How the questionnaires were scored:
Each answer was awarded a score on a scale of -2 to +2, based on the level of agreement with Grow Green's position on that issue, for a maximum score of 14 points. Bonus points were awarded for extraordinarily thorough, detailed answers.

1. What do you think Athens-Clarke County’s growth issues will be in the next ten years?

Athens is a uniquely wonderful, eclectic, livable, and highly desirable community that enjoys the amenities of a large city while enjoying the charm of a small town. Often recognized nationally and internationally as a great place to live for young parents with children, retirees, art and recreation lovers, etc., these attributes will contribute to our continued upward growth patterns. Simply put - we sizzle with personality!

That winning personality is driving our population increases. Predictions tell us Athens’ residents will increase by more than 50% over the next ten years reaching 250,000 by the year 2030. Additionally, we must consider increased numbers of people commuting from neighboring counties with complementary high growth rates.

As an important center for work, shopping, medical and other services, entertainment, and recreation, these factors will place a strain on our current infrastructure. Planning for the demands of this future growth requires a proactive rather than reactive stance.

Growth within our small geographic footprint calls for non-traditional solutions in every area including housing, recreation, multi-use and commercial construction, transportation alternatives, economic development, and public safety. Compact development in close proximity to existing infrastructure that is pleasantly dense and close to town, protects greenspace, reduces the cost of service delivery, and fosters a sense of place should be our goal.

Within the next ten years the Greater Athens Metropolitan Area will experience a tremendous population growth then what exists today. This is based on two powerful factors. One of them is the runoff of explosive population growth from the Greater Atlanta Metropolitan Area and the other being based on the rich quality of life that Athens-Clarke County residents enjoy. The many wonderful recreational, social, and cultural opportunities that Athens provides will continue to attract a diversified, intelligent well-rounded resident population.

GREEN SPACE will continue to be preserved by the Athens-Clarke County Commission and Government working collaboratively with the many non-profit and community agencies that would like to see our community protect and maintain the many acres of green space that Athens residents enjoy today. This will be achieved through enforcement of codes and ordinances against destroying the tree canopy and ensuring that the development community build in an eco friendly manner protecting our water supply from pollution and maintaining as much green space as possible during the construction process. This will be accomplished through a community wide public service campaign promoting an eco friendly style of building as the future one for Athens. Residents, architects, and builders working together will help Athens continue to be one of the green friendly models for the rest of the United States.

TRAFFIC will be one of the most important issues in the next decade as Athens serves and will continue to serve as the major employer and health care provider for the region. The Athens-Clarke County Commission and Planning Department will continue to work with the Georgia Department of Transportation to develop quality arteries and road corridors that will provide better traffic flow.

Over the next ten years Athens will continue to serve as one of the models for alternative modes of transportation working with the Georgia General Assembly and Georgia Department of Transportation in construction of the rail line between Athens and Atlanta, increasing Athens Transit routes to serve more areas of the city and county with longer hours in service and more opportunities for residents to catch the bus. More bike lanes will be constructed throughout the city and county providing a safer transportation alternative for Athens-Clarke County residents and promoting a healthy resident population by bicycling to work instead of using the car.

ETHINIC POPULATIONS will continue to grow in Athens-Clarke County with the Hispanic population being one of the major ethnic groups with the highest growth rate. You will see more diversity of cultures and mixed racial neighborhoods as more Athenians enjoy rising incomes and the prosperity of economic opportunities living the American Dream.

ECO FRIENDLY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT will bring good paying jobs to Athens with an emphasis on the medical community and with companies locating to Athens based on the research and expertise of the university community. A middle class will expand in Athens due to these economic opportunities.

Athens has yet to balance progress with preservation. Our environment and our culture are our most precious resources, and we must fight to preserve both. Smart growth is the answer; however, smart growth has become a guise for many with a no growth agenda. Our citizens deserve the opportunities for employment and natural surroundings. One should never be chosen at the exclusion of the other.

