If you had to pick one major problem facing the ACC community, what would it be?
If I had to choose one of the major issues facing the Athens-Clarke County community, it would be the issue of poverty.
We first have to realize that poverty is an issue that has plagued mankind for thousands of years. Athens-Clarke County is one of Georgia’s poorest of ninety-one counties. In 2007, the American Community Survey done through the United States of America Census Bureau reported that the poverty rate in Athens was a staggering 28.23 percent, which is double the statewide average and equivalent to nearly 26,000 citizens of Athens living in poverty. Poverty is the primary source of so many of the challenges that we face, such as crime and educational success.
If elected mayor, the eradication of poverty will be one of my highest priorities. As a united community, we can be the driving force behind a successful Athens by breaking the threshold of poverty.
There are many ways that we can take action against poverty, such as: increasing efforts with schools to decrease the dropout rate, create and maintain quality jobs, build stronger youth development programs, empower and work with local organizations, establish a strategic-based plan for affordable housing, increase work-force training, and work towards a more sensible tax policy.
Our current Mayor, Heidi Davidson, has fought very hard in both of her terms to combat poverty, and you can count on me to continue the push towards the reduction of poverty for a more prosperous Athens.
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