Some observations
• It appears someone else has decided to try their lack in the ongoing drama that is the 2006 mayoral race in Athens-Clarke County. I'm sure that Charlie Maddox is a great guy — and he's got a heckuva resume — but throwing your hat into a ring already crowded by this many local power players seems kinda futile. With two commissioners seriously pondering challenging Heidi Davison in States McCarter and Tom Chasteen, one has to wonder what Maddox thinks he can accomplish.
(Maddox's) vision includes strengthening property rights, raises for police officers and involving more people in decisions, he said.
He also loves puppies.
But seriously, all Maddox does is divide the field even more and further solidify Davison's base. Considering we now have three 'anti-Heidi' candidates, Davison should be able to rally up support from the key organizations that backed her run in 2002 (Grow Green Athens and BikeAthens come to mind) and, if someone popular like McCarter emerges as her top challenger, if she splits the neighborhoods she should pick up a second term.
What about the Chamber and the business community you ask? Who knows. But, with the possible exception of Maddox, it's hard to see who they'd get behind. Rumor has them friendly to McCarter, but that seems mighty odd to me. They'll probably be split into fractions as well and get trumped by name recognition among other, more well-known candidates.
I'm still leaning Heidi.
• Speaking of the Chamber, someone needs to help me out on the latest rift that has emerged between them and the Athens-Clarke County Commission. Apparently the two groups are feuding again, this time over some rezoning issues and changing parts of Hawthorne to three lanes.
Commissioner David Lynn gave the Chamber a verbal smackdown for its stance on rezoning a tract of land near Oliver Rubber Plant from office and industrial to multifamily residential. The rezoning was approved in 2000 with little fanfare, but plans to develop the tract never got going and the rezoning eventually lapsed. So the commission decided to redo the zoning and give it another go, thinking the Chamber wouldn't object as they didn't make much noise about it last time.
But the Chamber doesn't like that idea this time around, but Lynn feels it's a bit late for that kind of change of heart.
"I really can't see the chamber asking us to say to a private property owner, 'Even though you've spent $3 million on your plans, we're going to zone you back,' " Commissioner David Lynn said Friday. "It's not consistent."
Switching stances on zoning amounts to government taking of property, Lynn said, something the chamber usually abhors.
"That's the irony of it," Lynn said.
Always liked that guy.
Anywho, the commission approved the residential zoning. But in other news, there's also a flap over turning Hawthorne Avenue from Oglethorpe Avenue to Prince Avenue into a three-lane road plus a center turn lane and some bike lanes. The Chamber, again, doesn't like that plan and wants to fight it.
Chamber spokesperson Tom Wyatt - as a side note, had a few classes with that guy and always liked him ... we disagree on almost everything under the sun politically, but he ultimately seems like good people - tells the Banner-Herald that businesses are very unhappy about the proposal.
Now, without being snide, what exactly can the Chamber do here? It's pretty much the least popular entity in this community ... and that's saying something. It was embarrassed in the 2004 elections and holds little political clout. There going to fight the conversion? Oooo ... maybe they'll circulate a petition at a mixer or something.
Sorry, just a tad frustrating because there are plenty of good folks - conservative, liberal and independent - in the Chamber who work hard to advocate for not only the business community in town, but also the community in general. It's just disappointing to see a promising organization flounder about like they do as they attempt to advocate for business, but end up playing bitter partisan politics just for heck of it.
Anyway, as I pull back from that tangent ... I'm torn on the proposed three-laning. Hawthorne is a mighty wide street and seems to work just fine as a four-lane road. Commissioner Elton Dodson told the Banner-Herald that this whole thing isn't about bike lanes, which I want to believe but am a tad skeptical. It's hard to rationalize why else they'd want to make such a change considering there appears to be ample room in the current setup, but I don't know. It'd be nice to include bike lanes on Hawthorne, but I'm not sure it's worth it considering what may happen with traffic.
(Maddox's) vision includes strengthening property rights, raises for police officers and involving more people in decisions, he said.
He also loves puppies.
But seriously, all Maddox does is divide the field even more and further solidify Davison's base. Considering we now have three 'anti-Heidi' candidates, Davison should be able to rally up support from the key organizations that backed her run in 2002 (Grow Green Athens and BikeAthens come to mind) and, if someone popular like McCarter emerges as her top challenger, if she splits the neighborhoods she should pick up a second term.
