Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself: My name is Blake Aued, late of the Athens Banner-Herald, where I covered local and state government for the past seven years. I took over July 2 for Dope Emeritus Dave Marr, who did an admirable job guiding you through the Athens political scene. As good as Dave was, there'll be some changes around these parts. We're shifting into high gear at Flagpole. One of the reasons they brought me onboard was to ramp up Flagpole's online news coverage. No longer will we wait eight days to tell you how the Athens-Clarke Commission voted on a hot-button issue. We're updating Flagpole.com on a regular basis now, so check in daily. We also plan to get outside City Hall more often to cover the University of Georgia, local schools, crime trends and other community news. And we'll do it without resorting to click bait like inflammatory comments and co-eds in bikinis.

I'm Housin': In our two highest-profile local races, Reps. Keith Heard, D-Athens, and Doug McKillip, R-Athens, are facing primary challenges from Spencer Frye and Regina Quick, respectively. In both cases, the challengers are trying to convince voters that the incumbents aren't (insert name of party here) enough. This week, let's focus on the Heard-Frye contest.

Frye aggressively came after Heard at a July 1 Federation of Neighborhoods forum, accusing him of "voting along with Republicans' agenda." In particular, Frye cited Heard's votes in favor of a waiting period for abortions, raising Georgia Power rates to fund a future Plant Vogtle expansion, allowing billboard owners to clear-cut trees and shortening the early-voting period from 45 days to 21.

"Those are things we don't want as Democrats," Frye said.

Heard defended himself by pointing out that those bills won bipartisan support. The House Democratic Caucus didn't take a formal position, he said, freeing up members to vote their consciences. He also wooed hardcore Democrats by telling them that a House subcommittee he chairs will be involved in implementing President Obama's health care reform. Heard, at times, visibly bristled at Frye's attacks.

"I'm about as true as they come," he said. "Not too many black Republicans up there (in Atlanta)."

Which brings us to an issue that often crops up in subtle ways: Race. Heard is black, and Frye is white.

Heard beat back a challenge from white Democrat Holly Ward in 2010 when black voters rallied around Heard. After redistricting last year, though, the northern and eastern Clarke County district's demographics are different. Rather than 60 percent of voters in the Democratic primary being black, it's now about 50-50. If Frye sweeps liberal enclaves lining Prince Avenue and on the Eastside and wins just a fraction of East Athens, he's in.

Frye may have overreached when he said Heard voted to cut pre-K. House Minority Leader Stacy Abrams brokered a deal with Republicans on lottery reform last year that made it more palatable to Democrats, and she brought much of the caucus along with her. The distortion was enough to bring Charlie Maddox, a former mayoral candidate and a popular figure in the black and business communities, into the fray. "I'm ready to go to work," he told Heard.

Turning to the Dope, he added, "I'm not a candidate, so I can say it. [Frye's] a liar."

One thing Frye's not lying about, though, is where he lives. An audience member asked a clever question about where the candidates' children go to school. Frye's son attends Chase Street Elementary. Heard named two schools that definitely are not in Clarke County. Although his wife and kids live in Fayette County, Heard owns a house in Athens where his mother lives, and Georgia courts say that's all he needs to establish residency in the district. Later, Heard called himself "a lifelong resident of Athens-Clarke County" and reminded voters of his long track record of community service with the Boys & Girls Club and other organizations,

"It didn't just start when I wanted to be an elected official," he said. "It wasn't a paid position, either."

The comment was a swipe at Frye, the executive director of Athens Area Habitat for Humanity and a relative newcomer to the city who ran for mayor two years ago. "I'm on the streets every day," Frye replied.

No Woman, No Cry: McKillip skipped the forum to celebrate his son's birthday, but he was there in spirit. His bill restricting abortions after 20 weeks united the other candidates. They all oppose the new law.

"I'm against it," Frye said. "I'm no doctor. I'm no woman. Those are the people I think we ought to be listening to on this issue."

Two Republicans running for the right to challenge Heard in November also came out against McKillip's signature legislation.

"We have somebody, again, with a showboating bill, a sentiment that's been expressed here over and over again, trying to make a name for himself," Chris Perlera said.

Carter Kessler—who hates government to the point that he's against public roads—said women and their doctors, not politicians, should make decisions about abortion. But they should be paid for in gold because fiat currency is taking us further down the road to financial collapse. (OK, he didn't really say that, at least not while answering the abortion question.) Also, liberty. Ron Paul!