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Gonzalez Wins a Squeaker of
PLUS, MORE ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM AND COVID GASES
By Blake Aued and Jessica Luton news@flagpole.com
Progressive Democrat Deborah Gonzalez
eked out a victory Dec. 1 over prosecu
tor James Chafin in a runoff for Western
Circuit district attorney.
Gonzalez won 51.7% of 26,100 votes
cast in a race that split down county and
party lines despite Chafin running as an
independent.
With a promise to reform the criminal
justice system, fight discrimination and
end cash bail for low-level and nonviolent
defendants, Gonzalez won 67% of the vote
in Clarke County, where she had 60% sup
port in a three-way special election Nov. 3.
Chafm’s strong support in heavily
Republican Oconee County, the other
county that makes up the Western Circuit,
continued in the runoff. He won 76% of the
vote there and 48.3% overall.
However, Clarke County voters out
number Oconee County voters by more
than two to one, so Gonzalez was able to
win even though her margin in Clarke was
smaller than Chafm’s in Oconee and the
turnout rate in Oconee (30%) was higher
than Clarke’s 22%.
“We did this together. This is the people’s
vote,” Gonzalez said in a Facebook Live
video on Election Night. “We are ready to
roll up our sleeves and work really hard to
bring justice to Athens and Oconee.” She
added that she would be taking a few days
off from answering the phone or respond
ing to social media.
Chafin, the deputy chief assistant under
former DA Ken Mauldin, emphasized his 14
years of experience as a prosecutor and crit
icized Gonzalez’s lack of it. She is primarily
a media and entertainment lawyer, but she
countered that she had leadership and pol
icy experience as a former state representa
tive and attacked Chafin as the product of a
failed good-old-boy system.
Gonzalez had to fight even to get on the
ballot this year. Originally, the race was set
to be a Democratic primary between act
ing DA Brian Patterson and her. However,
Mauldin abruptly resigned in February,
triggering a state law that could have
pushed the election back to 2022. Gonzalez
filed a lawsuit to overturn the law and
succeeded. But because Mauldin resigned
instead of serving out his term as planned,
the race became a special election, and
Chafin jumped in as an independent.
Despite three candidates in the race,
Gonzalez nearly won without a runoff in
November, garner
ing 48% of the vote
to Chafm’s 35% and
Patterson’s 17%.
Gonzalez—who
will become the cir
cuit’s first female DA,
Georgia’s first Latina
DA and the first Puerto Rican woman in the
country to serve as DA—will be sworn in
Dec. 17 at 2 p.m. on the courthouse steps.
[Blake Aued]
In addition to the new DA’s focus on
criminal justice reform, Athens-Clarke
County commissioners want changes to law
enforcement as well.
Two state grants that have been rou
tine in the past came under scrutiny at
the commission’s Dec. 1 meeting. One, for
$120,643, goes toward the salaries of four
investigators and a records technician who
work on cases of violence against women.
The other, for $139,461, helps fund four
investigators for the Northeast Georgia
Regional Drug Task Force, a partnership
among the ACC Police Department and
the Clarke and Oglethorpe County sher
iff’s departments that focuses on drug
a DA Race
trafficking.
Commissioner Mariah Parker said she
would rather spend money on preventing
violence against women, such as relation
ship training and mental health care, than
prosecuting offenders. “Simply locking
someone in jail doesn’t do a lot to help the
person who was the victim of that crime,”
she said.
Ultimately the commission accepted the
violence against women grant but held the
drug grant. A commission-defined option
from Tim Denson and Parker would have
directed the drug task
force not to focus on
marijuana or cases
of simple posses
sion. Manager Blaine
Williams said the
task force is bound to
enforce state laws as
long as they’re on the books. Drug rings
also involve other crimes, such as speeding
and sex trafficking, Commissioner Melissa
Link said.
Mayor Kelly Girtz said the commission
will have a work session on public safety
early next year.
Commissioners also debated plans for a
109-unit apartment complex on Lexington
Road that’s in Athens-Ben Epps Airport’s
flight path. The ACC Planning Commission,
planning staff and the Airport Authority all
recommended denying the development,
but some commissioners said they favored
approval because the area needs new
development and the developer promised
to work with the Athens Land Trust to set
aside 12 units as affordable housing.
“I think this is a pretty cool project,”
Parker said. “I’m not that concerned about
proximity to the airport.”
However, Commissioner Russell Edwards
pointed out that the affordable housing
pledge is not binding and raised concerns
about noise. “I hesitate to put this many
bedrooms right beyond the runway of this
airport,” he said. “If we achieve the dreams
of many and get a commercial carrier one
day, we’re going to have regular takeoffs of
jets directly above this multifamily develop
ment, and that to me is not a good quality
of life.”
The commission voted unanimously
to put off a decision until January. Also
delayed was an agreement with student
housing developer Landmark Properties to
build a parking deck for a new arena at the
Classic Center and the company’s corporate
headquarters at the student high-rise, The
Mark.
Commissioners also paid tribute to
Andy Herod, who has served on the board
since 2007 and is now stepping down.
Commissioner Mike Hamby teased Herod
for his British accent, Edwards read a lim
erick in his honor, and Parker even rapped
a few bars.
On a more serious note, “You should
be proud of what you’ve done for District
8, what you’ve done for Athens and what
you’ve done for this commission,” Hamby
said, pointing to Herod’s championing the
Lexington Road corridor and Firefly Trail.
Others lauded him for his wit and attention
to detail.
Carol Myers will take over the seat in
January. “I’m sure she will do an excellent
job as the next District 8 commissioner,”
Herod said. [BA]
Public health officials are urging the
public to remain vigilant in wearing masks,
maintaining social distance and hand
washing as we go into the holiday season
and brace for the impact of Thanksgiving
gatherings. Recent data from the Georgia
Department of Public Health shows con
tinuing community spread in Athens-Clarke
County, rising cases in many surrounding
counties and a significant increase in hospi
talizations for the region in the past week.
As of Dec. 3, Athens-Clarke County had
6,869 confirmed cases, 283 hospitalizations
and 55 deaths. That’s an increase of 492
cases, 15 hospitalizations and four deaths
We are ready to roll up
our sleeves and work
really hard to bring justice
to Athens and Oconee.
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FLAGPOLE.COM | DECEMBER 9, 2020