Shinholser calls out Maddox and Denson
Bandon Shinholser, who is currently running for Mayor of Athens, called out his rivals in the race. He asked them to explain their platforms more easily, so the average voter can make a clear decision. He put the following on his website (As a note, we are not picking sides at this point. If any of the other candidates have statements or responses, please send them to me and I will put them up).
Maddox and Denson fail to respondA few weeks ago, I called upon Charlie Maddox to clarify his vague platform to give the citizens of Athens more insight into his plans for improving Athens if elected in November 2010. The Maddox Campaign did not respond to me directly, however, within one week, Maddox added a few lines to his online platform.
“My approach to economic development begins with understanding several simple ideas. 1) Not all businesses are suited for our county. 2) There are people who specialize in economic development that are more adept at recruiting industry than non-professionals and 3) Economic development is a long term investment that should be made in a long term vision.”
“My Economic development plan is simple. I will ask the right people to create a strategy to bring this city the types of jobs we want. I will then do my utmost to see that the right people have the tools and support to bring this strategy to fruition.”The information that was added to his platform clearly shows that Charlie Maddox is not ready to lead. Many of you remember that Charlie used the same broken rhetoric against incumbent Heidi Davison in the 2006 mayoral election. Charlie still believes that he can simply snap his fingers and bring thousands of new jobs to Athens – this misleading information is nothing short of a fantasy. Charlie obviously does not understand what makes our city vibrant and will take Athens back in time to the previous “business-only” mentality that ignores our citizens, environment, quality of life, and neighborhoods.
Charlie is not the only candidate who is failing to respond to the people – Nancy Denson is also keeping silent on the issues. Nancy is sticking to an agenda that consists of lower taxes, budget preparation, neighborhoods, and senior citizens. Nancy states on her website, “It is early in the Mayoral campaign and issues will arise that I need to address.”
Well, Nancy, there are many issues at hand right now in Athens that you are failing to address. Let’s take crime for example. She also goes on to address her visitors “I know I work for you and hope my performance over the past thirty years has earned your confidence.” I will admit that Nancy has earned my trust for her long hours, hard work, and dedication to being a successful Tax Commissioner; however, she is now running for Mayor, not re-election.
The Athens-Clarke County charter restricts the Mayor from making a lot of tough decisions, but it is irresponsible for a candidate to ignore the importance of the issues affecting Athens. The next Mayor of Athens needs to be a hands-on leader who keeps a strong relationship with all those who make decisions and should voice their opinion at the stint of opposition to encourage progress.
It is up to the citizens of Athens-Clarke County to hold both Charlie and Nancy responsible for keeping their silence on issues such as crime, open government and transparency, transportation, citizen involvement, quality of life, and our environment. It is the duty of those running for leadership positions to inform the community of their intentions, and failing to do so is a direct reflection on their capabilities as an elected official.
Help me to urge both of these candidates to speak on the issues that are being ignored.
Comments
3 Comments on Shinholser calls out Maddox and Denson
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Andrew on
Mon, 9th Nov 2009 11:50 AM
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Brett on
Mon, 9th Nov 2009 12:39 PM
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Andrew Watts on
Mon, 9th Nov 2009 3:34 PM
The biggest problem to my mind in Athens is 3 letters UGA.
There is a difference between a College Town and a College dominating its environs.
Look at the average pay at UGA, not the teachers, professors, but the actual admin staff. It seems to be they are grossly underpaid for what they do.
Until this situation changes, there is always going to be an issue with a city dominated by one organization that continues to habitate in a low pay environment.
Another problem with the university is that they are exempt from property taxes, yet are the single largest land-holder in the county.
The position of the Brandon for Athens campaign is that we have absolutely no control over the salaries of UGA employees. While we do believe that UGA should implement a living wage, the Mayor of Athens-Clarke County has no authority to force them to do so and such issues are better addressed to Michael Adams and the rest of the University’s senior administration.
Furthermore, it is imperative that we note that the University is tax-exempt by state law and the Mayor and Commission have no authority whatsoever to impose taxes of any kind (property or otherwise) on the University. We are aware that the University holds a very large amount of land in Athens-Clarke County, but nothing that we have the authority to do would be beneficial to the county.
The question we pose to those who criticize us for not addressing UGA is this: What do you expect us to do? Throw UGA out of the county? UGA was the reason Athens was founded, and while it should not control us, it is a major part of the culture of Athens.
If you have any further questions on this matter, I would be happy to address them with you. Please e-mail me at the address below.
Andrew Watts
Senior Policy Advisor
Brandon for Athens
watts@brandonforathens.com
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