[Source: Garin Groff, East Valley Tribune] -- Corey Woods couldn't muster enough support two years ago in his bid for the Tempe City Council, but said voters nonetheless encouraged him after his defeat. They urged the relatively new Tempe resident to get more involved in community organizations and get to know more people, he said. "People want to see that track record before they put you in a position on the City Council," Woods said.He's become more visible in the community by joining several organizations and said he's grown as a community advocate. Woods is pushing neighborhood and quality-of-life issues. He laments the loss of independent businesses downtown, saying his office in downtown Phoenix is surrounded by the kind of interesting mom-and-pop shops Tempe should have more of. And several struggling strip malls could thrive with similar merchants, he said. Tempe should attract small merchants across the city, Woods said, by interviewing business owners and asking what the city can do to land them in Tempe. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]
