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WILL ANYONE ELSE RUN FOR MAYOR?
Mayor Nancy Denson is pleased she???s facing minimal opposition.
You can learn a Lot about a politician by
looking at who's supporting her. In Mayor
Nancy Denson's case, we got a glimpse when
she???like most other state and local candi
dates???filed a campaign finance disclosure
with the Georgia Government Transparency and
Campaign Finance Commission last week show
ing a total of $17,716.
A lifelong Democrat, Denson nonethe
less received $200 from state Sen. Frank
Ginn (R-Danielsville) and Rep. Regina Quick
(R-Athens) whom Denson supported in her
2012 primary race against Democrat-turned-
Republican Doug McKillip and also appointed
to the Athens Downtown Development
Authority board.
Go further down the list: There's $500
from local fruitcake and hotel magnate Larry
Benson, who's given tens of thousands of dol
lars to conservative and GOP candidates over
the years; $250 from Len Sapera, a supporter
of U.S. Rep. Paul Broun; $200 from Robert
Finch, who supported Charlie Maddox's may-
oral campaign; $250 from Phi Kappa Tau, the
fraternity that won approval from the Mayor
and Commission last year to renovate a former
sports bar near downtown; and $175 from
David Matheny, an architect who's one of the
movers and shakers in Athens development.
"As proven by the campaign's recent finan
cial disclosure, Nancy has incredible support
from the community," her campaign manager,
Flouston Gaines, said in a news release.
But not the whole community. With
the possible exceptions of Atlanta state
Rep. Margaret Kaiser (Denson's daughter),
Democratic activist Anita Brannen, finan
cial advisor Bob Carson and Buddy Allen,
a car dealer who's helped bankroll many a
Democratic campaign, progressive names are
notably absent from the report. The folks who
typically back progressive local candidates are
nowhere to be found.
Tim Denson is challenging Nancy Denson
from the left, but he raised a paltry $504.
Look, I like Tim, he's a nice guy and smart,
but???real talk???he ain't gonna beat Nancy.
So there's an obvious hole here in our slate of
candidates, ready to be filled by a legit pro
gressive who is well-known and can do what
it takes to win. Yet the conventional wisdom
in political circles is that Nancy is unbeat
able, that all she has to do is stand up and
say "Caterpillar!" and she will bulldoze the
opposition.
Chad Whitley left what I thought was an
insightful comment on our website: "Each
time over the past few weeks that I hear
someone say they don't think anyone cares
about this mayoral race, or they don't think
the current stagnation in Athens local govern
ment can be overcome, I wonder if they just
don't realize that literally everyone we hear
from in Athens is saying they care about this."
I'm not necessarily saying we should throw
Nancy out of City Flail on her ear. Maybe she's
the best person to lead us for the next four
years; it's not for me to decide. But Whitley is
right. A lot of people have told me they don't
like the job she's doing, but they don't think
anyone can beat her. "Denson is a lock" is a
self-fulfilling prophecy. Progressives will never
know if they don't try.
COMMISSION FUNDRAISING: District 3 com
mission candidate Rachel Watkins, on the
other hand, raised $2,460 from a who's who of
progressives like Bertis and Katherine Downs,
June Ball, Clint McCrary and Krysia Flaag, to
name a few. Neither of her announced oppo
nents, Melissa Link and Herb Gilmore, had
filed a disclosure at press time. Nor had Diane
Bell, the only candidate so far for the other
open seat, District 7; or Dave Fludgins, who's
running in District 5, where incumbent Jared
Bailey reported raising no money.
QUALIFYING FEES: Tim Denson and his Occupy
Athens comrades raised a fuss at the Jan. 7
commission meeting about qualifying fees
for candidates???specifically, the $1,350, or 3
percent of the mayor's annual salary, it costs
to run for mayor. "I fear that having what
is a pretty high fee, if you are are living in
poverty or you are struggling to pay the rent,
favors people who are making a good salary or
who are established in politics already," Jesse
Houle said.
One could make an argument that candi
dates ought to have to put some skin in the
game, because if any ol' person could waltz
into the Board of Elections and put his name
on the ballot for free, it'd probably be a mess.
And in any case, the commission approved
the qualifying fees, which are required by
state law and, as far as I know, are the same
as they've always been and the same as other
places in Georgia.
ATLANTA HIGHWAY: Best Buy is the lat
est Atlanta Highway retailer to flee for the
greener (former) pastures at Epps Bridge
Centre in Oconee County, joining Pier 1,
Alumni Hall, the Gap and Old Navy, according
to Lee Becker, a blogger in the 0C. The move
was expected, said Commissioner Mike Hamby,
who is chairing an Atlanta Highway revitaliza
tion committee. "Best Buy is changing their
business model across the country and moving
to smaller stores," he says.
The closure could be an opportunity
to finally connect the big boxes along the
corridor???which property owners have for
some reason resisted. "One thing that came
up consistently is how hard it is to turn in and
out of that Best Buy parking lot," Hamby said.
TEACHER RAISES: Gov. Nathan Deal is
expected to release his proposed budget prior
to his State of the State address Wednesday,
Jan. 15, and local lawmakers expect it to
include raises for teachers. Much of the
anticipated $300 million-$500 million in
additional revenue this year will go toward
K-12 education, according to state Sen. Bill
Cowsert (R-Athens). "We are coming out of the
recession, finally," Cowsert said. Although it's
welcome news, that money is just a fraction
of the $7 billion lawmakers have slashed from
schools in the past seven years.
DRAIN TRAIN: It wasn't too long ago that
political candidates at least paid lip service to
the idea of passenger rail connecting Athens
and Atlanta. Not anymore. "I have no idea,"
state Rep. Spencer Frye (D-Athens) responded
when asked when it might be built at an
Athens Area Chamber of Commerce forum
Wednesday, Jan. 8. Is it time to stick a fork in
the Brain Train?
Blake Aued news@flagpole.com
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