Additionally, our city has failed to actively promote our natural resources as enticement for the relocation of citizens and businesses to our area. Such marketing could help our city gain resources while ensuring an ongoing commitment to our environment.

2. What changes, if any, would you like to see in the Athens-Clarke County Comprehensive Land Use Plan to address these issues?

The Comprehensive Land Use Plan and its Guiding Principles is this community’s blueprint for adjusting to our projected growth. Articulated in the plan is the vision for a city that is human in scale encouraging social interaction, protecting the environment as well as our cultural resources, and promoting commerce. It is our responsibility to ensure that planning decisions are consistent with these documents in all areas of community development.

As implementation of the plan has unfolded, theory and practice have worked well in some instances and not always melded in others. Loopholes become apparent when zoning is applied to a real project. Zoning for density while ignoring topography and increased RM zoning are two examples of changes made in 2000 that have resulted in loss of tree canopy and topsoil and an overabundance of apartment units. Positive effects have been the rehabilitation of older, existing buildings vs. building on virgin land and more mixed-use development.

It is incumbent that staff in concert with elected officials be vigilant in monitoring implementation and bringing forward requested changes to the zoning text in an effort to ensure the blueprint matches the vision.

The recent addition of an Urban Planner to the Planning Department staff is a great step forward in positioning us for the proactive kind of planning needed.

One of the country’s most progressive land use plans in existence and adopted by the Athens-Clarke County Commission is basically sound and can accommodate minor changes as required by factors such as population and employment growth. It can always be improved and strengthened as land use issues come to the forefront. Traffic patterns and flow rates will need to be studied and long term planning will be necessary to facilitate quality traffic flow and low rates of traffic jams. Some property will have to be acquired to facilitate traffic flow. The implementation of the Park-N-Ride model will be a proactive measure with both parking and reducing the automobile count along major road arteries. Providing bus service to these Park-N-Ride lots on a regular basis will aid in the protection of future development and will entice people to use the lots.

A regional land use plan working collaborative with our surrounding counties will allow Athens-Clarke County to grow in a controlled manner and in an efficient and effective use of taxpayer’s money. This process will take a few years to be successful, but through continued dialogue and regional planning efforts could serve as the model for regional growth in the future.

If elected Mayor, I will reach out to the surrounding communities and begin the initial steps of making this dream a reality. The first step is marketing the longterm benefits of a regional development approach and using the talents and resources of University of Georgia faculty and the Athens-Clarke County Planning Department in development of the rationale the reasons for the regional planning model can be achieved.

Any changes that would be suggested from this campaign to the Comprehensive Land Use Plan would be under similar auspices of this campaign’s overarching ethos: Practicality and shared benefit.

Example: Many in our community have advocated for new urbanism concepts as a solution to blighted areas and as an impetus for economic growth in and around downtown. The Maddox campaign supports the redevelopment of blighted areas, thereby leading to better quality of life for citizens who live in and enjoy such areas. 

A core concept in new urbanism is for the development to be in urban areas, thereby creating density. The Comprehensive Land Use plan advocates for new urbanism concepts, but applies restrictive measures discouraging development in urban areas thereby pushing growth to surrounding areas which could and should be conserved. The result is not new urbanism, it is new suburbanism.

We believe practicality and shared benefit to be the needed outcome for any Comprehensive Land Use Plan and do not believe such a plan to be at its optimum unless it takes a comprehensive appraisal of the needs of all citizens.

3. What will you do to increase the supply of accessible, affordable housing?

Several opportunities present themselves in this area that should be discussed and possibly implemented. Those include the creation of a Housing Trust Fund to be used for gap financing, reduce parking requirements for residential development, more aggressive demolition of blighted housing to be replaced by new homes, turning surplus property over to housing providers, working with developers to consider expedited permitting and creating voluntary inclusionary housing policies to meet the needs for mixed-income, lifecycle, and workforce housing, and explore the concept of “Granny Flats”.

