Athens-Clarke commission candidates addressed 'sanctuary city' resolution, housing, homelessness

At a Monday forum, candidates for the upcoming May 21 election for three contested seats on the Athens-Clarke County Commission faced what is becoming a persistent question from some quarters of the community.

When the floor was opened to the audience of an estimated 100 people at a Federation of Neighborhoods forum, the first question was whether the candidates supported a 2019 resolution approved by the then-sitting commissioners and signed by Mayor Kelly Girtz.

Noting in part that the Athens-Clarke County government “… strives to foster a community where individuals and families of all statuses feel safe, are able to prosper, and can breathe free …,” the resolution became a lightning rod for government in the wake of this year’s slaying of Laken Riley. That criticism was heightened by the resolution’s references to “white nationalists,” “xenophobes” and “white supremacy.”

Resolutions do not carry the force of law but express the commission's sense on an issue.

Riley, a 22-year-old student at the Athens campus of the Augusta University College of Nursing, was found dead from blunt force trauma on a running trail near the University of Georgia’s Lake Herrick on Feb. 22. A 26-year-old undocumented Venezuelan immigrant, Jose Antonio Ibarra, was charged the next day with her murder and other offenses. He remains in the Athens-Clarke County Jail.

In the days after Riley’s slaying, the resolution, which also noted that the local government “unflinchingly defend(s) the human rights of all people, including citizens, noncitizens and those without documentation,” became a rallying cry for people insisting that Athens-Clarke County is, in effect, a “sanctuary city,” a fact that contributed to Riley’s death.

There is no specific legal definition of what constitutes a sanctuary city, and under state law, local governments are required to certify annually that they are not providing any sanctuary-type services.

None of the candidates for the three contested seats were serving on the commission when the resolution was approved, and responses to Monday’s question were generally muted.

Jason Jacobs, the downtown Athens businessman facing incumbent District 2 Commissioner Melissa Link, told the forum crowd Monday that the local government should simply make it clear that it is following the law proscribing sanctuary-type services.

Link was not at Monday’s forum but was out of town for a long-planned trip to see the totality of Monday’s solar eclipse. However, at a March commission meeting where she, the nine other district commissioners, Girtz and Sheriff John Q. Williams were threatened with recalls over the 2019 resolution, Link said she was “as disgusted by the crime as I am with the hysterical glee which so many have seized upon this tragedy to promote division, bigotry and hate.”

In the District 6 contest, where incumbent Jesse Houle has opted not to seek re-election, candidate and former Athens-Clarke County auditor Stephanie Johnson contended that commissioners sitting at the time may not have realized the significance of the 2019 resolution.

Johnson, terminated by the commission in 2021, went on to suggest that commissioners may have been “duped” into signing the resolution.

More: What does it mean to be a 'sanctuary city'? Athens area officials offer differing views

The other District 6 candidate, local businesswoman Rashe Malcolm, appeared unfamiliar with the resolution, but said, “Athens is a welcoming community.” Malcolm, who is Black, went on to say, “I don’t want to see it (the community’s welcoming spirit) go away, because people like me won’t be here.”

In the District 8 contest, challenger Sidney “Mama Sid” Waters, who told Fox News last month that the local government hadn’t been transparent about the 2019 resolution and asserted that the community has sanctuary-type policies, appeared to moderate her position at the Monday forum.

“I believe the resolution has run its course,” she said, also noting, “I have never known Athens to be a biased city.”

District 8 incumbent Carol Myers, reminding Monday’s crowd that the resolution “carries no legal weight,” said she supported its sentiments.

“I would have signed that resolution,” she said, pointing out that Athens is welcoming to a wide cross-section of people and interests, from University of Georgia students to the film industry.

More: Enough sign for recall effort to move forward against Athens mayor, sheriff, district attorney

Other highlights of Monday’s forum included candidate’s responses to questions provided to them in advance by the Federation of Neighborhoods.

On the issue of affordable housing, Myers called for helping developers take advantage of tax credits for low-income housing. Waters decried the ongoing construction of high-rise apartments and investors’ influence on the local housing market.

Johnson suggested that the county require one member of any investment group involved in local residential development to live in their development. Malcolm called for a fresh look at zoning and permitting, redevelopment of abandoned homes and using abandoned commercial spaces for housing.

Jacobs suggested giving local builders more flexibility in housing development, including with options like quadruplexes and accessory dwelling units. Link, whose responses to the prepared question were read by the forum moderator in her absence, suggested the University of Georgia should look to the edges of its campus for potential student housing construction to lessen the pressure of that kind of development on the community at large.

The candidates also addressed homelessness, with Jacobs calling for better use of existing resources, and for involving people experiencing homelessness in the search for ways to address the issue. Link pointed to the county’s recently released plan to address homelessness, which calls, among other things, for outreach to people experiencing homelessness, improving emergency and transitional housing options, and increasing housing stability with employment programs, mental health assistance, and eviction mediation.

Malcolm, admitting that homelessness-related issues are “not in my wheelhouse, but I’m open to learning more,” suggested the local government could do a better job of getting to the roots of issues that contribute to homelessness. Johnson suggested a more fundamental look at the issue to determine whether the local government wants to fix, or to simply manage, homelessness and its related issues.

Waters contended that community perception of the extent of local homelessness may be unfairly affected by people claiming to be homeless who are, in fact, not homeless. Suggesting that the local government is not really working to definitively address homelessness, Waters said taxpayers should be the county government’s primary concern. Myers, pointing out that the array of social services available in Athens-Clarke County is a driver in bringing people experiencing homelessness into the community, suggested the government should be reaching out to the people who are providing those services for guidance.

The final question addressed Monday by the commission, on public safety, produced the biggest applause line of the night, as Malcolm suggested, “We start first by becoming a community again.” Doing that, Malcolm said, starts with people getting to know their neighbors, and includes developing collaborative community efforts. Johnson called for increased police department staffing.

Waters, also noting that public safety agencies are understaffed, suggested looking at salaries for emergency services personnel, and suggested investment in firefighting equipment to ensure that taller buildings in the community can be adequately protected. Myers called for improving local emergency medical services and suggested offering productive opportunities for community engagement, especially for younger citizens, could improve public safety.

Jacobs suggested that providing incentives for veteran police officers to come to Athens-Clarke County, along with youth development programs and community-oriented policing, could boost public safety. Link noted the recent increased local investment in public safety, including salary hikes for police officers and increased use of surveillance cameras, but she also pointed to the pervasiveness of firearms and a “militarized citizenry” as challenges in addressing the issue.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Forum for Athens-Clarke County Commission candidates talk sanctuary city