Morris will add needed skeptical voice to City Council

The Athens NEWS supports the election of Randy Morris to the Athens City Council Fourth Ward seat. Morris is running against council member Christine Fahl. Morris, a Republican who has been critical of the Democratic-dominated City Council and administration, will inject some necessary skepticism into council deliberations that too often are echo chambers for like-minded views.

His voice will be especially refreshing on development and budget issues, where Fahl has opposed reasonable development and supported the city's poorly justified purchase of most of the University Estates development site. Up to now, Fahl has just gone along with the mayor and one-sided council.

Before she came to council, Fahl, who was appointed to represent the east-side ward when Fourth Ward council member Debbie Phillips won election to the Ohio House, helped lead the legal effort to stop local senior citizens and the non-profit National Church Residences' continuing care retirement community proposed for a Stimson Avenue site.

The opposition cited concerns about flood-plain issues, NCR's agreement with Ohio University that would have provided the development site for a nominal fee, and the loss of green space. Yet, basic NIMBY (not in my backyard) sentiments seemed to be the driving force behind the opposition. Residents in the nearby neighborhood didn't want a retirement community being built so close to their homes.

Unfortunately, their efforts to paint the proposal as OU throwing around its weight on behalf of an irresponsible development drowned out the reality - that many local senior citizens desperately wanted the project to be built, to provide them with an attractive retirement option in a convenient location. A local group had been diligently working for over a decade to find a willing developer and a site for such a facility, and thought they had a winner with the Stimson project.

While NCR is a nonprofit corporation intent on providing retirement options for seniors, Fahl and other opponents of the Stimson project have done nothing for seniors.

Alas, NCR ultimately backed out of the project, citing the poor economy, though most observers guessed that the relentless opposition by Fahl and others was the real reason. In Athens, it's so much easier to kill a good development than complete one.

On general development issues, Morris supports free enterprise, as long as it abides by existing building codes and zoning regulations. Fahl, meanwhile, supports value-added regulation such as that included in the city's site-plan review process, enacted by council in 2007.

While the process so far hasn't created the sort of problems predicted when it was debated in City Council, it does leave developers to the mercy of the political winds, giving present and future City Planning Commissions too much power.

Morris is also right to criticize Fahl's support of City Council's efforts to purchase 600 acres of the University Estates development, mainly to protect the city's source of water.

Yet, as Morris correctly points out, Athens already has a strict wellhead protection ordinance, which, if enforced properly, will protect the city's water. Spending $1.75 million that the city most certainly doesn't have for this dubious purpose seems reckless, and neither Fahl nor other council members have come even close to explaining why it's the right thing to do.

Once the property is owned by the city, it's hard to imagine any tax-generating development ever taking place there.

On budget issues, Morris has the right idea in suggesting that City Council do a better job of prioritizing, by explicitly placing safety and street issues at the top of the city's list of goals.

In recent weeks, the Athens County Democratic Party has been in a furor over allegations of theft in office and money laundering by party chair Susan Gwinn. Party leaders have been criticized roundly for not asking Gwinn to step aside temporarily while the criminal charges are adjudicated.

In an interview earlier this month, Fahl said she agreed with Gwinn's decision to remain in office, explaining that the party needs its leader during the fall election season.

She seems to be saying that Gwinn's decision is all about how it will affect Fahl's election race, rather than the propriety of retaining an accused felon as Democratic Party leader. As long as there's a real chance that the charges are correct (which is to say, as long as Gwinn is under indictment), then it's the height of recklessness and irresponsibility to allow her to remain as party chair.

We agree with Morris, who has stated that if Gwinn were his party chair, he'd ask her to step down while facing felony charges. This just seems like the obvious thing to do, and the fact that Fahl and other Democratic leaders in Athens don't see it this way reflects poorly on them.

It's long overdue for Athens City Council to have a skeptical voice, someone who will at least ask difficult questions during the mutual admiration society sessions otherwise known as council meetings.

Vote for Randy Morris for Fourth Ward council member.

Editor's note: The comment service on this article wasn't working on Thursday. It's working now. Sorry about the inconvenience. TS