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BEDFELLOWS & POLITICS
Take My Advice
As you may have heard, Fiagpole has a new advice colum
nist. She'll be introducing herself in the Jan. 29 issue and
beginning the column on Feb. 5. Meanwhile, start sending your
problems and questions to advice@flagpole.com, or submit
them in the advice section of flagpole.com online, if you prefer
to remain totally anonymous even to our columnist. Either way,
of course, we do not identify you in the published column.
In this new iteration, the advice column will broaden its
approach, no longer being confined just to "matters of the
heart and loins," though these are still welcome, too. Our new
columnist is ready, in her words, "to answer your questions on
any topic: your work, your career, your relationships with your
parents, children and friends; your romantic entanglements,
your roommates, your education, your money, your home, your
travels, your wellness, your happiness and your life." There's
even more, but we'll let her tell you in a couple of weeks. She's
not a professional counselor, but she is a level-headed young
woman whose work and volunteer commitments "all involve
giving people advice and direction to varying degrees."
We think you'll enjoy reading the new and expanded advice
column, and you may even find guidance there, too.
Take My City
In 1990, when the City of Athens and Clarke County were
consolidated into one new government, the conservative white
businessmen who had been running the city did not have one
of their usual strong candidates ready to run. As a result, for
mer city councilwoman Gwen O'Looney squeezed into office,
and for the next 20 years we had a progressive local govern
ment, distinct from the business-as-usual crowd. The conserva
tives never gave up, and in the last election, the progressives
did not have a candidate ready, or at least one we could agree
on. Some of our friends sewed doubt about Spencer, and Gwen
finally jumped in for another election bid. But Nancy had it in
the bag, with solid support from the conservatives along with
those liberals who saw her as one of us.
Since that election, our Republican state legislature has
used tactics they have perfected in congressional district
ing and have gerrymandered Athens-Clarke County to group
progressive voters and black voters into the same districts,
creating a conservative, white majority in most of the other
districts. At the same time, they have done away with the two
"super-districts," which gave two our of commissioners repre
sentation of half the county and have reduced those two com
missioners to regular-sized districts where they have no more
influence than any other commissioner and have to keep an
eye on their own chances of being re-elected.
So, in this election cycle, we've got an unopposed liber
tarian-contrarian in District 1. (Put a label on him if you can;
"progressive" doesn't come to mind.) In District 3 we've got
three progressives crammed into the same election for an open
seat, with the African-American candidate probably the least
progressive. The conservatives will probably support him, but
if he wins, that will just be a bonus for them. In District 5 the
incumbent has been stripped of his progressive majority; in
District 7, a business candidate is running unopposed for the
open seat; and in District 9, a former super-district commis
sioner is unopposed but much reduced in stature.
And in the mayor's race, it's the best of all possible worlds.
If you want to see Nancy as a progressive, oh, she is. On the
other hand, if you prefer to see her as a conservative, she's
your candidate. She is all things to all people, because she has
advanced no initiatives and has no vision for our city. She's
just a good, safe representation of whatever you want Athens
to be, and this is not meant as criticism. She is the perfect
throwback to 1986, when the white power structure was call
ing the shots. Her business success has been nominal, but her
political accomplishments, in the sense of getting elected, go
back a long way.
So, the handwriting is on the wall. For the next four years,
progressivism in Athens will slumber on, tucked in by our smil
ing, grandmotherly mayor, who will have the firm support of
at least half the commission, and nothing much will get done,
and nobody much will care.
Pete McCommons editor@flagpole.com
from the blogs
^ HOMEDRONE: Read a Q&A with power-pop legend
Paul Collins.
GRUB NOTES: Get the scoop on Hugh Acheson???s
new Five Points joint, Cinco y Diez.
O HOMEDRONE: Hear an exclusive new tune from
Party Dolls, which features members of The District
Attorneys and Tedo Stone.
ATHENS POWER RANKINGS^
1. Classic City Rollergirls!
2. Gripe X.
3. Hugh Acheson
4. Prince Avenue
5. Nancy Denson
Athens Power Rankings are (
In the Loop blog onjflagjwle.com.
t facebook feedback t
???I wish for ice cream. I???m fond of Jake???s from
Atlanta and [it] would be fine if a local place
imported deliciousness from them. Still, I
know there???s got to be an ice cream wizard
around who wants to make a go of it. Yogurt
is so 2012.???
??? Amber Prentiss
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VOLUME 28
ISSUE NUMBER 2
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