The government can and should continue to work with local housing providers such as Habitat for Humanity, Athens Housing Authority, Athens Land Trust, EADC, local developers, employers, and funding institutions in an effort to define housing goals and strategies for implementation. Work of this nature is underway to build new housing and rehabilitate existing older dwellings, but efforts could be better coordinated.

As gentrification seeps into our more modest in-town neighborhoods in the form of infill, we need to seek out ways to allow underperforming property to be revitalized without the negative effect of displacing long-time homeowners. Using some of the strategies alluded to in the first paragraph, it’s possible to inject into the mix moderately priced homes for those with low to middle incomes.

The two greatest expenses are housing and transportation. By creating moderate income housing close to transportation nodes, individuals who earn a modest living are more likely to have opportunities for participation in the local economy, investment in their family, neighborhood and the larger community.

Affordable housing is an end result of providing quality economic opportunity to the residents of Athens-Clarke County. As Athenians have the opportunity to get better paying jobs through the attraction of new businesses and creation of new businesses locally in the community, the access to affordable housing will be an end result of providing quality economic opportunity. More emphasis needs to be placed on vocational training and providing a skilled work force that will attract new companies and job opportunities in Athens.

After attending, watching, and reviewing the findings of Partners for A Prosperous Athens , I have to agree with Vice Chairman, Red Petrov on the pathway to affordable housing and rising out of the grips of poverty. Petrov recently told the Athens Banner Herald that “If you want to make more money and have higher wealth potential, you look at a chart comparing high school, college, and professional degrees and plot a line; as education goes up, so does income.”

The “Wheel to Fortune” model as we have nicknamed it at Team Chasteen consists of connecting the dots between the many agencies already servicing poverty in Athens. This realistic philosophy would be the best way to get the most families into affordable housing.

The plan consists of forming an Economic Opportunity Committee comprised of Athens-Clarke County Commission and Office of Human and Economic Development staff and the many agency heads that already provide social services to the residents of Athens. At the table would be the University of Georgia, Georgia Department of Labor, Georgia Department of Human Resources (Advantage Behavioral Health Care, Department of Family and Children Services), ACTION, Inc, Habitat for Humanity, Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education (Athens Technical College), the Georgia Department of Economic Development, and the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce to name a few.

The Athens-Clarke County community has to connect the dots in order to help residents achieve economic self-sufficiency, remove themselves from the poverty rolls, and be able to purchase affordable housing. All of the named agencies receive millions of dollars annually from the federal and state government to help residents achieve self-sufficiency and the opportunity to purchase affordable housing. No one has taken the leadership role and helped the agencies connect the dots and provide an effective continuum of care and the coaching necessary to help residents make the transition to prosperity. This should be the start and makes best use of already existing resources without having to increase the already high tax burden being paid by Athens homeowners and businesses.

The affordable housing market like any other component of the local economy is still a market and dependent on demand and supply. Unfortunately, to provide affordable housing stock, there has to be enough qualified residents to increase the demand without placing a tremendous burden on the Athens residents who already experience a high tax rate. Increased economic opportunities for residents of Athens through increased vocational and skill specific training, adult literacy, and a connect the dots approach to economic self-sufficiency is the best answer to increasing the affordable housing stock in a reasonable, proactive manner.

As your Mayor, I would work with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and the United States Department of Agriculture Community Development Division. All of these organizations provide low interest financing to first time homeowners and also provide grants and loans for development of affordable housing initiatives.

I would also work with the banking industry in Athens-Clarke County to promote additional homeowner financing opportunities for those residents right on the credit edge but have a quality track record working a full time job and paying bills on time. My administration would approach affordable housing with a realistic manner and with the interest of the entire community as a whole, but exploring all avenues necessary to locate the resources necessary for affordable housing opportunities for the residents of Athens-Clarke County.

As a city, we have gained a reputation as a difficult and undesirable place for development, and because of this, talented developers who could help create responsible and affordable housing are bypassing Athens.

