Blog Topic: Raging Election

In the Loop: Here's Who's Running for Office in Athens

By Blake Aued | March 6, 2020 5:34pm

The qualifying period to run for local, state and federal offices ended today. Here's a list of who's running in Athens. (D) and (R) indicate party affiliation; most local races are nonpartisan. Asterisks indicate incumbents.

Athens-Clarke County Commission

District 2: Mariah Parker*

District 4: Michael Stapor, Allison Wright*

District 6: Jesse Houle, Jerry NeSmith*

District 8: Andrea Farnham, Kamau Hull, Andrea Farnham

District 10: Mike Hamby*, Knowa Johnson

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In the Loop: Early Voting Is Now Underway in Athens

By Blake Aued | March 3, 2020 12:41pm

In-person early voting for the Democratic presidential primary started Monday at the ACC Board of Elections (155 E. Washington St.) and will expand to four other locations later this month.

Office hours are 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday through Friday, except for Wednesday, Mar. 18, when the office will stay open until 7 p.m. The Board of Elections will also be open from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturday, Mar. 14 and 1–5 p.m. Sunday, Mar. 15.

The week of Mar. 16–20, voters can also cast ballots at the ACC Library (2023 Baxter St.), the Cooperative Extension Office (275 Cleveland Road), the Miriam Moore Community Center (410 McKinley Drive) and room 103 in the basement of City Hall (301 College Ave.). The first three sites will be open from 10 a.m.–5 p.m., with City Hall opening at 8 a.m. All four will stay open until 7 p.m. Wednesday, Mar. 18.

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In the Loop: Commissioner Allison Wright Will Run for Re-election, Draws Opposition

By Blake Aued | February 26, 2020 2:48pm

Allison Wright will run for a third term on the Athens-Clarke County Commission, she announced today.

Wright, a medical illustrator, has represented District 4, the Five Points area, since 2013.

In her announcement, she took partial credit for a number of initiatives during those seven-plus years, including fare-free transit for children, seniors and the disabled; affordable housing; police body cameras; and addressing discrimination at downtown bars.

She said she wants to continue to expand transit, provide training on discrimination and sexual assault to bar employees, and address poverty and the aging population.

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In the Loop: Video: Athenians Deliver Petition Asking Kemp to Appoint New DA

By Chris Dowd | February 25, 2020 11:39am

Congressional candidate Andrew Ferguson (center) and Athens state Rep. Marcus Wiedower (right).

The resignation of District Attorney Ken Mauldin has cast uncertainty on the race to succeed him. Will there even be an election for DA this year?

Erin Stacer of Athens for Everyone and Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Tim Denson organized a delivery of over 1,500 petition signatures to Gov. Brian Kemp, asking him to allow the voters to decide who will next serve them as DA. While at the Capitol, the group also asked their state representatives to weigh in publicly on this situation.

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In the Loop: Commissioner Jerry NeSmith Announces Re-election Bid

By Blake Aued | February 24, 2020 2:54pm

As expected, Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Jerry NeSmith will be running for re-election, he announced today.

NeSmith has represented District 6, the Atlanta Highway area mostly outside the Loop, since 2013.

"The Sixth District has become more economically stable," he said in a news release. "We are at the threshold of a renewed Sixth District that is ripe for commercial redevelopment. Neighborhoods in District 6 remain very healthy, overall, with active citizen participation in business/neighborhood issues, county activities and policy-making."

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In the Loop: Houle, Hull Enter ACC Commission Races

By Blake Aued | February 14, 2020 4:11pm

Jesse Houle.

ACC Commissioner Jerry NeSmith will have a challenge from the left this year, as progressive activist Jesse Houle announced they're running against the District 6 incumbent.

Houle was part of Occupy Athens and one of the cofounders of Athens for Everyone, the group that grew out of Commissioner Tim Denson’s failed 2014 mayoral campaign and later helped elect a slate of progressive candidates to the Mayor and Commission. Houle is also a musician, operations manager at Nuci’s Space and a fixture at the podium during the commission’s public comment periods.

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In the Loop: The Religious Left Reminds You to Vote

By Claire Sadar | February 11, 2020 2:49pm

Laura Mick wants to know what your voting plan is.

It is 11 a.m. on the bitterly cold Sunday morning prior to the New Hampshire primary, and the 42-year-old Granite State native is carefully navigating the inch of ice on the sidewalks of Manchester’s low-income, heavily immigrant 5th Ward in order to remind its residents to vote. And to remind them that, even if they are convicted felon or haven’t yet registered, they can still vote in the primary. Also, they can get a ride if they need it.

A canvasser with the New Hampshire Interfaith Action Fund, an affiliate of the Granite State Organizing Project (GSOP), which unities “religious, labor and community organizations rooted in faith and democratic values” and advocates for “policies that will build community across difference and promote a just society for all the people of New Hampshire,” Mick can relate to how tough it is to make it to the polls.

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In the Loop: The Strokes Stump for Bernie While Biden Bashes Trump

By Patrick Cochran | February 11, 2020 11:36am

Aughts alt-rockers The Strokes opened for Sen. Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire Monday night.

As a primary that kicked off in disarray wraps up in New Hampshire, presidential candidates raced across the Granite State for the last time Monday night.

On the final evening before people hit the polls, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders held the largest rally of the week.

“In case you haven’t noticed, there are a lot of people here tonight,” Sanders said. “In fact, there are three times more people here tonight than at any other Democratic rally in New Hampshire.”

The crowd of more than 7,500 erupted through the candidate’s stump speech decrying the power of elites, the absurdity of the American health system, the influence of corporations and big money in politics, the failed war on drugs, and rapidly accelerating income inequality.

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In the Loop: Socialism Is on Trial in the New Hampshire Primary

By Patrick Cochran | February 10, 2020 2:03pm

Photo Credit: Derek Kouyoumjian

Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at a debate Friday in Manchester.

Friday night’s debate in Manchester kicked off with a discussion on the political viability of “democratic socialism” in American elections.

Moderator George Stefanopolis asked candidates whether the acceptance of the label by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders would damage the chances of Democrats winning back the White House and Senate in November.

While none of his opponents explicitly said the label would be a detriment in the general election, members of the field’s more conservative wing emphasized the risk in nominating a candidate as left wing as Sanders.

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In the Loop: Brian Patterson Says He's Ready to Take Over as DA

By Blake Aued | February 9, 2020 1:47pm

Chief assistant district attorney Brian Patterson said he's ready to take over for his boss, Ken Mauldin, and run no matter when Gov. Brian Kemp calls an election.

Mauldin recently announced his resignation, which will make Patterson the interim DA effective Mar. 1 unless Kemp appoints someone else in the meantime.

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