ENGLEWOOD — Jim Campise, who has been on the Englewood City Council for nearly 24 years, is unsure why three incumbents on the council are being challenged this November by three people who have never run before.

“That’s fine,” Campise said. “That’s America. I don’t quite understand. What’s the issue? Why are people running?”

In Englewood, where budgets tend to stay balanced and residents usually don’t have major complaints, at least two reasons to run have emerged: those who want to become involved and those who think people such as Campise have been on the council too long.

In Campise’s mind, there should be a major issue to challenge.

“When I first started, there was an issue, way back in the Jimmy Carter days,” Campise said.

The issue was a housing tax abatement the council wanted to pass to spur new development. Campise — and eventually the council — was against the idea, and that’s how he became involved.

While Campise doesn’t see any issues such as that in Englewood today, he and fellow incumbents Thomas Franz and Joseph Zumwald said they welcome the competition from Cathy McGrail, Jeff Moyer and Jim Silko. Franz began in government on the city’s planning commission in 1983, was appointed to a vacant council seat in 1991. He ran and won a council seat in 1993 and has served ever since.

“I always wanted to be part of the community,” said Franz, who is a substitute teacher at Northmont High School and managed the environmental services department at Miami Valley Hospital for 24 years before retiring.

“My task is to maintain the financial stability of the city of Englewood,” Franz said.

“The city staff makes it so easy. We have such a good staff,’’ according to Franz.

‘‘Quite frankly, with our finances, we’re as sound in the city of Englewood as any city in the state of Ohio.

“I very seldom get calls from citizens complaining of anything.”

Zumwald, a senior planner at Woolpert, was on the city’s planning commission five years because, “my background is planning, and I was interested (in the city).”

In 2007, he was appointed to an open position on the council and ran unopposed for the seat in 2009.

Among the incumbents, he has been in office the shortest time, but said of those who criticize longevity, “it takes awhile to learn what’s going on. It took two years (for me) to go through all the situations.”

McGrail operates her own real estate business with her husband and said she has had interest in running for council, “for awhile.” She said a dispute with the city over a piece of property convinced her to run for a position.

“I think the city has done wonderful things over the years,” McGrail said. “The council has been good. I do think the council needs some fresh perspective. I think there are a lot of similar backgrounds on council.

“All the incumbents have a challenger. They’ve run unopposed for so long.”

Moyer, who has worked the last 30 years in residential remodeling and new home construction, said, “I just believe we can do better. I see a lot of vacant commercial property in the area and I think we’ve got to take a more conservative approach on how to fill it.”

Silko works in the commercial heating and air conditioning industry, teaches an apprentice class two nights a week and also owns apartment property in Kettering.

“I never ran for anything before, but I think I’m going to bring a fresh face and a new perspective,” Silko said. “I wanted to get more involved in my government and we’ve got folks on that council that have been on there for decades, unopposed.

“I think it can be run better, but I won’t know until I get in there. I really think I can make a difference.”

To prepare, Silko has been attending council meetings in other cities to obtain different perspectives.

In Englewood, the candidates say the race is on.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2157 or mkatz@DaytonDailyNews.com.