A local man has announced his intention to run for the District One seat on the Athens-Clarke County Commission.
Patrick Davenport says he will challenge District One Commissioner Sharyn Dickerson in May’s local elections. Davenport says he was born in the district, and is a graduate of Cedar Shoals High School and the University of Georgia. According to Davenport’s website, his priorities include breaking the cycle of poverty and increasing economic growth in Athens.
Davenport’s entrance into the race means that all five commission seats up for re-election, plus a special election for the District Two seat, will be contested. This stands in sharp contrast to the 2016 election, when no incumbent commissioners faced opposition.
Davenport’s website is patrickfordistrict1.com. Election day is May 22.
In other election news, Athens mayoral candidate Richie Knight announces today his plans to ask UGA to contribute to the city through payments in lieu of taxes. With over 45% of the land in Athens-Clarke County being nontaxable, Knight plans to use this partnership to create an affordable housing fund. File candidates have filed campaign disclosure reports for mayor so far. Early voting begins April 30th for the election.
