LaKeisha Gantt said she would seek to tax the University of Georgia while fellow school board member Tim Denson unveiled proposals to expand social services during a forum for Athens-Clarke County mayoral candidates. Meanwhile, businesswoman Mara Zuniga said she would bring fiscal restraint to the office.
Denson said he would take SPLOST—the voter-approved sales tax that’s funded projects like a new jail and a new arena—in a different direction. “I think we need to be creating what I call a hub—a place where we can ensure a building is outfitted for the different services that people here in Athens-Clarke County need, every single person,” he said. The centrally located building would house free health care, subsidized child care, recreational activities and a city-run grocery store.
Gantt’s most notable proposal was convincing the tax-exempt University of Georgia to help fund the local government, particularly in areas like housing and public safety, through a payment in lieu of taxes or PILOT. “That’s an immediate way we can help balance the relationship” between the city and a campus the Athens native said feels foreign to many residents.
Here are some other highlights from the packed Nov. 8 forum, held at Ciné and moderated by AthChat podcast hosts Russell Edwards and Drew Abney. A fourth announced candidate, Commissioner Dexter Fisher, did not attend due to a recent throat surgery.
Housing: “We have to be creative in how we define housing,” said Gantt, who proposed allowing accessory dwellings—something Denson fought for when he served on the ACC Commission from 2019–2022. Zuniga suggested easing regulations on manufactured homes.
“We need to have more density,” Denson said, noting that planners expect Athens to grow by 30,000 people over the next two decades. With the county already facing a shortage of 8,000 homes, an additional 11,000 will need to be built on top of that to accommodate the influx. “These people are coming whether we want them to or not,” he said.
“We keep hearing that people are coming. That’s a problematic way to think about it,” Gantt responded. “We need to worry about the people who are already here who are struggling.”
After initially agreeing with Denson on density, Gantt later raised the possibility of a development moratorium in certain neighborhoods. “I think everybody would agree we are full,” she said.
Zuniga, who grew up in New York City, said that density can bring gentrification and could make services more expensive to provide. Denson disagreed, saying it’s cheaper to build roads, for example, when people live closer together.
Homelessness: “Permanent supportive housing works,” said Denson, who works at the Advantage Behavioral Health System day shelter. That means subsidized housing paired with case management to help people with issues like mental illness and addiction. Gantt agreed that such services should be expanded.
“Part of it is we’re the hub for services,” Zuniga said, and the state and neighboring counties should be chipping in. Athens is a hub by design, Denson said, because it’s more efficient to provide services for the region in a central location.
Referring to a now-closed tent camp Denson pushed for, he said, “We put a good number of those folks into housing.” Zuniga said ACC should have housed them in a brick-and-mortar building instead of tents.
Taxes: Zuniga said she would “listen to the community” on whether to pass a FLOST (Floating Local Option Sales Tax) of 1%, partially for housing and youth programs, and partially to reduce property taxes. But she was concerned about people on fixed incomes paying it.
Denson said the community would vote on it, if the commission decided to put it on the ballot. “I think we need to diversify our revenue,” he said.
Gantt said institutions should be contributing, and she does not support taxing “everyday people.”
Infrastructure: In a city where building a trail or a bike lane can take decades, Gantt said she would reduce the number of projects to speed up completion.
Zuniga said the local government has a spending problem, and that people don’t trust it, which often generates opposition to projects. “A lot of people feel like there is not enough information out there,” she said.
Denson pushed back against Edwards’ suggestion that public input is to blame for delays, saying that he held 35 town halls as commissioner. But he said commissioners sometimes use it as a crutch, pointing to the loss of a $25 million grant for North Avenue.
“We have people in our community who are unheard, who do not have time to go to town halls,” Gantt replied. Denson clarified that he also went door-to-door soliciting input.
Eminent Domain: All three candidates said they’d be reluctant to use eminent domain to take private property. Specifically for Firefly Trail, where a handful of homeowners are refusing to sell easements, Zuniga said that “when you talk about a recreational trail, that only benefits a few.”
However, Denson said ACC is legally required to build it on the railbed by the referendum language voters approved.
Traffic Safety: Denson said he would create an “inclusionary parking ordinance,” putting money from developers into a fund for sidewalks, crosswalks, bike lanes and transit.
Gantt said she would prioritize sidewalks, because not everyone can afford a car or a bike. She said she supports transit, “but if I don’t have a sidewalk to get to the bus stop, we have a problem.”
Zuniga said she supports ACC’s Vision Zero action plan to end traffic deaths, but does not think Athens Transit should be free to ride. “It’s not sustainable,” she said.
Questions: Each candidate was allowed to ask a question. With only 29% of Clarke County School District third-graders proficient in reading, Zuniga asked why Denson and Gantt were leaving the school board. Both said they can do more to help children by taking on a broader role as mayor.
Denson asked Zuniga, a former treasurer of the Athens GOP, who she supported for president. Zuniga declined to answer. “When I was young, I was on the far left like you,” she told Denson. “Then I grew up.”
Denson asked Gantt to clarify whether, when she talked about taxing nonprofits, she meant service providers. “I would love to start with the University of Georgia,” Gantt said, also mentioning medical institutions and possibly churches. Denson said he “would love” for UGA to make a payment in lieu of taxes, but that he wouldn’t want to tie housing policy to something that might not happen. “We still have to ask, and we need to be persistent,” Gantt said.
Gantt asked Denson how he would work with what has become a less progressive county commission. Denson pointed to unanimous votes on initiatives he championed, like an eviction prevention program, fare-free transit and inclusionary zoning to encourage affordable housing.
Voters will choose a replacement in May for Mayor Kelly Girtz, who is limited to two terms.
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