Additionally, our own government entities are repeatedly blocked and frustrated by the layering of hindrance in our planning and permitting process.

We should set reasonable goals and rules for our citizens’ housing needs and pursue those goals outright. If efforts are united for needed and responsible development as they have been for other efforts, we will begin the process of getting high quality housing for all Athenians.

At present, builders in ACC are not bound by any laws to provide affordable housing. Until such time as laws may be written requiring them to do so, the best we can hope for is a gentleman’s agreement. It’s nice to think that these developers will do the right thing and be responsible citizens if we ask them nicely, but as long as the economic situation dictates that building condos is more lucrative than building $85,000 homes, they will do as they wish. Most economists are predicting that the housing bubble will pop very shortly, and when it does, housing prices will fall. In the meantime, we must use any legal means at our disposal to leash the condo builders, before the crunch comes and they all cry fowl.

Additionally, having AHA staff that speak Spanish will go a long way to helping many Athenians meet their own housing needs.

4. How will you balance the interests of the community as a whole and the interests of individual property owners when making land use decisions?

Zoning and land use planning are the methods by which the rights of individual property owners are balanced against the good of the community.

The key element is balance – individual property use and the attendant effects on neighboring properties are key factors in ensuring a clean, healthy, and vibrant community.

Every decision regarding land-use must be considered within the broader context of existing and surrounding property use compatibility, impact on the environment, local schools, delivery of services, etc.

In earlier answers regarding the CLUP, this document sets forth a blueprint and set of guiding principles that articulate the vision of the community in regard to land use decisions. Every piece of property adjoins another, which suggests that use has an effect on neighboring parcels. Permitted uses that maximize positive impacts on surrounding properties is the very basis for zoning laws and help protect property values.

In as compact an area as we have in Athens-Clarke County, we can create incentives to encourage the kinds of value-added, equity-building uses that return good value for the investment of the owner while making significant contribution to the overall welfare of our community. Towards that end, I have empanelled a committee to study the feasibility of Transferable Development Rights and initiated the actions that have placed Tax Allocation District enabling legislation on the ballot for November. Both programs provide financial incentives that encourage development congruent with our community vision.

The Athens-Clarke County Community as a whole is better served by respecting individual property rights, but also understanding that from time to time, concessions have to made for the betterment of the community as a whole. Collaboration between the Athens-Clarke County Government, neighborhood associations, and the development community is essential to maintaining the high quality of living and dealing with the ever present growth pressures on the horizon for Athens-Clarke County and our region.

As your Mayor, I would establish a committee comprised of elected officials, planning staff, neighborhood association members, and the building community to have a place to communicate and discuss individual rights, future growth, and to seek a proactive platform that provides a healthy solution to these issues as they present themselves. Athens residents will also be able to attend these meetings and present their opinions and provide input as growth issues affecting individual property rights present themselves. Consensus is an important component of maintaining quality growth and I will seek input from all sides to ensure quality, effective decision making when it comes to future growth in Athens-Clarke County.

5. How would that balance impact the local environment?

Property owners must have all possible latitude in the use of their land within the context of environmental impact, growth management, and protecting property values. If we are successful in achieving balanced uses of land parcels and directing growth within areas where infrastructure currently exists then a positive impact on the local environment is assured.

“How” we grow presents the greatest opportunities and challenges for this community. Achieving goals for clean air and water, preservation of green space including farm lands, wetlands, and wildlife habitats while reaping the bounty of growth and development through carefully crafted controls and incentives is possible. Cities across the U.S. and around the world that have made commitments to environmental health are proving that economic development and healthy growth are fully compatible with community values when developed by an open and inclusive process.

Businesses demonstrating a commitment to environmental stewardship are among the fastest growing and most successful in the world! Consumers are also increasingly attracted to clean, environmentally friendly, low-impact developments. Tourists, who represent one of our largest industry sectors, are attracted to cities where land-use policies result in community design that favors the public realm.

