Micah McCarey, the newly elected City Council President, summed up the first few weeks of his presidency with one word: “Rewarding,” McCarey said.
McCarey was first appointed to the Athens City Council in June 2021, elected to his first term in November 2021 and reelected following that term. During both terms, he served as an at-large councilmember. His most recent term, which began Jan. 1, marked the start of his role as Council president.
McCarey said he first realized Council president could be the next step for him when former President Sam Crowl announced he was stepping down. Crowl then asked McCarey if he would consider pursuing the position.
“I reflected on the experience I had facilitating Council meetings as acting pro-tem, and felt like it was a good match for my skill set as facilitator and someone who values transparent, quality organizational communication,” McCarey said. “It was a way to continue serving and supporting our city.”
One major focus for his first term is recognizing several new councilmembers in new seats and strengthening ongoing professional development efforts.
McCarey said there will also be an effort to implement new rules and procedures for Council meetings to “enhance the flow and help promote a respectful environment where people feel like they can come and share perspectives.”
McCarey also said he is committed to supporting the city’s volunteers who serve on boards, commissions and task forces, noting it is important to him to express appreciation and support for them.
“I’m looking forward to hosting a convening of some of our boards and commissions to help them meet our new councilmembers and for assigning councilmembers to these boards and commissions as liaisons,” McCarey said. “There’s a lot that we can learn from one another.”
Within Council, there are several committees, including the Planning and Development Committee, Finance and Personnel Committee and the City and Safety Services Committee.
During the latest Council meeting Jan. 12, Councilmember Jessica Thomas said only the Council president refrains from voting on committee items unless, as explained by McCarey, there is a tie.
As Council president, McCarey is not a member of any committee but oversees them and serves as a tie-breaker when necessary.
“The presidency is a separate office, and I don’t have, for example, voting privileges,” McCarey said. “I don’t get to introduce legislation like I used to as an at-large member. I’m primarily a facilitator, and instead of serving on boards and commissions, I assign councilmembers to serve on those boards and commissions.”
Another responsibility of the Council president is acting as mayor when the mayor is unable to serve, such as when Mayor Steve Patterson is away or otherwise unavailable.
McCarey said he hopes residents understand the Council does not have jurisdiction over the day-to-day operations of the city. He explained residents often attend Council meetings to raise concerns about issues like construction projects or potholes, which the Council cannot directly address.
Although Council does not manage those issues, McCarey emphasized part of its role is directing residents to the appropriate people or departments who can help.
He also hopes to encourage more community involvement, particularly from Ohio University students.
“I would really love to encourage students to continue to express interest in local government and to check out a Council meeting,” McCarey said. “I just had a student at the beginning of the week reach out to me with some interest in sustainability, and I’ve already hooked him up with an internship that’s going to help him support our city’s sustainability efforts.”
Another project McCarey said Council is addressing is a review of the Athens 2040 Comprehensive Plan, a comprehensive plan designed to measure progress and allow Council to make refinements as needed.
“It’s my hope to see that be a process that involves a lot of intentional public input, not only from boards and commissions, but members of the general public and key partners throughout the region to figure out how we can really continue to envision better things for Athens,” McCarey said.
McCarey said serving the public, accessibility to government officials, transparency and communication are central themes of his presidency.
“I’m looking forward to engaging with our volunteers, and then I’m hoping to see more public forums and opportunities for the public to learn,” McCarey said. “I’m sure that there will be unanticipated challenges that arise in my first term that I am just really hoping to have good relationships with our many community partners to try and find ways to solve."
