Michele Papai has an edge in Third Ward council race

In a race with two solid candidates, The Athens NEWS endorses Michele Papai for Third Ward Athens City Council member. As a citizen, she has been active in numerous community and neighborhood groups, and has done a good job on the city's zoning appeals board.

Papai, a Democrat, looks to be a strong replacement for longtime Third Ward council member Nancy Bain, who is not seeking another term. Her intelligent and active work on behalf of the city make her a good choice for City Council.

Her opponent, independent R.J. Sumney, is also a strong candidate, with ample involvement in the community and current service on the Athens Planning Commission. In this position, Sumney already has the sort of inside knowledge and personal connections that could help him in representing Athens' Third Ward.

Of course, with her current service on the Athens Board of Zoning Appeals, Papai is also in the middle of a variety of city issues, and enjoys some of the same advantages as Sumney.

As for their positions on city and neighborhood issues, both candidates advocate an aggressive approach to solving problems in the Third Ward, including safety, infrastructure and streets. Both talk about the importance of slowing down vehicle traffic in neighborhoods.

Sumney, for his part, appears to place greater emphasis on economic development, specifically calling for a strategic business plan for the city as a whole. He says he would work toward bringing disparate groups together to attract and encourage more business in the city.

A longtime Ohio University employee (working for the student newspaper), Sumney is familiar with both student leaders and university officials. This could be an advantage when it comes to addressing the many town-gown issues that confront Athens on a regular basis. He has submitted thoughtful proposals for aggressively bringing students into city governance, something we believe is long overdue.

Papai, meanwhile, is intimately familiar with specific issues facing the Third Ward, through her active involvement in the Athens Near Northside Neighborhood Association. This group has met with city and OU officials to discuss various issues of interest to the Third Ward.

She says she would put this knowledge to good use as a council member, working with both long-term residents and students to solve persistent issues facing both the city and Third Ward.

In a race with two strong candidates, Third Ward voters can't go wrong voting for either one, but we'll give the edge to Papai, based on her active neighborhood advocacy and her involvement with a variety of civil improvement efforts, including a successful anti-litter committee. If you live in Athens' Third Ward, vote for Papai for your council member.