By: Megan White
On Wednesday, March 19, University of Georgia students and members of the Athens community gathered in the SLC to witness a battle that would pit Denson against Denson. “The Athens Mayoral Debate,” hosted by Athens Political Union and the University of Georgia Young Democrats, featured incumbent Mayor Nancy Denson and her challenger, Tim Denson (no relation). GPR has previously interviewed Tim here. In a showcasing of local government that would do Leslie Knope proud, the two candidates grappled over the future of Athens, touching on issues ranging from public buses to “yuppies with cloth bags.” Here are some of the highlights.
THE CANDIDATES
Though they share a last name and a Democratic political affiliation, the two candidates could not be more different. Mayor Denson, a 74-year-old great-grandmother who has lived in Athens since 1966 and served in the local government since 1985, exuded a wise, matronly vibe. Mr. Denson, on the other hand, is the picture of youthful energy and enthusiasm. Identifiable by his bushy beard and dark-rimmed glasses, the 32-year-old community activist was quick to emphasize his alignment with the local music and art scene. Unfortunately, the bowler hat did not make an appearance.
THE OPENING STATEMENTS
Mayor Denson burst out of the gate with a list of endorsements from well-known Georgia Democrats such as former Gov. Roy Barnes and Joe Wisenbaker, chairman of the Clarke County Democratic Committee. She then settled into a more relaxed review of her accomplishments during her first term as mayor, primarily her role in bringing Caterpillar to Athens and creating up to 2,500 new jobs. Cut short by the debate’s time constraints, Mayor Denson yielded the floor to Mr. Denson, whose opening statement dripped pathos. After laying down his “21st century vision of an Athens for Everyone,” Denson the Younger detailed his mantra of putting others before oneself, his deep personal connection to Athens, and his calling to alleviate poverty in a city that “had been so good to [him].”
POVERTY IN ATHENS
The first question, was somewhat daunting and set the tone for the rest of the debate: how does one go about addressing Athens’ 28 percent poverty rate? Mayor Denson took the “business as usual” approach, touching on her long history of local community service and proudly proclaiming that Athens’ two food banks were birthed in her garage. She also seized the opportunity to acknowledge the political and financial limits of local government. Chiding her opponent, whom she described as a “very nice, idealistic young man” for his earlier suggestion that the City of Athens should provide childcare, Mayor Denson questioned the viability of Mr. Denson’s ideas in the face of scarce resources. Shots fired.
Not to be discouraged, Mr. Denson reiterated his campaign’s encompassing objective of easing the plight of Athens’ poor. In what was quickly becoming his signature narrative style, the young Denson then painted a picture of his impoverished childhood in rural South Florida. As for the local government’s role in childcare, Mr. Denson cited conversations with state officials as evidence that providing this service is entirely possible, with county funding, of course.
PUBLIC TRANSIT
Within the poverty vein, the candidates briefly discussed the ACC public transit system. For Mr. Denson, who believes that building a better bus system is an important first step in fighting poverty, the first order of business is reversing last year’s fare hike. During the debate, he advocated for a partnership between the university and the county à la Clemson and Anderson County in order to make the bus system free for everyone. Always the realist, Mayor Denson spent her allotted time on the attack, pointing out that the UGA and ACC transit systems are entirely separate and that combining them in the name of free transportation would mean losing UGA’s current contributions to Athens Transit. Mr. Denson admitted that his idea was ambitious, but also cited Athens’ need for an ambitious mayor.
WELCOMING CITY ORDINANCE
One of Mr. Denson’s platform points is the passage of a Welcoming City Ordinance, which would protect undocumented residents. Modeling his policy after that of Chicago, Mr. Denson hopes to send a message to both undocumented community members and the state’s higher-ups that Athens is, well, a welcoming city. His impassioned oration drew hoots and hollers from an increasingly restless audience. Mayor Denson asserted that Athens is already welcoming its undocumented residents and warned against alienating state and national officials. Stepping outside her position as mayor, she expressed hope that the national government would institute a path to citizenship.
ENVIRONMENT
When asked about environmental initiatives, Mayor Denson continued her more-of-the-same approach, noting ongoing projects such as expanding Athens’ greenway and a plant that converts landfill gases into electricity. Mr. Denson lit up at the question used the opportunity to expound on two of his platform points: an ACC Victory Garden initiative, which would encourage community gardening during football season, and a “Bag-the-Bag” program, which would enact a fee for the use of plastic bags. Mayor Denson immediately rebutted both proposals. Pointing to a recent ordinance that allows community gardens in any zoned area, she explained that the locally grown movement has already taken root in Athens. She most fervently opposed Mr. Denson’s “Bag-the-Bag” initiative, stating that it would primarily serve to drive retail businesses into surrounding counties. Producing perhaps the snappiest quote of the night, Mayor Denson commented that the people who will be most affected by the initiative are not “the yuppies who get into their little SUVs and drive over to Earthfare and buy cloth bags,” but rather the city’s low-income residents who take the bus to and from the grocery store.
GUNS
The next order of business was Georgia House Bill 875, which, if passed, would lift the ban on guns in public buildings unless those buildings instituted security measures such as hiring guards and installing metal detectors. Already, 12 Georgia mayors have come out in opposition to this law. Mr. Denson immediately termed the legislation “a bad idea,” stating that there would be not shootings where there were no guns. However, he explained that at this point in time, he would sign the bill so as not to put elected officials in harm’s way, though he admitted that he would need more information before making a decision. Mayor Denson refused to offer her opinion on the bill until it had made its way through the Georgia Senate, but she did express her support for the Second Amendment and her aversion to an absolute ban on firearms.
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS
As it bounced from federal policies to bike lanes, the discussion at times appeared to walk a surprisingly thin line between presidential debate and an SGA election. Poverty was the theme of the night, and both candidates were eager to empathize with the less fortunate. From the get-go, the two Densons went to great lengths to carve their respective images: the shiny and new versus the tried and true. Snappy lines and buzzwords (e.g. “An Athens open for business, but not business as usual”) abounded in Mr. Denson’s performance. Enthusiastically pacing and gesticulating with a tablet while Mayor Denson remained seated with a stack of notecards, Mr. Denson put forth a vibrant display of youthful energy. Overall, he came across as ambitious and confident in his idealism. But at times his vision seemed to be just that – idealist. For her part, Mayor Denson’s plan of attack appeared to be emphasizing her opponent’s puppy-like enthusiasm in contrast to her steady pragmatism. Though she could not be described as particularly ambitious next to Mr. Denson, she sports a fairly solid record of community service and support for local development.
The election, which will take place on May 20, is less than two months away, and the battle lines have been drawn. My money is on Denson.
Register to vote in Athens-Clarke County here.
