State Senate

District 46:
Haines
Kemp

District 1:
Carter
Garland

District 3:
Maxwell
Robinson

District 5:
Logan
Lynn

District 7:
Bushnell
Hoard
Vaughan

District 9:
Chasteen

Mayor:
Davison

Jim Ponsoldt (Democrat) - District 9

Candidate Questionnaire

Please note that the opinions expressed in this section are not those of Athens Grow Green Coalition, Inc., but are those of the candidate to whom they are attributed.

1. In 1999, the Commission unanimously approved our anti-sprawl Comprehensive Land Use Plan, a document created with widespread community support. This plan calls for preservation of the environment, responsible development, alternatives to automobile transportation, and the prevention of sprawl. It designates the outer fringe of the county as a greenbelt, with only low-density residential development allowed there. In 2000, however, the Commission passed a zoning ordinance that allowed suburban development at one unit per acre in the greenbelt, despite public outcry for an ordinance that more closely followed the Land Use Plan. Many agree that it is now even more important to address the impacts of sprawl development, such as declining air quality, rapid loss of forested land, and poor water quality, all of which have figured prominently in ACC news reports in recent months.

1. Do you believe the current zoning ordinance adequately protects Athens-Clarke County from sprawl? NO
   
2. Would you support implementation of a Transferable Development Rights program to protect open space and direct growth? YES
3. Do you think trees need stronger protection in ACC? Would you support a tree canopy protection ordinance to prevent clear-cutting of lots for development? YES
   "If specific and reasonable."
   
4. Do you think ACC needs to do more to enhance alternative transportation options - such as more and improved sidewalks, bike lanes, public transit - to reduce traffic congestion? YES
   
5. Do you think that protecting greenspace helps or harms our local economy? MAY HELP
   "Should help, but could harm if not pursued carefully."
   

Comments: "As you know, there is an ongoing political debate between so-called environmentalists and so-called developers. Allowing anti-growth views to capture the environmental movement will play into the hands of the 'property rights' crowd. As a School Board member, I am sensitive to the need to protect our tax-base, prioritize, and seek acceptable compromise on most (but not all) issues."

What else might local government do to combat sprawl?

1. "Moratorium on 'student' apartments, i.e. carefully modify the 'multi-family' housing ordinance.
2. Pro-actively pursue (and codify the desirability of) mixed-use development and moderate income housing policies by visiting 'successful' communituies elsewhere. There actually are environmentally sensitive developers.
3. Empower the Planning Commission and our professional employees to actually 'plan' proactively. They admit they don't do so now.
4. Expand the Athens Land Trust."

2. Over a year ago, Enron Corp. proposed building a natural gas-fired power plant in Athens. While it is highly unlikely that Enron will be able to undertake such a project, other energy companies may be interested in the location because of its confluence of natural gas and electric transmission lines. Many citizens have raised concerns about the potential environmental impacts of such a project, including degraded air and water quality, and a projected doubling of ACC's consumptive water use. Proponents of the proposal touted a positive impact on our tax base (an increase of about 1.5%)

1. Do you think a natural gas-fired power plant would be good for Athens? Would the benefits outweigh the costs? NO
   
2. Would you support such a proposal? PROBABLY NOT
   "I opposed Enron. It was part of my reason for running. But I'd need to look at other proposals."
   
3. Do you believe that protecting environmental quality is incompatible with protecting jobs and tax revenue? NO
   "But I am not a 'no-growth' proponent either."
4. Would you support development of a long-term water management plan for Athens-Clarke County? YES
   "When I served as legal adviser to 'Concerned Water Users of Clarke County' for 8 years, and a federal court finally ordered the county to mediate with us, it was clear that our commission did not control the intractible 'Athens Water Business.' Doing so by the ACC Commission to promote community goals would be a top priority."

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3. The eviction of nearly 500 Garden Springs residents focused attention on the issue of affordable housing in Athens. Athens-Clarke County has large low-income and student populations, presenting very different housing challenges to our community.

1. Do you think that current planning and development in the county adequately address the housing needs of these two populations? NO
   
2. Do you believe that Athens has plenty of low-income housing? NO
3. Is preserving low-income residents' access to affordable housing a priority of yours? YES
4. Is growth management a priority of yours? YES
5. Do you think that preserving affordable housing and growth management are incompatible goals? NO

What might local government do to increase affordable housing options?

"One of my main reasons for seeking office is to free our planners to proactively design mixed-use growth and moderate income housing policies, as one policy (like Decatur, GA has). With my church we helped support a Garden Springs family -- what happened there could have been avoided, but, since the ACC government has not responded, probably will be repeated. Invite environmentally sensitive developers from elsewhere to submit proposals in exchange for greater density allowances (i.e. TDR.)

My family and I have long supported Habitat for Humanity -- my son led a bicycle expedition from New Haven to San Francisco, building houses as they traveled, for Habitat. Our government could take a leadership role in promoting a 'Habitat'-like ethic. Moreover, there are many, many abandoned commercial buildings around the county that county leadership could help developers transform to residential use.

Smith Wilson's example with the Bottleworks is high end. We could obtain grants to emulate Smith's initiative for lower-end occupancy."

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4. Sembler Corp. recently sued the Georgia EPD to be allowed to pipe a stream on a piece of property it plans to develop for a new Target store, in direct conflict with Athens-Clarke County's 75-foot stream buffer ordinance. Those who supported Sembler's lawsuit argued that Athens-Clarke County cannot afford to lose a business that might choose to locate elsewhere if required to conform to our environmental regulations. Others contend that many communities have held developers to strict standards without losing businesses, and that these standards ultimately protect the economy as well as the environment of our community.

1. Are you willing to risk losing a business or development in order to protect the health of our local streams, rivers and drinking water supply? YES
   "Assuming the accuracy of your premise"
2. Do you believe that Athens-Clarke County's environmental regulations are at odds with business development? NO
   "However, the day-to-day enforcement by employees is overly bureaucratic and unresponsive to needs."

Comments: "Too often public officials are intimidated by the threat of litigation by large private interests or 'bad press' from our local newspaper. I'm not. In the past, I helped dismantle AT&T, stood up to the railroads and ICC to preserve the recycling industry (S.C.R.A.P. on the merits), helped defeat the NCAA monopoly on behalf of UGA, and am in the process of taking on (if necessary -- I hope it won't be) our local newspaper monopoly. I don't know enough about the Target case, but I believe in codifying detailed, specific development rules and then providing that 'we will grant rezoning only in exceptional circumstances where the applicant demonstrates that it will serve a specific community goal.' "

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Biographical Sketch

Civic: Naval Reserve (Lt.), 18 years; boardmember: UGA Humanities Center, UGA Press; legal advisor, Concerned Water Users of Athens vs. Athens Water Business Office; coach, Little League.

Professional: Senior Trial Attorney, prosecutor; Dept. of Justice for 3 ½ years; dealt with AT&T breakup, recycling issues; Judicial Law clerk, Fed. Court of Appeals; Private practice, New York City and Washington, D.C.; Joseph Henry Lumpkin Professor of Law, UGA (24 yrs. at UGA); Public interest lawyer in Athens -- including anti-trust work representing both student class action groups and university athletic association.

Government: Clarke County Board of Education member since 1999

Education: Bachelor's degree, Cornell University; J.D., Harvard University School of Law;
Graduate work, English, Brandeis University