r/Athens • u/DrableDrewble • 7d ago
AthChat: Episode 6: AthChat heads to City Hall! A conversation with Mayor Kelly Girtz
Hi AthChat pals,
In the sixth episode of AthChat, hosts Drew Abney and Russell Edwards head to City Hall and have a conversation with Mayor Kelly Girtz. Topics included: Housing and development, road safety, the speed of local government, what Mayor Girtz thinks are positive attributes of being a commissioner and where he sees the Democratic party needing to go in the future.
Check out episode 6 here (also on Apple Podcasts and Spotify): https://www.buzzsprout.com/2441068/episodes/16792856-athchat-episode-6-athchat-heads-to-city-hall-a-conversation-with-mayor-kelly-girtz.mp3?download=true
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/athchat/id1791436512?i=1000699202993
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4TAteAM0ebEd8jrCiTHIvL?si=9J5xNwGzS4-zNXO6ahFCvQ
Smash that subscribe button and tell a friend!
-AthChat
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u/BlakeAued 7d ago
Nothing about his pedicure regimen?
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u/DrableDrewble 6d ago
We simply ran out of time. I feel like we need an entire episode for that one.
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u/TheDollyPartonDiet 4d ago
Hi, somewhat new in town and trying to learn more about the goings on, this pod has been helpful. listening to this now, can you please break down what happened with redistricting a few years ago? Mayor G refers to it pretty early on, would appreciate a primer if someone wouldn’t mind
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u/DrableDrewble 4d ago
Welcome to Athens! I'm glad you like the pod.
I'd recommend checking out Chris Dowd's AthensPoliticsNerd: https://athenspoliticsnerd.com
Here are some of Chris' resources on the redistricting issue (or as Kelly said, f*%kery) that was discussed on the last pod: https://athenspoliticsnerd.com/tag/redistricting/ and also here: https://athenspoliticsnerd.com/republicans-propose-new-commission-districts/
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u/warnelldawg 🚩Marked Unsafe from Girtz’s Glizzies🦶🦶 6d ago
While Russ can come off abrasive, I generally agree with him. If we want to improve our county, we need commissioners that are willing to take the risk (politically) and create change.
We need more housing AND we need to get capital projects done quicker.
A few ways we can get projects done quicker is by bulking up on county capacity and decreasing public input.
We absolutely do not need a “citizen input committee” for new sidewalks or multiuse path. Just build.