A local businessman has announced his interest in being a slice of the Athens City Council pie.
Michael Bart, 29, an Avalanche Pizza manager and local DJ announced Thursday that he will be running as a Democrat for an at-large seat on Athens City Council in the May 7 primary.
According to a news release from Bart, he moved to Athens from his hometown of Olney, Md., to attend Ohio University, where he graduated in 2005 with a B.S. in Telecommunications.
After graduation, Bart spent a year in AmeriCorps doing youth-mentoring service in Southeast Ohio.
Bart currently lives in Athens where he runs his own DJ business and is a manager at Avalanche Pizza, a position he has held since 2008.
Bart said that being a DJ has given him an appreciation for the people of Athens.
“(My careers have) helped me get to know so many different people in the town and how the town works and the different things people value in the town,” Bart said. “As a DJ, you are a uniter of people and there is a lot of cross over between being a DJ and being a politician.”
Bart said that he hopes to talk to more voters during the campaign and relay their concerns to city council.
“I do feel that city council has done a good job so I don’t want to do things radically different but I want to get out and talk to voters and get their ideas,” he said.
Environmental protection, in particular, needs to be addressed, Bart said.
“(The environment) is one of the best assets we have in this town,” Bart said. “I think a lot of people value that.”
Bart said he will submit his candidate forms to the Athens County Board of Elections on Jan. 29 at 1 p.m.
sh335311@ohiou.edu
