Athens voters decisively rejected the controversial building moratorium on yesterday's ballot by a vote of 5,766 to 2,576, but people on both sides of the issue remained upbeat after hearing the results.
The fact that so many Athens citizens voted 'yes' shows that people saw the importance of the issue
said Chris Knisely, member of the Athens Initiative for Growth, the group that sponsored the moratorium.
We've created dialogue with a lot of citizens and that is very important fellow member Joan Kraynanski said.
The moratorium would have prohibited most development on undeveloped space in Athens for the next 18 months.
Those opposing Issue 2 were relieved by the results.
It's important that this issue failed. If our clients can't expand
we can't expand
said Mark Amon, owner of Athens Computer & Multimedia, 65 Wonderhills Drive.
Jennifer Simon, CEO of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, said people voted against the moratorium because they wanted to continue to progress.
The large margin shows that the people of Athens want better health care
want better schools
want better opportunities
she said.
Supporters of the issue felt that had people known more of the facts, the moratorium would have stood a better chance.
It lost because we were up against a $20
000 to $30
000 campaign from the opposition and because there was misinformation out there
Knisely said.
Kraynanski agreed that misinformation played a role.
I think the people who voted 'yes' knew the facts. The people who voted 'no' were afraid
