Three-term city council member Elahu Gosney will not seek re-election

Members of the Athens City Council hope to be re-elected in 2013 with every seat opening except for At-Large council member and Athens native Elahu Gosney.Gosney, who won a seat with the Athens City Council in 2007 and took office in 2008, won re-election twice.“I decided to run [in 2007] because I wanted to see the city government be as progressive as the city residents,” Gosney said. “I grew up in Athens, I know it well, and I love this town.”Several factors contributed to Gosney’s decision not to run for reelection. He expects to earn a graduate degree from Ohio University in molecular and cellular biology, a skill set fairly well outside of the typical politician, but Gosney believes the government needs more scientists.In addition to a new degree opening new doors for Councilmember Gosney, he said he recently found the love of his life, a non-Athens resident, and wants to leave open all opportunities in the near future. Gosney said he felt satisfied with his time on the Athens City Council.“I think three [terms] is enough to put forward ideas and see some of them realized,” he said. “It is a decision I made consciously, but not lightly.”Gosney noted several different projects he felt made a real difference in Athens during his three terms as a city councilmember. He said the city has become more environmentally sustainable, noting the solar power project at the Athens Community Center. He also noted the importance of United States President Barack Obama’s stimulus package to help fund environmentally forward-thinking projects.He also applauded the Athens’ efforts to make the city more LGBT-friendly, discussing several laws passed during his tenure and mentioning an article he read recently that listed the city of Athens as the most LGBT-friendly city in the state of Ohio.“Being at the forefront is crucial,” he said.Gosney encouraged others to run for city council. He said he would like to see a good campaign for the position and whoever won the position would be ready to keep Athens thinking progressively. He said the city moved toward the progressiveness he and others wanted to see during his three terms.“I have been true to what I have hoped for,” he said. “The city has moved a long way, not because of me alone of course, but I was elected at the right time for the city to move on issues I cared about.”Gosney recognized his time with the Athens City Council is not yet over, but that the clock is ticking.“I still hope to see the city moving forward for the rest of my time and after,” he said. “I know it will work hard to keep moving forward.”