People love to complain about their elected officials (and often not without good reason). Think you can do better? Now’s the time to put your money where your mouth is—literally.
The week of Mar. 2–6 is when candidates qualify to run for a host of local, state and federal offices, including even-numbered seats on the Athens-Clarke County Commission and Clarke County Board of Education, every seat in the Georgia General Assembly and U.S. House of Representatives, sheriff, several judgeships and two U.S. Senate seats.
Last week, two sitting ACC commissioners—Allison Wright in District 4 and Jerry NeSmith in District 6—announced they’re running for re-election.
Wright, a medical illustrator, has represented part of the Five Points area since 2013. In her announcement, she took partial credit for a number of initiatives during those seven-plus years, including fare-free transit for children, seniors and the disabled; affordable housing; police body cameras; and addressing discrimination at downtown bars. She said she wants to continue to expand transit, provide training on discrimination and sexual assault to bar employees, and address poverty and the aging population.
“Experience matters as you look where Athens is locally and nationally and the huge projects we have underway,” she said. “From my work on public health and safety and community policing programming, to the beautification of our city, and tackling discrimination, my record is strong. My vision for the future includes partnerships and cooperation.”
Wright will be opposed by Michael Stapor, a 22-year-old University of Georgia graduate.
“I made the decision to run after seeing my district in danger of succumbing to growing pains, a commissioner that was out of touch with her constituents and an opportunity to push progressive change at a very important level of local politics,” Stapor told Flagpole last week.
NeSmith, who represents the Atlanta Highway area mostly outside the Loop, has also held office since 2013. NeSmith called for lowering ACC’s property tax rate and giving preference to locally owned businesses in procurement, especially for the 11-year, $300 million SPLOST 2020.
“The Sixth District has become more economically stable,” he said in a news release. “We are at the threshold of a renewed Sixth District that is ripe for commercial redevelopment. Neighborhoods in District 6 remain very healthy, overall, with active citizen participation in business/neighborhood issues, county activities and policy-making.
“I will continue to facilitate creating collaborative alliances among business and neighborhood leaders—coalitions that inform my actions and speak with a unified voice,” he said.
The retired UGA information technology director is a former ACC planning commissioner and helped start the Athens Farmers Market. He serves on the board of Advantage Behavioral Health Systems, is active on the Ben Epps Airport Authority and Oconee Rivers Greenway Commission, and is a member of the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement. His son, Jason, is well known locally as frontman of the band Casper and the Cookies and guitarist for the Pylon Re-enactment Society.
Like Wright, NeSmith ran unopposed in 2016, but this year he’ll face progressive activist Jesse Houle in the May 19 nonpartisan election.
District 8 Commissioner Andy Herold will not be running for a fourth full term, setting up a three-way race among retired educator and transportation advocate Carol Myers, lawyer Kamau Hull and couples therapist Andrea Farnham on the Eastside.
Other than District 8 representative John Knox, who said in December that he won’t run again, school board members had been silent on their plans as of press time.
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