At-large candidates talk transparency, short term rentals, local policing at forum

John Howell moderates the candidate forum. Screenshot by Zach Zimmerman.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to clarify that Councilmember Ben Ziff was a jiu jitsu instructor and not a master.

Athens City Council at-large candidates answered questions about government transparency, short term rentals, local policing and more at a virtual candidate forum Tuesday night hosted by the League of Women Voters of Athens County

The candidates in attendance included incumbent Councilmembers Micah McCarey, Sarah Grace and Ben Ziff, as well as independent candidates Iris Virjee and Damon Krane. 

McCarey, the director of Ohio University’s LGBT Center, was appointed to City Council in May to replace Beth Clodfelter. McCarey lauded his skills in organizational communication as well as his ongoing completion of a doctoral degree in decision making. 

“I am someone who likes to dig into what people really want to see and help them get engaged to the best of their ability and I’m excited for this opportunity,” McCarey said. 

Grace has served on City Council since 2017. Grace is the wellness coordinator for Hopewell Health and has a master’s degree in public health. She said her job involves working to support the health of both Hopewell patients and staff in nine different counties, and she sees daily challenges faced by many individuals in the region as well as support provided by staff. 

“Though the process of my work on City Council is different, it’s also done to support wellness for all members of our community,” Grace said. “I know how important it is that Council make decisions that further the long-term health and sustainability of our city.”

Ziff was appointed to City Council in April to replace Peter Kotses. Ziff, an Ohio U graduate, has worked as a barista and manager at Donkey Coffee, a paramedic in Zanesville and Columbus and as a Brazilian jiu jitsu instructor.  

“Despite being on the younger side of the age bracket at 32, I bring a considerable amount of life and work experience with me to this position,” Ziff said. “Having worked as a paramedic in the back of an ambulance as well as an extremely busy emergency department, which saw nearly 90,000 patients a year, I’ve gained an appreciation for, and understanding of, making extremely consequential and difficult decisions, while navigating the complex world of human emotions.” 

Virjee, who announced her campaign in May, graduated from Ohio U with a degree in urban planning and sustainability. She said she has worked as a bartender at the Smiling Skull Saloon for around three years now. 

“I’m running as an independent with the goal of using my education and experience to give a voice to underrepresented communities in Athens and wanting to resolve issues of inequality in planning and policy, between the university’s role and planning and policy in Athens and the quality of life for the local community,” Virjee said. “And ultimately not to serve as a traditional politician but as a person trying to do what’s right.” 

Krane described himself as a grassroots community organizer for 25 years. He claimed his work has covered feminism, LGBT rights, labor rights, economic justice, anti-racism, civil liberties, anti-war and environmental work. He also championed his efforts to push City Council to pass “its most pro-tenant legislation in decades” as well as having “taken city officials to task over the broken promises of Council’s June 2020 racial equity resolution.”

“Unlike our current council, I don’t believe the answer to unaffordable housing is to build more expensive homes. I don’t believe the answer to local poverty is to try and entice wealthier people to move here. I don’t believe the right answer to racial inequity is token gestures and broken promises. I don’t believe democracy is well-served when council routinely breaks its own rules to rush through legislation without opportunity for public comment, and finally, with tens of thousand of OU students passing through our city every 4-5 years. I don’t believe we should simply be sending them off into the world with a mountain of student debt and a collection of rental housing horror stories,” Krane said. 

The candidates were asked about improving local policing as well as racial equity. 

While Grace, McCarey and Ziff were in agreement that improving communication between the community and police forces was important, Virjee pointed to lack of accountability and Krane criticized Council, saying it needs to investigate local police misconduct.

The candidates were asked their opinion on allowing short-term rentals in Athens, such as Airbnb. 

“The city can’t adequately enforce its current housing code within current rental units, so I think we need to get that under control before we start adding more and different types of rental units,” Krane said. 

Grace said there are definitely people who do not want short-term rentals, but individuals have reached out to Council and asked for guidance on short-term rentals because they want to either rent out a room or their whole home for busy weekends in Athens. 

“I think that there surely is a way for Athens to find a middle ground that is workable,” Grace said. 

Candidates were asked about parking meters and the Planning Commission considering an ordinance to change parking regulations in the city. 

McCarey talked about his experience with Housing and Residence Life at the university and students being unable to have their car on campus because of limited parking, saying everyone's needs need to be met. Krane also emphasized students may need cars because they are still partially attached to where they are originally from.  

During closing statements, Krane talked about the University Estates TIF (Tax Increment Financing Fund) deal. Krane criticized Council for what he described as enticing wealthy people to move to Athens and directly called out Grace for mislabeling this as an “affordable housing initiative.” 

“The city is, through tax breaks, publicly subsidizing the building of quarter-million dollar homes that are more expensive than the current median home sale price in the city. Why on Earth is the city doing that?” Krane said. 

Grace claimed that Krane gave a lot of misstatements and encouraged viewers to reach out to her with any questions. She also encouraged viewers to vote in favor of three renewal levies on the ballot this November: operation and maintenance of emergency medical services, support of senior citizens services and facilities and supplementing the general fund of the Athens-Hocking-Vinton alcohol, drug addiction and mental health services district. 

McCarey urged the importance of listening to people and understanding their perspectives in order to address concerns. 

“I recognize that when we are doing the important work of City Council it's often not about right and wrong but about understanding different perspectives and helping people understand rationales that led to decisions, and then hearing their concerns and then finding creative solutions to address them,” McCarey said. 

Virjee said she hopes voters will feel comfortable approaching councilmembers. 

“I am surprised to even see myself here, and I am appreciative of the opportunity. We have a lot of really promising candidates, many of whom genuinely will do wonderful things for the community, and I wish them the best,” Virjee said. “I hope the viewers here, who I very much thank for listening, feel more motivated to feel comfortable approaching us or approaching certain topics and feel comfortable participating in the election.” 

Ziff described his love for Athens and how he wants to give back to the community as a member of City Council. 

Election day this year is Nov. 2. Voters in Athens can choose three candidates to hold at-large seats on Council.