In at-large race, we recommend Gosney, Patterson, Hall

In the Democratic primary for Athens' three at-large seats on City Council, we recommend the election of, in order, incumbent Elahu Gosney, Steve Patterson and Nate Hall.
While some of the others in the race are also strong candidates, we believe that Gosney, Patterson and Hall have the best shot at delivering strong and effective leadership.

No Republicans are running for an at-large seat, so the three top vote-getters in the Democratic primary will win the three available seats unless one or more independent candidates decide to run in the general election.

Since being elected to City Council in 2007, Gosney has been a refreshingly forward-thinking presence on a body that too often defers to the mayor and his administration. Gosney has advocated "green" issues, usually successfully, including retrofitting city buildings to be more energy efficient, playing a major role in the successful effort to bring the solar carport to the Athens Community Center, and pushing for a "green fleet" among the city's vehicles.

He has been a strong minority voice for OU student interests, questioning efforts that single out students for strict enforcement of party and noise laws. Nonetheless, he has supported common-sense and reasonable "party-issue" solutions such as banning groups from partying on porch roofs.

We especially like Gosney's willingness to buck the majority on this largely go-along, get-along City Council.

Steve Patterson, an OU professor, will bring a lot to the table if elected to an at-large seat on City Council. He hopes to encourage the improvement of roads and sidewalks for pedestrian and driver safety; strengthen the relationship between city government, local businesses, the university and the community; and reduce the city's energy expenses with new or improved alternative energy sources.

Something of a renaissance man, Patterson is also an organic farmer, providing locally grown produce to area restaurants; is active with Habitat for Humanity and other local groups; serves on the OU Faculty Senate; and is a retired Air Force officer.

With his numerous and varied community and campus connections, Patterson has high potential to play a strong and vital role on council.

Nate Hall, a senior political science major and president of the OU College Democrats, is smart, hard-working and very active in public affairs.

Not to be understated, he comes from a grossly under-represented group in Athens city government, the massive undergraduate student population. In terms of population, OU students outnumber non-students in Athens, and their voice should be represented on City Council.

While one might argue that students come and go, college students, as a class, are a constant in Athens, and their interests tend to flow seamlessly from one generation to the next.

While the other Democratic at-large candidates offer a mix of positives and negatives, we feel that Gosney, Patterson and Hall offer the best prospects for effective and clear-eyed leadership.

If you're voting in the Democratic primary on May 3, we urge you to cast a ballot for Elahu Gosney, Steve Patterson and Nate Hall for Athens City Council's at-large seats.