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too. But that's not all that this town is about.
"We're a car-centric society," she said, and
"there's also nothing wrong with people want
ing to live in the suburbs and have a different
lifestyle. That's the kind of thing I was hear
ing in the community.” But Denson doesn't
feel any need to "re-vision Athens," she said,
and has been puzzled that people she's known
for many years "all of a sudden are thinking
we don't have anything in common, or we
don't care about the same things." She has
always "been able to build bridges and work
with people," she said, "and that's what I
intend to do. I don't care whether somebody
supports somebody else or not."
Nor does she necessarily anticipate replac
ing any of ACCs charter officers—the county
manager, attorney and auditor—which would
be within her power. "Right
oesn’t now ' Hty ^ ee ^ in 9 s are ver y p° s ’*
tive toward all those charter
eed to officers," she says, but she will
evaluate their working relation-
Athens.” ships in six months. She would
"not be opposed" to revisiting
ACCs controversial "definition-of-family" ordi
nance (which bars more than two unrelated
people from sharing a house in "single-family"
zones), "but it's just not high on my list." In
some situations, however, the ordinance may
discriminate against gay or unmarried couples,
she said.
A tax increase would be "the absolute least
desirable thing to do" to balance next year's
county budget, but with assessments down
5 percent on average, it may be the tightest
budget yet. County employees haven't had a
cost-of-living raise in two years; they probably
won't get one next year either, Denson said.
Denson Intends to
“Build Bridges,” Push
Business-Friendliness
PeachMac this
Holiday,
Mayor-elect Nancy Denson won't change
things dramatically when she takes office
Jan. 4, but Til be tweaking here and there."
she told Flagpole. For one thing, she wants
to freeze property tax assessments for people
over 65 (as the school board has already done
for its portion of county taxes). "There is no
cost" to the county in doing that, she said,
although it would reduce future revenues;
after eight years, the school tax freeze is
exempting about Si million in taxes annually.
"My plans are to keep Clarke
County solvent, and hopefully Denson
do some things to encourage
business to come back." But feel any
how to do that is "the $64,000
question," she added. Tm “ie-visio
feeling my way along" and
talking to businesspeople, she said, hoping
to "smooth out some edges and make [ordi
nances] more business-friendly." She would
also like to see downtown become "a little
bit cleaner." This mayor and commission have
"done a good job in many ways," she said; yet
some citizens don't feel "fully represented."
They feel like there's a mindset, and
if they don't fit that mindset, they're dis
counted," she said. That unless you live in
Cobbham and that inner core, you're really not
considered... Some people just didn't bother
calling the commissioners any more," she said.
"And I think a lot of that is perception... But,
for instance, when you're talking about walk-
ability and sidewalks—I want those things.
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