Edward Baum, a former Athens City councilman and Professor Emeritus in Ohio University's Political Science Department, formally announced his candidacy for mayor of Athens yesterday.
On May 4, he filed his petition with the Athens Board of Elections to be placed on the November ballot as an independent candidate. He said he waited to make his official announcement until after the primary election determined that his Democratic opponent would be First Ward Councilman Paul Wiehl.
Baum, a longtime resident of the city of Athens, said he has wanted to be mayor for 15 years but he felt the opportunity did not present itself until now because Mayor Ric Abel ran for re-election twice without any significant opposition. Baum was a Republican Athens councilman from 1995 until he lost the 2003 election for an at-large council seat.
He said he is running as an independent because it will give people a way to get to know him and allow him not to be tied down with party labels.
Baum said his vision is clearly spelled out in the city's comprehensive plan, which he worked to help develop as a member of the Athens City Comprehensive Planning Task Force.
If elected, he said he hopes to improve neighborhood associations, expand their reach and create an administrative liaison between them and city officials to assist in activities, such as mailings, publicity and grants.
He said he believes that the city and OU are on the verge of growth spurts, and how the city manages this growth is important.
Baum will be running against Wiehl and another independent candidate, Sergey Kahn, an OU junior, in November.
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Andrea Golby
