Sarah Grace petitions for signatures at College Democrats meeting

Two potential candidates for Athens City Council visited the Ohio University College Democrats meeting Tuesday to petition for signatures. Both Sarah Grace and Karie Whitman are considering running for council member at-large. Grace, who ran for 94th District representative in 2016, said she was encouraged to become involved in politics again after some surprisingly wise advice from her two-year-old son. “You get back up and try again,” she quoted. If elected, Grace said she would implement the goals expressed in her previous campaigns. She wants to update the city of Athens’ Master Plan, as well as explore the possibility of Athens becoming a sanctuary city.  Grace also said she wants to work toward eliminating plastic bags in the Athens area, a platform she shares with Whitman. Whitman, an Americorps member of Northern Michigan, is currently pursuing a master’s degree in environmental studies at Ohio University. Whitman said she wants to work toward more sustainability in the Athens area, such as curbside composting and new recycling bins. Preservation of the Ridges also ranks high on her list. Continuing to work with Ohio University and the Athens Transit to give students the opportunity to ride the bus with a valid Ohio University ID is another one of Whitman’s platforms. Although she took a brief hiatus from social media, Grace said she was always watching the College Democrats. She applauded the group’s continued efforts to contact its elected officials, saying “it really does matter when they get phone calls.” “I’m so proud of you,” she said.