Athens Politics Nerd

Terry Johnson is challenging incumbent Commissioner Patrick Davenport for the privilege of representing the southeast side on the ACC Commission. APN interviewed them both in this 26-minute podcast to help District 1 residents decide who to vote for. athenspoliticsnerd.com/terry-johnson-…

The Tim for Athens mayoral campaign received two unsolicited $1,000 donations from Rock Nobster records, but after recent allegations have come to light, Denson is donating this money to DIVAS Who Win, The Cottage and Project Safe.

Using the federal HOME grant, ACC Housing and Community Development is planning to build and sell homes to the public, while providing down payment assistance. flagpole.com/news/city-dope…

Of the five mayoral candidates, Dexter Fisher has the most money by far, but Mara Zúñiga is the biggest fundraiser of 2026 to date. athenspoliticsnerd.com/fisher-maintai…

The mayor and commission's agenda-setting session is about to get started. youtube.com/watch?v=_reZVM…

The Georgia Center for Employee Ownership is hosting a free screening of "We the Owners," a documentary about three worker-owned businesses. After the film, you can learn how to transition your business to employee ownership after you retire, allowing it to endure.

For those who still aren't convinced. youtube.com/watch?v=DDf25r…

We've got more candidates running for local and state office than I ever remember, since I've been paying close attention at least. flagpole.com/news/city-dope…

The Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement held a candidate forum for those seeking the office of ACC Commissioner yesterday. youtube.com/watch?v=GQMlFm…

I should clarify that this is an alleged violation. I don't even know what happened.

I've been poking into former Warden Covington's firing. I did an info request and ... it looks like the Epstein files. A page is fully redacted and there are heavy redactions throughout. He was fired for a severe violation of the county's drug & alcohol policy, it's all I got.

The ACC Commission has extended the ban on new data center construction until June 5. They also considered a set of affordable housing recommendations, but some commissioners have cold feet. youtube.com/shorts/0MWbH5K…

The ACC Commission has extended the ban on new data center construction until June 5. Commissioners also voted against recapturing ARPA funds from various nonprofits and tasked the planning commission with developing a plan to promote affordable housing. athenspoliticsnerd.com/acc-commission…

I've had to update the title of this article because -- y'all -- the RAISE grant has been extended significantly! 😲 athenspoliticsnerd.com/how-acc-gov-lo…

The Bottom. Lickskillet. We may never have heard these names before, but they were once thriving Black neighborhoods downtown. A new website has been created to share the story of these neighborhoods and how they were destroyed during urban renewal. athenspoliticsnerd.com/beyond-linnent…

The monthly mayor and commission meeting is getting underway. The main topic tonight is data centers. There will be two votes: #1 - on data center regulations, and #2 - on extending the data center moratorium. youtube.com/watch?v=_NxA5E…

State Rep. Eric Gisler held his second town hall meeting on Saturday to give his constituents a legislative update mid-session. oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/03/state-…

Are data centers a health risk for those living nearby? Will they cause our power and water bills to go up? If so, what can we do to stop them from being built? The ACC Democrats held a town hall meeting last Thursday to answer these questions. athenspoliticsnerd.com/data-center-to…

What would eliminating property taxes actually do? youtube.com/watch?v=9ypgKw…

A coalition of Athens-area clergy held an interfaith candlelight vigil on Sunday in support of immigrants and others affected by mass deportations. youtube.com/shorts/MbxNlKF…