What about the Chamber and the business community you ask? Who knows. But, with the possible exception of Maddox, it's hard to see who they'd get behind. Rumor has them friendly to McCarter, but that seems mighty odd to me. They'll probably be split into fractions as well and get trumped by name recognition among other, more well-known candidates.
I'm still leaning Heidi.
• Speaking of the Chamber, someone needs to help me out on the latest rift that has emerged between them and the Athens-Clarke County Commission. Apparently the two groups are feuding again, this time over some rezoning issues and changing parts of Hawthorne to three lanes.
Commissioner David Lynn gave the Chamber a verbal smackdown for its stance on rezoning a tract of land near Oliver Rubber Plant from office and industrial to multifamily residential. The rezoning was approved in 2000 with little fanfare, but plans to develop the tract never got going and the rezoning eventually lapsed. So the commission decided to redo the zoning and give it another go, thinking the Chamber wouldn't object as they didn't make much noise about it last time.
But the Chamber doesn't like that idea this time around, but Lynn feels it's a bit late for that kind of change of heart.
"I really can't see the chamber asking us to say to a private property owner, 'Even though you've spent $3 million on your plans, we're going to zone you back,' " Commissioner David Lynn said Friday. "It's not consistent."
Switching stances on zoning amounts to government taking of property, Lynn said, something the chamber usually abhors.
"That's the irony of it," Lynn said.
Always liked that guy.
Anywho, the commission approved the residential zoning. But in other news, there's also a flap over turning Hawthorne Avenue from Oglethorpe Avenue to Prince Avenue into a three-lane road plus a center turn lane and some bike lanes. The Chamber, again, doesn't like that plan and wants to fight it.
Chamber spokesperson Tom Wyatt - as a side note, had a few classes with that guy and always liked him ... we disagree on almost everything under the sun politically, but he ultimately seems like good people - tells the Banner-Herald that businesses are very unhappy about the proposal.
Now, without being snide, what exactly can the Chamber do here? It's pretty much the least popular entity in this community ... and that's saying something. It was embarrassed in the 2004 elections and holds little political clout. There going to fight the conversion? Oooo ... maybe they'll circulate a petition at a mixer or something.
Sorry, just a tad frustrating because there are plenty of good folks - conservative, liberal and independent - in the Chamber who work hard to advocate for not only the business community in town, but also the community in general. It's just disappointing to see a promising organization flounder about like they do as they attempt to advocate for business, but end up playing bitter partisan politics just for heck of it.
Anyway, as I pull back from that tangent ... I'm torn on the proposed three-laning. Hawthorne is a mighty wide street and seems to work just fine as a four-lane road. Commissioner Elton Dodson told the Banner-Herald that this whole thing isn't about bike lanes, which I want to believe but am a tad skeptical. It's hard to rationalize why else they'd want to make such a change considering there appears to be ample room in the current setup, but I don't know. It'd be nice to include bike lanes on Hawthorne, but I'm not sure it's worth it considering what may happen with traffic.
posted by Jmac at 8:37 AM
5 Comments:
Well, presumably there'll still end up being a runoff between Heidi and one anti-Heidi, right? Or do you think Heidi can get a majority all by herself in this field?
Tough call. Ultimately, I don't think the anti-Heidi faction is as large as it's made out to be. It's a collection of upset business interests and some of her 2002 supporters who are disenchanted with her.
Two important things to ponder:
1. If Heidi can reconnect with those 2002 backers, which she has started to do, then she could avoid a run-off as the others battle amongst themselves;
2. The business community, represented by the Chamber, is typically conservative ... chances are the Republican vote may be suppressed for many reasons in 2006 - dissatisfaction with Sonny Perdue being one, and growing unrest over the action of national Republicans being another ... a low GOP turnout in Athens-Clarke County bodes well for Heidi.
Hard to say. I mean, I know I'm one of those 2002 supporters, and I don't know if she's going to win me back. On the other hand, who the hell _am_ I going to vote for. Come on, David Lynn. Hat. Ring. Do it!
Don't forget the non-partisan angle for this election. Many republicans in Athens are thrilled that there won't be an (R) by anyone's name this time around.
Doc is backing Maddox, so that put him squarely in line for old Athens support. I would try to avoid having the Chamber support me if I was a candidate.
I figured Doc would back him, but I don't know how popular he is anymore. Lots of moderate Democrats in town are upset with him over his brazen comments about being a Democrat only to get elected, and then becoming Republican to run for a state office ... and I'm one of them.
Doc may be a liability. Should be interesting.
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