Though the next election isn’t until May, local and statewide races are already coming into focus.
In recent weeks, two candidates with Athens ties—Mike Collins, who represents Athens in Congress, and Derek Dooley, the son of Vince and Barbara Dooley—recently joined Savannah Rep. Buddy Collins in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate. The winner will face Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff in November 2026.
Once Collins announced his Senate bid July 28, state Rep. Houston Gaines (R-Athens) said he would seek Collins’ 10th District seat. Despite being just 30, Gaines—also the scion of a prominent local family—is serving his fourth two-year term in the legislature, rising to leadership positions, and has proven himself to be a prodigious fundraiser. So far, the only Democrat running in the right-leaning district is Lexy Doherty, who lost to Collins in 2024.
In addition to Gaines’ House seat, one of Athens’ two state Senate seats will also open up. Sen. Bill Cowsert (R-Athens) is running for Georgia attorney general. Among the announced candidates for Cowsert’s Senate seat is former state Rep. Doug McKillip, whom many Athens voters may remember for switching parties after being elected as a Democrat in 2010.
While more candidates could enter the race for Athens-Clarke County mayor, right now it looks like the city’s next leader will be a former commissioner from District 5 in the northwestern part of the county. Tim Denson—a progressive who served from 2019–2022, when Republicans in the state legislature redrew the district to prevent him from running again—was the first to jump in the race. Denson is currently on the Clarke County Board of Education. Shortly after, Dexter Fisher, who succeeded Denson on the commission, joined the race as well. Fisher is a former administrator at UGA and CCSD. Mayor Kelly Girtz is barred by law from running for a third term.
Athens also gained a clearer picture of the impact of President Trump’s budget cuts on the local community. Libraries could lose funding for inter-system loans, internet access and youth reading programs. At least 90 grants for various University of Georgia research projects totaling $122 million fell victim to DOGE, Trump’s cost-cutting effort previously led by Elon Musk. Most of them were related to diversity initiatives or climate change. The Food Bank of Northeast Georgia is also preparing for increased demand when cuts to federal food assistance take effect.
Athens-Clarke County planners continued work on a new land use map that will guide growth for the next 20–25 years, a period when the city is expected to add 30,000 people, exacerbating a lack of housing that is contributing to higher rents and home prices. Consultants Urban3 gave several presentations showing that, based on tax data, properties in denser areas like downtown are subsidizing single-family neighborhoods and suburban strip malls, which don’t generate enough tax revenue to pay for needed services. The data points to a zoning map that encourages growth along underdeveloped main corridors while protecting existing neighborhoods, rather than allowing further sprawl.
The Athens YWCO announced that it would sell property it had acquired in Oconee County to equine therapy nonprofit Butterfly Dreams and use the proceeds to improve its Eastside Athens facility. Meanwhile, a capital campaign is underway for renovations to the YMCA on Hawthorne Avenue.
The Saye Building at the corner of Hancock Avenue and Lumpkin Street met the wrecking ball after the ACC Commission voted to remove it from the West Downtown Historic District. Athens First Methodist Church plans to use the property as a parking lot.
The commission also voted to return a $25 million grant to revitalize North Avenue and approve a 900-home subdivision off Atlanta Highway. Former Roanoke, VA city manager Bob Cowell was named the ACC government’s new manager, while longtime clerk of commission Jean Spratlin retired after a ceremony that featured an Elvis impersonator and Mayor Kelly Girtz smashing computer equipment.
On a more serious note, two more inmates were found dead at the ACC Jail in July, bringing the total for this year to four. Sheriff John Q. Williams blamed at least some of the deaths on fentanyl and said he is taking steps to crack down on smuggling. However, questions remain, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has yet to release autopsy reports.
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