Affordable housing, police chief changes among topics discussed at candidate forum

Athens-Clarke County mayoral and commission hopefuls were all under one roof Monday, the first time that all 16 candidates participated in a forum together.

The Athens Area Chamber of Commerce hosted the event, moderated by local radio anchor Tim Bryant, at Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center, where it was live-streamed on the chamber’s Facebook page.

The group of six mayoral and 10 commission candidates discussed topics such as affordable housing, police and crime in Athens, and the candidates’ goals and plans.

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What the mayoral candidates said

For the first time this campaign season, all mayoral candidates — Kelly Girtz, Pearl Hall, Bennie Coleman III, Mara Zúñiga, Fred Moorman and Mykeisha Ross — were in attendance for the forum.

Girtz, seeking a second term as mayor, touted accomplishments during his term such as inclusionary zoning policy, a police pay increase and a $15 minimum wage for local government employees.

When asked why he should have another four years, Girtz replied that there is more redevelopment and beautification work to do, particularly on the border of Athens-Clarke.

“We have dozens of other conduits coming into this community where we can restore beautification, as existed here well before people lived in what's now Athens-Clarke County,” said Girtz.

Hall, a former Clarke County School District employee and second to talk with Bryant, supported the idea of competitive salaries for police officers, but discussed the need for police to learn more about the community.

Former Police Chief Cleveland Spruill retired in March and Bryant asked candidates what they wanted to see in a new chief, and Hall reiterated a desire for community interaction.

Bryant asked Hall about affordable housing. Hall countered by asking, “What is affordable housing?” and said something that is affordable to one person may not be to another.

“Everybody can’t afford the same type of home,” said Hall.

The term “affordable housing” is defined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development as housing where “the occupant is paying no more than 30 percent of gross income for housing costs, including utilities.”

The next candidate to speak was Coleman, who told Bryant that if he became mayor, he would prioritize understanding the budget and avoiding wasteful spending. Coleman also claimed there is too much reliance on the SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Options Sales Tax) and he would "freeze" it if he became mayor.

“Where is the money being spent? How is the money being spent? ... Once I understand how it's been spent ..., I will put in a better plan to help more people in Clarke County,” said Coleman.

Bryant asked Coleman about racial issues in Athens, to which Coleman responded that he wants unification, saying there is too much “division,” including “Black on Black” division.

Zúñiga criticized the current mayor and commission, saying that people are not being heard. She brought up the example of the new community police oversight board, pointing to surveys showing a lack of support for the board.

She also said morale in the police department is an issue that will take more than pay raises to address.

Moorman, a local businessman and landlord, defended accusations that he's a “slumlord” and addressed the issue of affordable housing.

Moorman proposed that families should work together to solve the housing problem in Athens, saying people should "move in with their wife and take care of the kids" and that the children could “get a paper route” as he did growing up.

Moorman also discussed his concerns about crime coming in from Atlanta. When asked who he wants in the next police chief, Moorman described a young person with “the guts and the glory.”

Ross capped off the mayoral candidates, discussing her experience, which includes working in community outreach for District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez’s office.

Ross touted ambitious plans for the government-sanctioned homeless encampment, proposing either tiny homes or pod homes for the homeless with a connected service to address mental health.

When asked about the issue of affordable housing, Ross said that the price of $1,400 per bed is not affordable and that the government could set an example with tiny homes.

“People need basic needs, but we're not addressing that. So affordable housing is not here in Athens,” said Ross.

What the commission candidates said

When it came time to interview commission candidates, Bryant went in order by district, with odd numbered districts being up for election this cycle.

Audrey Hughes was the first commission candidate to speak and discussed how she did not feel listened to by the current representative for the district, Patrick Davenport.

Hughes told of her interactions with Davenport before going on to discuss what she would do as commissioner, which included more bus stops, picnic tables at the Southeast Clarke Park, and a discussion on an option for those on the east side of either a sewer service or a tax break to offset costs.

Davenport used his time to respond to Hughes’ allegations, thanking her for the criticism and feedback and explaining the difficult balance of commission duties and his business.

He went on to address economic development, saying he wants to bring businesses and jobs to District 1 and teased news for residents on that subject, telling them to “stay tuned.”

Tiffany Taylor, running in District 3, discussed disparity in Athens, specifically speaking to the government versus its residents as well as racism in Athens.

Her solution to the problems on the east side were livable wages and funding for youth programs, with a goal of wanting to “make being successful glamorous” rather than its alternative of gangs and violence.

Her opponent was asked to address Taylor’s claims of racism in Athens, with Asia Thomas calling for unity.

“A lot of times, we will proceed to talk on these things that are divisive instead of figuring out how to build bridges instead of building walls,” said Thomas

Among the District 5 candidates, Dexter Fisher was a proponent of youth development, something close to him given his experience in the Clarke County School District. Fisher also discussed affordable housing and suggested incentives for developers to build more affordable housing in Athens.

Jared Bailey was asked by the moderator to touch on his previous comments where he was quoted saying he was “not sure local government has a role to play in affordable housing,” according to Bryant.

Bailey clarified this comment, saying that the government should not build affordable housing, but should work with organizations such as the Housing Authority or Athens Land Trust.

Matt Pulver was the final District 5 candidate to speak and was also the candidate to receive the most negative reactions from the crowd, which at one point got so loud that Chamber of Commerce President David Bradley had to address the situation.

The crowd’s reactions were due to Pulver very strongly condemning conservatism and promoting progressivism in Athens, saying that the next government should remain progressive and that conservative approaches have failed.

Pulver advocated for higher wages in Athens and brought up his idea of community benefit agreements between the government and businesses which could help bring higher wages.

District 7 candidate John Culpepper was next and despite running in a different district, Bryant had Culpepper address the progressive comments made by Pulver, with Bryant saying that Culpepper would “unapologetically describe yourself as more conservative than less.”

Culpepper reminded the crowd of the commission’s nonpartisan role and additionally criticized Pulver’s approach and preferred a workforce development approach, saying that giving workers the skills for higher wages is better than handing those jobs out, adding that an increase in wages would cause an increase in prices.

Culpepper also addressed crime and echoed sentiments from earlier in the evening that officers need more support from the community and elected officials. Despite Girtz’s pay increase, Culpepper cited 47 open positions and the lack of support for police as reasons for low recruitment.

Culpepper’s opponent, Allen Jones, continued the political preference discussion, calling himself “fiscally conservative, socially liberal.”

When asked about the next police chief, Jones said that he wants a stronger focus on de-escalation by the new chief and additionally wants someone to stay in Athens for a long time. Police retention in general was discussed and Jones advocated for longevity bonuses and other incentives to keep officers in Athens.

Jones also advocated for incentives for affordable housing and touched on the current redevelopment plans for Georgia Square mall, saying that it has to be done correctly given the scale of the project.

Ovita Thornton, while uncontested, still made an appearance on Monday and ended the forum. With Bryant, she discussed law enforcement and said that she does not support defunding the police. Thornton also said that some things can be done differently and there should not be the shortage of officers at the level it is currently at.

Full list of candidates for ACC commission, broken down by district

County Commissioner, District 1

Patrick Davenport (incumbent)

Audrey Hughes

County Commissioner, District 3

Tiffany Taylor

Asia Thomas

County Commissioner, District 5

Jared Bailey

Dexter Fisher

Matt Pulver

County Commissioner, District 7

John Culpepper

Allen Jones

County Commissioner, District 9 (uncontested)

Ovita Thornton (incumbent)

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Athens mayor & commission election: What candidates said at Chamber forum