Campbell said the key to bringing more people downtown is tapping into the county's tourist industry.

"Downtown isn't marketed as effectively as it could be," Campbell said. "The Lancaster County tourism trade is booming, and we need to find a way to work with that to give people an incentive to come downtown."

Reynolds said he would like to see not only the city and county working together, but also downtown business owners banding together.

"City government can be the catalyst," he said. "But I see a huge benefit if individual businesses can pull together in a marketing sense."

While the candidates acknowledged continued development of the central business district is a cornerstone to the success of the city, candidates from both parties said they feel some of the focus should be shifted to betterment of the city's neighborhoods.

Coller said she would like to see more sites, even small ones, utilized for parks and suggested upgrading playgrounds.

"In this world of technology, people have grown apart," Coller said. "If there were more social spaces, a bench here and there, it would make the neighborhood more unified because people would talk and get to know their neighbors."

In areas where there are established neighborhood improvement groups, Campbell said he would like to see better coordination and communication within the various organizations. Campbell lauded the groups but said, rather than work independently, they may be able to get things done more efficiently together.

Harrison said she cannot believe the condition of some neighborhoods, primarily in the southeast and southwest sections of the city, which are littered with trash.

"We need to make an effort to clean up those neighborhoods because they are a reflection of the city," Harrison said. "We talk about the convention center, the downtown — if we want people to want to come here, we need to do whatever we can to provide them with a clean and safe city."

E-mail: jtodd@lnpnews.com