Five candidates for mayor of Athens, Georgia had a lively and thorough exchange of views on key environmental issues recently at a forum on energy and the environment, co-sponsored by ESAL.
“We started to see new emerging issues facing Athens,” says Olivia Asher of the Coalition of Athens Scientists, one of the forum sponsors. “The goal of bringing the candidates together was, first, to make sure all the candidates were aware of the environmental concerns that people of Athens had, and, second, to get them on the record on these things so that we could continue to work with them as mayor. ”
“We didn’t want a debate,” adds Patrick Ryan, director of engagement at science for Georgia, another forum sponsor. “We wanted them to answer and make statements so the public would have something to think about when making their choices.”
Ryan says the organizers, which included nine regional and Georgia-based science and environmental groups in addition to ESAL, came up with some broad topics to focus on, then surveyed community members to refine a final list of talking points. Candidates Tim Denson, Dexter Fisher, LaKeisha Gantt, Sharon Miller and Mara Zuniga were given the topics ahead of time so they had a chance to prepare careful answers, backed by research. The forum, held April 27 at Athens-Clarke County Library, covered multiple topics including:
Local resilience in the face of climate change:
All five candidates agreed that Athens is underprepared for climate change and needs a more proactive plan. Denson and Gantt emphasized the equity/justice dimensions more explicitly, while Zuniga was critical of current government inaction, noting that after the near miss by hurricane Helene in 2024, no formal discussion of the response was held. Fisher was the most specific, calling for a task force, stress tests and director-level emergency management.
Progress toward 100% clean energy:
No candidate was opposed to the city’s existing clean energy plan and goals. However Zuniga explicitly warned against over promising, given budget realities. Denson's idea for a parking ordinance allowing developers flexibility in the required number of parking spaces for a new building was the most specific and novel policy proposal. Fisher and Zuniga both wanted infrastructure addressed first, while Denson and Gantt were more willing to move simultaneously on clean energy and mobility.
Clean water:
The candidates strongly agreed that clean water is a government responsibility, and that rebuilding trust requires going to communities rather than expecting them to come to government. Miller emphasized external grant funding while Zuniga focused on an emergency hotline and rapid response. Denson wanted to reprioritize funds from SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax), an optional 1% county sales tax in Georgia used to fund capital outlay projects. Fisher called for private public partnership to extend water access while Gantt advocated long-term equity-centered infrastructure investment.
Environmentally friendly forms of transportation:
All five candidates supported expanding transit options and reducing car dependency in principle, as well as improving walking and biking infrastructure. Denson wanted to find ways to increase transit ridership and made an economic argument for it. Zuniga and Fisher both explicitly opposed fare-free transit for all as fiscally irresponsible. Gantt and Miller did not take a clear position on fares but emphasized infrastructure quality and equity.
Data centers:
The five candidates were unanimous in opposing new data centers in Athens—the only issue on which they completely agreed. But they diverged on the best way to reach this goal. Gantt and Denson pushed hardest for systemic solutions such as stronger ordinances and regional and state-level action. Fisher explained the "by-right" legal mechanism that allowed Georgia Power to build a data center as a public utility with no obligation to inform planners and proposed fixing it. Zuniga focused on community notification failures and keeping citizens informed on the current status of data center policy.
Solar energy subsidies:
All the candidates also supported expanding solar power in public buildings and acknowledged the need for subsidies and incentives. Denson and Zuniga both explicitly support energy efficiency requirements as a more accessible path. The clearest split was between Gantt, who supported solar requirements, and Denson and Zuniga, who opposed requirements for private housing due to affordability.
Greenspace and housing:
No candidate believed greenspace should be sacrificed for housing. All expressed some version of "both can coexist." One of the strongest differences emerged when Denson advocated for density as the solution, while Fisher argued that Denson's record shows his density advocacy has actually harmed Black communities and generated car-centric development. Gantt argued that greenspace and affordable housing are not mutually exclusive, but warned that high-density student housing crowds out green space in adjacent neighborhoods.
“Almost all the attendees came because this is stuff that matters to them,” Ryan says. “Whether it’s a data center, water, or the consequences of traffic downtown. We’re talking about issues they live with or they’re worried about for their families. This was a great opportunity to see these politicians telling them what they want to do. I don’t know if they necessarily made decisions on who they were voting for there, but everybody I saw at the event was really happy they had this information.”
In addition to ESAL, other hosts of the Forum included the Coalition of Athens Scientists, the Southern Sustainability Institute, Science for Georgia, 100% Athens, the Athens Land Trust, Citizens Climate Lobby, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, C-Change Conversations Athens and the Scientist Network for Advancing Policy.