6. What are Athens-Clarke County’s transportation issues and how will you deal with them?

Transportation issues include congestion and its effects on air quality, gasoline consumption, time wasted, and loss of social interaction; costs of maintaining roads due to heavy use by large vehicles; multiple methods of conveyance to accommodate inclusion in all aspects of community life by those who cannot/should not or are unable to use an automobile for their primary source of transportation.

A concept known as “complete streets” should be implemented. This model provides for every street to accommodate all possible methods of conveyance: automobile, transit, pedestrian, and bicycle.

Road building, expansion, and maintenance are expensive propositions as are the costs of owning and maintaining an automobile. By creating a fully integrated, multi-modal system of transportation that is focused on connectivity, accessibility, and mobility for all, costs can be reduced while allowing for full participation in community life.

We also need to look at the current transit system’s routes as they have not changed in 30 years! Routes should be accessible, efficient, dependable, and frequent to make the system far more user friendly. Growth patterns should also be taken into consideration when developing routes.

Intermodalism is the answer to providing quality transportation opportunities to the residents of Athens-Clarke County and reducing traffic and air pollution in our community and on our road infrastructure. The Federal Highway Administration defines intermodalism as the use of multiple types of transportation to reach one’s destination; including combining the use of trains and buses, automobiles, bicycles, and pedestrian transport on a given trip.

While serving on the Athens-Clarke County Commission my voting record clearly shows my dedication to using intermodalism and alternative forms of transportation as a way to reduce the use of automobiles that decrease the amount of air pollution in our community. I voted for the construction of the downtown intermodal transit center and will continue to pursue development of the rail line between Athens and Atlanta. This will provide a daily transportation resource for Athens and Atlanta workers who currently have to drive to get to work each way, while removing a large amount of the traffic on Highway 316. This will also reduce the daily stress of getting back and forth to work and dealing with the traffic nightmare in Atlanta.

As your Mayor, I will push to improve the current public transportation service provided by Athens Transit. A route structure study needs to be completed and implemented providing longer service hours and more frequent opportunities to Athens residents. This will increase rider ship and is one of the issues that currently keep people from riding the system and using public transportation as a transportation alternative.

My constant leadership on building bike lanes in Athens will continue and I will look towards building partnerships with the Georgia Department of Transportation and securing grant funding from the Federal Transit Administration to build a more aesthetically pleasing green streetscape as we have to redevelop our road structure to accommodate the needs of our community. I will continue to build consensus and research transportation models in other cities across the United States and the world who have been successful in developing eco friendly and efficient, effective transportation networks in their communities and bring those back to the table to help in the development of quality transportation options for the residents of Athens-Clarke County.

Athens’ transportation issues follow the same path of many of Athens’ other issues, in that the question and proposed solutions are often so narrow that the answers only benefit a small group of people.

Our entire citizenry has an interest in transportation alternatives; therefore, our entire citizenry should be considered before our government advocates for or takes a position.

The Maddox administration will heavily consider transportation alternatives as they affect all citizens of Athens-Clarke County.

7. Does more need to be done to safeguard Athens-Clarke County’s environment and natural resource? If so, what? If not, why not?

Of course we can do more to safeguard our environment and natural resources by reducing energy bills, preserving green space, improving air quality, reducing traffic congestion, improving transportation choices, and fostering economic development and job creation by promoting energy conservation and new technologies.

Support for the Environmental Management System within the ACC government being implemented by our Environmental Coordinator is very important. This new approach to working cross-departmentally, which allows for a more global view of the system, should result in greater efficiencies throughout the entire governmental structure and greater environmental compliance throughout the community.

I have requested the development of an energy policy for the purpose of establishing clear goals and a timeline for the efficient and effective use of energy with an eye towards reducing pollution levels.

