Diane Bell to Run for Commissioner Kathy Hoard's Seat

Five Points business woman Diane Bell is running for the District 7 Commission seat now held by Kathy Hoard. Hoard announced her intention not to run for re-election at a recent Commission meeting.

According to a story in the Athens Banner Herald, Bell said she and Hoard "are probably pretty close in our views." Commissioner Hoard has been an advocate for and supporter of historic preservation for years. Bell said she "tilts toward individual property rights, but also doesn’t discount the benefits of preserving a neighborhood’s historic character," the story says.

The story quotes Bell as saying she would put "community need over individual desire." She was sorry to see Selig Enterprises pull out of their Armstrong and Dobbs property project and she said Walmart would have been good for the community, the story says.

Bell said she wants to tackle Athens' reputation as being business unfriendly, the story says.