Meet the Candidates for Athens-Clarke Commission

Athens-Clarke Commission seats in districts 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 will be opening up next year, and candidates will formally declare their intention to run for these seats today, and through Friday of this week.

Two candidates, Allison Wright and David Ellison, have already announced their candidacies in District 4, where Alice Kinman is giving up her seat. District 4 covers Athens’ Five Points neighborhood east of Lumpkin St., and most of UGA’s campus area. Issues in this district tend to focus around maintaining the charm and aura of Five Points, a pedestrian-friendly business district valued by many Athenians.

Wright, who lives in Five Points, has served on the Clarke County School Board since 2005 and has two sons who attend Clarke Middle School. She is a certified Medical Illustrator and CEO of Biomedical Visual Concepts, Inc. Wright will hold a meeting this evening at Aroma's Wine Bar in Five Points from 5pm-8pm for those interested in learning more about her campaign.

Ellison currently serves on the Athens-Clarke County Hearings Board and works as a law clerk for the Superior Courts of the Piedmont Judicial District. He graduated from the UGA School of Law in 2010. Ellison has lived in Athens with his wife, Lauren, also a UGA School of Law graduate, since 1990 and currently resides in Five Points.

Two candidates for District 6, Jerry NeSmith and Ron Winders, have announced their desire to take Ed Robinson’s seat. District 6 covers Athens’ West Side, Atlanta Hwy area and Forest Heights. District 6 lost the Rivercliff Estates subdivision in a recent change to district maps that took effect on May 17, 2012. The major issues in this district have been focused on the Atlanta Hwy, as recent developments in bordering Oconee County have threatened the area's economic future.

NeSmith has been employed as a business and technical director at the University of Georgia for the past nine years. He serves on the ACC Planning Commission and is a manager of the Athens Farmers' Market. Before moving to Athens with his wife, Farol, in 1997, he was part of a well-organized neighborhood coalition, working with Mayor Maynard Jackson and all of Atlanta’s northeastern neighborhoods in an attempt to preserve and rebuild the quality of life of Atlanta's in-town neighborhoods. He worked to change zoning laws and successfully defeated a planned interstate highway through those neighborhoods.

Winders, a native of Savannah, GA, has lived in Athens since 1996. He has a degree in Social Work from UGA, has worked in sales for 20 years, and is concerned with development issues in District 6. Winders has no previous political experience, but reported to the Athens Banner-Herald that his motivation to run for office stems from developments around Georgia Square Mall, which he says are flooding creeks, eroding soil and killing wildlife.

Elections will take place on July 31, 2012. Stay tuned for updates on candidates in Districts 2, 8 and 10. To find out which district you live in, click here.