Fahl is all about preserving the things that make Athens great

To the Editor:

From my view, as a person who lives beyond the city limits of Athens but, like many others who have lived in the county for many years, consider Athens my home town, there is much at stake when it comes to the direction that City Council takes in dealing with balancing business and aesthetic aspects of development, providing needed infrastructure and safety services to all citizens, improving the economic quality of life for community, protecting the historic downtown and preserving the uniqueness of neighborhoods, while valuing and maintaining a sense-of-place that fosters community pride.  

It is well known that over the last 40 years the city has watched many of its historic neighborhoods once owned and occupied by single families, physically decline, predominantly into student ghettos, and that most commercial development has been designed, built and shaped by people and influences from elsewhere. And although these developments have accommodated the increase in students living off campus and provided much-needed shopping opportunities, the result of such unplanned, visionless, unrestricted development and the loss of more creative opportunity have been detrimental to the larger community, caused disadvantages for local entrepreneurs, lessened prospects for meaningful employment, and caused long-term harm to esthetic beauty and to the built and natural environments.

Creating a growth environment that encourages and supports more local entrepreneurs and local craftsmen values and complements the rich heritage assets that make Athens a special place - one to be proud of, that provides the kind of amenities that attract desirable and sustainable business activity, that will embrace the environmental challenges we face as a society, and that will leave a legacy that will have a positive affect on future generations - all of this is not an easy job.

I believe that both Randy Morris and Chris Fahl are good citizens, that they are both sincere and well intentioned in their efforts to win the Fourth Ward seat on Athens City Council. And I agree with Randy Morris that those in power need to ask good questions. However, Chris Fahl is by her education, professional experience, personal insight and commitment, and ability to communicate her concerns and understanding of issues that face the city and the nation in these trying times much better qualified for the job.

I urge those who live in the city of Athens to vote for Chris Fahl on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Tim Traxler
Millfleld