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Mayor

Information has been graciously provided by Mayor Heidi Davison in response to questions posed by 7th grader Daneidra Watkins from W. R. Coile Middle School in May 2006.


Image is modified from http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/documents/maps/districts.gif

Electoral:
  • Non-partisan election for 4-year term (2006, 2010, 2014, ...)
  • The November 2006 election will be the first year of non-partisan elections for the mayor and commision
Responsibilities:
  • Setting the agenda
  • Appointing charter officers - Manager, Attorney, Auditor, and Municipal Court Judge
  • Signing contracts, ordinances, resolutions
  • Serving as the communities chief ambassador
  • Bringing together citizens to work on a variety of issues
Budget:
  • The overall budget is $98 million, but the mayor's office spends a small fraction of that
  • The majority of the money comes from property taxes
Qualifications:
  • A desire to serve
  • A love of community
  • Enjoyment in working with others
  • Being a critical thinker
  • Understand government
Time Required/ Salary:
  • 80-100 hours per week
  • Work every week day and community events on the weekends
  • Usually there are community events that happen on holidays that require the mayor's attendance
  • Salary is around $47,000
Top Issues:
  • Passage of a tree ordinance
  • The smoking ban
  • Alternative transportation
  • Neighborhood protection
  • Increased citizen participation
Tidbits:
  • Athens has a weak mayor-strong manager form of government
  • The mayor sets the agenda and has the power to appoint and fire charter officers
  • The mayor votes only in the case of a tie and does have veto power