Pat McGee, the managing attorney for Student Legal Services, said he hopes to be able to represent students' interests if he is elected to city council.
Pat McGee hasn’t done much campaigning since he registered as an Athens City Council candidate in May, but any time he’s out around town he can usually expect to be recognized by somebody.
Some people know him as “Set ‘em free McGee,” the managing attorney at the Center for Student Legal Services. Others know him as the guy who plays the harp on College Green or the guy walking around town in a three-piece-suit and boater hat.
“It’s funny, you get to an age where you can just be yourself more and more,” the 63-year-old independent candidate said. “I always kid people and say that my pirate hat is in the wash.”
That sense of individuality extends beyond his wardrobe. If he wins this election he will be the first independent to hold a seat in city council since 1982, which is as far back as current records go, Clerk of Council Debbie Walker said.
“I’m somewhat disillusioned with political parties,” McGee said. “I think, what we have is people, rather than being willing to compromise on some issues, are taking stances on positions that should not be taken because they’re a member of a political party.”
Most of his political efforts have consisted of little more than talking to students and residents, and convincing them to register to vote if they aren’t already.
“I really want to keep it low-key,” he said of his campaign.
His first real act of campaigning occurred about a month ago when he spoke at the July meeting of Athens for Bernie Sanders.
“He was well-received when he did speak,” Nate Wallace, the founder of the group, said. “Some members of the group are definitely going to step up and campaign for him.”
Wallace said he hopes McGee will provide some much needed competition to the race.
“I know it’s not necessarily very competitive,” he said. “It would be a shame if the entire slate of Democrats got in without some sort of challenge to that.”
Aaron Dauterman, the Republican contender for a city council At-Large seat and a senior studying communication, said he welcomed another outsider in the race.
“All I can say is that I have a lot of respect for Pat McGee,” he said. “I think it’s important to have an independent running. It adds depth and variety to the debate. I think it’s healthy … for the democratic process.”
McGee doesn’t plan to do any fundraising to support his campaign — his largest expense has been $300 for some yard signs, which he paid for out of pocket.
He said that by serving on city council, he hopes he’ll be able to serve the interests of Ohio University students, which he thinks is an underrepresented demographic in the city.
“You can imagine how it feels when half the population is excluded because of practical matters,” McGee said. “I don’t think anybody really knew what was going on in the primary election. I expect that most of the students here under no circumstances even knew who was running for what office.”
McGee has represented students through student legal services since 2000, including former Student Senate President Megan Marzec, who was arrested in March for protesting on Court Street.
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McGee said he has nothing but respect for the current council members and his competitors in the city council race. But he also said he could add a fresh perspective to the body due to his unique set of experiences.
“I suppose some people are doing it (council) because they are into the power trip and the management trip, I’m not into that at all,” McGee said. “At this time I have the time, I’d love to be of service to my community. I think I have the experience. I would love to see someone like me on city council.”
That list of experiences covers a wide range of fields.
After getting his undergraduate degree from OU in 1970 and a law degree from the University of Kentucky in 1978, he did environmental work at a law firm in Morehead, Kentucky.
During that time, he lived in a shack in the hills with no running water, where he raised goats and chickens.
He moved back to Athens in 1980, where he worked as a public defender at Grace and McGee, 19 W. Washington St.
“I started looking at Athens in an incredibly new way,” he said. “I asked myself, ‘Do you really want to leave?’”
And, except for a brief few-year stint bicycling around Europe and playing concertina at Irish pubs, he never did.
When asked if he sees himself as an underdog in the race, McGee laughed and said he had never really thought about it before.
“I’m not concerned because my position is if the voters of Athens want to elect me, wonderful. I will do my best, I will serve them,” he said. “If they choose not to elect me, so be it.”
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