A small audience of 10 people did not stop two of the five Athens City Council at-large candidates from participating in a debate last night at the Athens County Public Library.
Incumbent councilman Jim Sands, D-at large, and Troy Gregorino, democratic socialist, answered questions on Halloween, the Richland Avenue corridor, the environment and other topics.
The three other candidates ' incumbent and Ohio University public administration graduate student Amy Flowers, D-at large, Elahu Gosney (D), an OU doctorate student in molecular biology, and write-in independent candidate Cindy Johnson ' were not present for the debate. Gosney and Flowers both gave prior notice that they would not be participating.-
he said.
The aging infrastructures of Athens, such as sewers, water lines and sidewalks, should be repaired first, said Sands. The limited funding for these projects also needs to be addressed, he added.
Both candidates agreed the city needs to work on gaining profit from Halloween without being over-regulated.
Halloween is a, tradition that doesn't need to be tied up and feathered by a bunch of bureaucrats said Gregorino. He wants to develop ways to make money from Halloween to meet the debts incurred by extra safety measures that weekend, he said.
Sands advocated continued improvements on Halloween safety, even though Council has decreased vandalism during Halloween weekend over the past five years, he said.
The candidates also discussed the Richland Avenue corridor project.-
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