A steady stream of candidates filed into the Athens County Board of Elections office on Court Street yesterday to turn in signature sheets and $45 checks.
Yesterday was the filing deadline for candidates running in this year's local elections, and for the first time in recent memory there will be multiple students vying for Athens City Council spots.
Of the four undergraduate students who had declared their intention to run for local office, three will be on the primary ballot this May.
Senior Nate Hall and junior Ibriham Alassaf are two of the six Democrats facing off for the party's three at-large council seat nominations. Other candidates are incumbents Chris Knisely and Elahu Gosney, OU professor Steve Patterson and Cycle Path Bicycle Shop owner Maxine Rantane.
Gosney was elected as an OU graduate student and is currently enrolled as a post-graduate student.
A third student candidate, Aaron Grassel, is also making a bid at one of the council's three at-large seats - but as a Republican. He has no challengers for the GOP primary and will take on the top three Democrat vote-getters in the general election.
If elected, Grassel will be the first Republican to serve on council since Ed Baum, who sat on council from 1995 to 2003.
Hall and Alassaf both said the number of students on the ballot might cause a spike in student participation this election, which is historically low during local election years.
Having several students on the ballot and the potential of the Student Senate noise referendum could really change the game
Hall said.
OU's Student Senate is drafting a referendum challenging stricter enforcement of the city's noise ordinance by Athens Police. The strict enforcement has caused a surge in noise citations issued to students this school year.
But unlike the other student candidates, Alassaf, an Athens native, said an increase in student voters wouldn't necessarily play in his favor.
I don't think it can really hurt me but it's not going to help me Alassaf said.
The fourth student who had declared himself a candidate for local office, senior James Drake Jr., did not submit his petition to be included on the ballot. Last month, he announced his plans to take on Mayor Paul Wiehl in the Democratic primary.
Neither Democrats nor Republicans will have a contested mayoral primary - giving the incumbent Wiehl and GOP challenger Randy Morris nine months to duke it out.
The races for City Council president, law director and city auditor will be uncontested. Current at-large council member Jim Sands is the only candidate for the council's top job, and no challengers emerged to take on incumbent Democrats Pat Lang, city law director and Kathy Hecht, city auditor.
Also uncontested is council's 4th Ward seat, which will be retained by Democrat Chris Fahl.
Although the 4th Ward seat will not be contested, 1st Ward councilman Kent Butler will face off against Democrat Andrea DeMott in the primary.
The winner of the 1st Ward will not face a GOP challenger in the general election.
After fellow Democrats Sherry Coon and Nancy Bain, a long-time fixture on council, announced their retirement from council last month, newcomers stepped up to try to take control of council's 2nd and 3rd Ward seats.
Jeff Risner and Michele Papai will replace the two current councilwomen.
I'm honored that I have this opportunity and that Nancy feels confident enough in me to give a strong endorsement
Papai said.
The Board of Elections will meet Feb. 10 to formally certify the candidates and check the validity of their signatures.
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Wesley Lowery
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