Candidates in the Athens-Clarke County mayoral race faced off in a debate on Saturday.
During an evening debate held at Cine in downtown Athens on Saturday, AthChat podcast hosts Drew Abney and Russell Edwards led the candidates in two hours of questioning.
Candidates LaKeisha Gantt, Tim Denson, Mara Zuniga, and Dexter Fisher sparred over topics like affordable housing, addressing homelessness, and improving road safety. A fifth candidate, Sharon Miller, was not present for the debate.
Though the candidates differed on several points, they were united against a state-level bill to eliminate property tax. They also all expressed concern over the welfare of the immigrant community in Athens, while disagreeing over their support of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, presence in the county.
A new mayor will be elected on May 19th. The debate was live streamed on the Athchat Facebook Page, and is also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
