Q&A — City Council Fourth Ward Race

Left: Chris Fahl, photo courtesy of Athens City Council. Right: Alan Swank, photo courtesy of Alan Swank.

Chris Fahl, incumbent Athens City councilmember for the Fourth Ward, will face a challenger — Democrat Alan Swank — for the first time since 2009 in May. The two will run in the upcoming open primary election. 

Fahl began her career as a councilmember in 2009 when she opposed Republican candidate Randy Morris. She has run unopposed since.

Swank, former regional vice president of Balfour Yearbooks, ran for an at-large seat on Athens City Council in 2015 and lost. Those seats were won by Jennifer Cochran, Peter Kotses and Joan Kraynanski. In 2021, Swank is back for another try at City Council.

This election will be different for the two candidates. Not only will Fahl face a challenger after running unopposed for over a decade, but both candidates will be campaigning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Each candidate was asked about their side of the race to the primary and what it will look like for them.

Councilmember Chris Fahl

Q: What inspired you to run for City Council your first time?

A: “I’ve always been active, especially in environmental things, so I’ve been a community organizer for a while … The person who was in the Fourth Ward seat had been elected to the State House, and she asked me whether I would want to be a member of council. Before that, I had been (a chairperson) on the planning commission for the city, and I also helped Paul Weihl, the mayor before Steve Patterson, get elected.”

Q: What has driven you to stay in office?

A: “Being a politician in this atmosphere definitely is a challenge for various reasons. I feel really passionate about the people who don’t come forward and speak at council meetings or go to the planning commission and talk to the planning commissioners or anything else like that … There’s a lot of people in my ward and in the city who have no voice, and they don’t feel like they’re a part of the process … I’m passionate about helping citizens come forward and get things done, like the landscaping ordinance (Chapter 37) that I’m working on. People came forward and said, “This is really old and we need to do something different,” and so I worked with a group and now it’s coming forward. I’m their voice; I’m their vehicle to making changes that they want in the city.”

Q: What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced serving on the City Council?

A: “One of the challenges that I face has been the erosion of home rule for our city … The state legislature keeps taking away our home rule ability to make rules and regulations for our city. They’ve preempted our ability to do things about fracking or hazardous waste disposal. One of the things I spend a lot of time on is figuring out how to make sure the city, our citizens and our community are safe, efficient and well-running in spite of what the state legislature does to us.” 

Q: With COVID-19 changing the way elected officials campaign, what will a campaign against a candidate look like?

A: “I’m taking ideas. I think because of COVID people are hungry for action … I think that it’s important to get that energy and show people what can happen at the local level. While going door to door is a no-go because of COVID, there’s a lot of other ways. I think that the national and state election really pointed out how people can reach out and connect with their constituents and be able to get their vision out to the people in other ways.”

Challenger Alan Swank

Q: What inspired you to run for City Council this year, challenging long-standing Councilmember Chris Fahl?

A: “I’ve been in Athens for 42 years. My wife and I have been involved in the affairs of Athens for a long time. Back in the 80s, I was involved with the Uptown Halloween kids program. In the 90s, every Sunday morning we would fill up the back of our minivan with water and water the hanging baskets on Court Street. But more recently, and a lot more germane, I was one of the founding members of an organization called FEMA, which stands for the Far Eastside Neighborhood Association, and I’m currently the vice president of that group … Then the city of Athens has what’s called the Arts, Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, and I was just elected chair of that board … I’m also involved in working with the city engineer on a streetlight project on the far east side, at the request of the mayor. I’ve always been involved, and this just seemed like the next logical step in terms of civic involvement and service to the city.”

Q: What do you feel makes you qualified to run for this seat?

A: “I’ve been involved in not only city activities, but university activities in leadership roles. I was the president of Ohio University’s Green and White Club … I was the vice president of the East Elementary PTO. So, I've been involved in a lot of different activities and leadership roles. And it's because of that involvement I think I've got a pretty good pulse on what people are looking for … It's not really about my plans, it's about what the people in the community are looking for. That requires listening. I'm a former school teacher and former independent sales representative. To succeed in both of those, you need to do a lot of listening and really hear what people are saying. In the end, public servants are there to serve the public, not to serve themselves. And I think because of that diverse background of jobs and leadership roles that I will bring a skill set to the City Council that will serve the people of Athens well.”

Q: In 2015 you ran for a seat but were not elected. What do you think will be different this time around?

A: “The Fourth Ward is the homes over on the further area on the far east side and two precincts on the South Green. So, not only is this person going to represent the year-round citizens of Athens but the students … So, what's different between now and 2015? One, I'm focusing on a much smaller area. One of the things I learned from that 2015 election is that you need to knock on everyone's door, whether they're a registered Democrat, registered Republican or Independent. If you don't knock on enough doors, no matter how long you've been in town, there are still people that aren't going to know what you're about and what you can bring to the job. Granted, I would need to do that safely with COVID. The second thing is social media. I will have a campaign Facebook page … I'm going to rely on modern technology, particularly social media as a means to get my message out … I'm still going to rely on some old-fashioned door-to-door marketing and handouts.”

Q: What do you hope to do as a councilmember?

A: “When I was out collecting signatures to get on the ballot, there were some themes with what people shared with me. One, there's a real concern that we need to address the acute need for quality, affordable housing for senior citizens … A second thing I've heard, people told me they would like to have improved and expanded communications from City Hall … A third thing I've heard from a lot of people is that they would like us to be a little more fiscally responsible with the money that we spend … Many people want us to continue down the path of being environmentally conscious and responsible. Athens has a composting program now, and I think we can expand upon it … There is always the 10,000-pound elephant in the room, and that would be the relationships between the town, and the university … OU is projecting, in 2024, a third less students that were here in 2016. This could leave quite an impact on Athens. I think we as a City Council need to get ahead of the ballgame … One of the things that came up recently in talking with people is the possibility of municipal Internet, a system run by the city. 35% of the students in the Athens City School District are learning remotely … Those who don't have it (reliable Internet), are not getting the equal access to education as those who are getting it. It's a structural program.”

Q: Do you think running against someone who has held their position for so long will be a challenge?

A: “No, not at all. What is sad is that Athens presents itself as a very progressive, engaged community, but no one has run since 2009. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that the current council person has done a great job or a bad job … When no one runs, the public loses because there is no discussion of topics, of terms and of the vision for the future … I think it's very important that people have a choice.”

Q: What do you hope will attract voters to you?

A: “They're gonna know who I am. I'm planning on doing a series of what I'm going to call ‘Street Halls.’ I plan to do a series of Zoom meetings with sections of the ward, where we can all get on and talk, listen and exchange ideas.”