Some additional actions we should explore include but are not limited to:

• set reduction targets for emissions in ACC operations then the county
• promote commute trip reduction programs and incentives for carpooling or using transit
• increase fuel efficiency of the municipal fleet while continuing the conversion to clean, alternative fuels
• retrofit ACC facilities with energy efficient lighting and encourage employees to conserve
• purchase Energy Star equipment and appliances
• increase our recycling rate
• stand firmly behind our land-use policies that preserve open space, reduce sprawl, and create walkable communities along with our LEED building policy
• continue work on the mass grading ordinance with environmental and development representatives to minimize cut and fill and require phasing and stabilization of each phase
• reduce speed limits
• work with our delegation to identify new sources of revenue for expanded transit
• implement the ACC Bicycle Master Plan, the Greenway Network Plan, Transit Master Plan
• promote local organic farming
• seek out redevelopment opportunities for brown fields
• establish water conservation rates
• explore a car sharing program

ABSOLUTELY. There are many different ways to protect and safeguard the environment and natural resources in Athens-Clarke County. We must become better stewards of our available fresh water supply. This can be accomplished in several ways and should be established as a collaborative effort between the Athens-Clarke County government, residents and businesses. Working together we can accomplish so much more and not have to develop so many ordinances and regulations because residents are abusing the opportunity to have access to our scarce resources. Eco friendly construction includes the use of environmental friendly toilets and showerheads that use less water and more construction of energy efficient housing. A marketing campaign needs to be established and promoted to the building community and residential population. I will also promote tax credits to serve as an incentive for homeowners to become more eco friendly. This is one of the simple ways to begin protecting our limited resources.

As your Mayor, I will begin securing funding and planning for a second water basin to service this area. We must enforce the established ordinance codes for protection of our remaining tree canopy, while issuing painful fines to those that pollute our rivers and streams through neglect or convenience. I also want activities and places for the elderly to enjoy the outdoors. Alternative forms of recreation are needed for adults of all ages who want to become or stay physically fit. As new large planned housing developments are proposed, I would also promote a requirement for space to be dedicated for walking paths and jogging trails that encourage people to exercise outside, and walking as a utility means of transportation.

As a community, we must embrace growth to survive. We will not, however, permit the community we cherish to become another gallery of asphalt, cement, and brick urban heat island!

Trash Collection and Recycling. The present situation of evening garbage and trash downtown must be addressed by bringing restaurant and bar owners to a table with the county’s collection manager and some of our elected officials. I will call on meetings to be held until we reach consensus for trying different alternatives. I will also place additional trash and recycling containers around the county where heavy litter has accumulated and pursue grant funding to develop additional awareness about littering and the social and environmental impact it has on Athens-Clarke County with emphasis on our business community to be better stewards of our resources and recycle more.

There is always something more that can be done to safeguard our environment, and this administration will do all in its power to balance the needs of the citizenry with the preservation of the environment and natural resources of this area.

What this administration will not do is to march headlong into one cause at the neglect of other needed projects. We will not protect one neighborhood or area while wholly ignoring another. We will not blindly support policies which are counterproductive to the findings and recommendations of qualified and accountable professionals.

In truth, our environment is in shambles and our resources are all but dwindled away. Everyday our children are subjected to the harsh environments of poverty and hopelessness. Each day, we drive away another resource and assign blame to those who are left.

We have become a city of NIMBYs who look out for singular interests and causes at the expenses of even our most vulnerable citizens. We have become a city of exclusionists, and our amazing and sudden discovery of poverty should draw a snicker from those who have been fighting it locally for years. We have ruined chances. We have driven off opportunity. We have greeted eager visitors with our children in gas masks carrying placards.

Charlie is not a special interest candidate. He brings strong leadership with decades of experience in helping connect people with better opportunities. His brings the wisdom of someone who has lived through sixty years of growth, progress and fads along with the benefits and ills that accompany such. Charlie only seeks to give Athens a better future. He doesn’t bring leadership to maintain the status quo. He brings leadership for a change.