By Dennis Box-The Courier-Herald

The City Council race for Ward 5 has drawn four candidates and promises to be a spirited run to the Aug. 21 primary election.

Incumbent Phil DeLeo, 61, is seeking a second term in the seat. He has served on the council 14 years, the first eight years in the at-large No. 1 position and the last six in Ward 5

DeLeo decided not to run for the at-large seat in 2001, but was appointed to the Ward 5 position in 2002 when Pam Cleveland left. He completed Cleveland's term, and then ran for the seat in 2003.

Dan Decker is making his second attempt at political office. He ran for mayor in 2005, losing in the primary to Mayor Neil Johnson and Councilman Jim Rackley.

The 60-year-old Decker said he has been planning to run for the Ward 5 seat for the last four years.

&#8220I'm putting my full effort into this one,” Decker said. &#8220I want to see our ward have more representation. I'm hoping I can bring a change.”

If elected, Decker said he will call a ward meeting in the first 30 days he is in office to discuss issues with residents, and possibly draw up a petition for people of the city to vote on if there is an issue that warrants it.

Decker said he works as an independent insurance agent.

Michael Armanious, 36, has also thrown his hat in the Ward 5 ring.

The candidate said three issues define his campaign. The first is the accountability of City Council members.

&#8220I would treat citizens like customers,” Armanious said. &#8220If you have happy customers, you will have a better city.”

Second, he advocates term limits.

&#8220Maybe two or three terms,” Armanious said. &#8220I don't think we should have perpetual City Council members. People get too comfortable.”

The candidate's third issue is traffic and its impact on the city.

He said he believes the city, &#8220cannot stop growth. What good would that be? Isn't it better to have the convenience of all these things in the city? The taxes go to the city and that helps us as a city.”

Armanious said he is the head of the commercial division at Rainier Pacific Realty.

Vicki Karuzas, 59, is a case manager for special education students in the alternative programs in the White River School District.

Karuzas is a member of the Lake Tapps Community Council. She believes the city needs to be more involved in the issues concerning the lake.

She also believes the city needs to be more active with code enforcement.

Growth is another campaign issue for Karuzas.

&#8220We are growing, but we have to be careful not to turn into another South Hill,” Karuzas said. &#8220We lived on South Hill and we had to get out.”

DeLeo said he is running again because, &#8220I'm concerned about the downtown plans. I think we are headed in the right direction. We have some really good ideas and it's an exciting time.”

The downtown core area is a triangle bordered by state Route 410 East and Sumner-Buckley Highway and 184th Street East.

The councilman said he is a strong advocate for low income housing.

&#8220I'm appalled by $300,000 homes that seniors and young people can't afford,” DeLeo said.

The councilman is the program manager for the Pacific/Algona Senior Center.

DeLeo said he believes he has been a strong advocate for the people in his ward and the city. He added when citizens came to him about safety issues on Inlet Island he backed a four-way stop on the island.

DeLeo is a member of the Juveniles Justice Diversion committee for high school students and the Communities For Families Coalition.

Dennis Box can be reached at dbox@courierherald.com.