At the recent League of Women Voters forum, the candidates for the 4th Ward City Council seat revealed markedly different attitudes about the role of city government. Their answers to a question on the placement of recreation and arts in city priorities were representative of their differing philosophies.
Christine Fahl is a strong supporter of recreation and the arts, and her response reflected that. In contrast, Randy Morris said that those are nice things to have in an ideal world, but he questioned whether the city can afford them in the current economic climate. In other words, recreation and the arts are frills (he used the analogy of going to movies, as compared to paying for one's rent or utility bills).
Morris has said repeatedly that City Council should focus more on citizen safety and security - specifically police, fire protection, and street maintenance - even if it means cutting the funds for what he considers to be lower priority programs, such as recreation.
To safety and security (yes, those are important!), I would add citizen health and well-being. Our fine recreational facilities and programs, such as soccer, contribute to our health and the development of our children. The Community Food Initiative (CFI), to which the city provides some funding (a fact that was recently criticized in a Republican fundraising letter), contributes to citizen health by encouraging healthy eating and making it possible for people with no personally owned garden space to grow their own vegetables. The ARTS/West facility and its programs greatly enhance our quality of life and sense of well-being.
City Council's decision - supported by Fahl and criticized by Morris - to purchase land and keep the part on which the city well fields are located protects our health by ensuring the safety of our water supply. The well fields are very vulnerable because the water table is only five feet from the surface in some areas. In my mind, that ranks right up there with police and fire protection in the category of safety and security.
Chris Fahl certainly agrees that police and fire protection are critical, but she also recognizes that, just as we don't live by bread alone, a city that provides nothing more than those basic services is a poor place to live. She understands that attracting and retaining new businesses depends on offering a good quality of life.
Athens is a not just Anywhere, USA. It is a comfortable, vibrant community ideal for living and raising a family, thanks in good part to its recreational and arts resources and programs such as CFI. Chris Fahl vigorously supports these resources.
Vote for Fahl on Nov. 3.
Phil Cantino resides in Athens.
4 Opinion
