The Athens city Democratic Central Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to appoint Donkey Coffee manager Ben Ziff to serve at-large on City Council to fill the vacancy left by Pete Kotses, who resigned in recent weeks.
Ziff, whoâs never held public office and was the only candidate running in the primary for Kotsesâ seat, is expected to occupy office in the coming weeks once paperwork is finalized with the state. He was the sole candidate the committee considered for the job and was viewed by city and party leaders as a favorite in the weeks leading to Wednesday s meeting.
âIâm feeling good. Iâm honestly rather overwhelmed, sorry,â Ziff said with laughter in an interview following the meeting. âNot that I wasnât excited or looking forward to it, but itâs hit me in a much more emotional way than I was expecting.â
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Damon Krane, a longtime area activist and unsuccessful 2019 candidate for Athens mayor, announced last week that heâs running at-large for City Council as an Independent to push city leaders further to the left on issues like housing and racial justice.
Krane, a fourth ward resident whoâs been mulling a Council bid for months, settled on entering the at-large race after becoming attracted to its multi-candidate dimension. All three at-large seats are up for grabs this election cycle.
âI just think a multi-candidate race is more conducive to discussion, which means itâs more conducive to city issues getting raised and discussed more thoroughly,â he said.
Athens NEWS Associate Editor
Athens City Councilmember Pete Kotses said Monday that heâs resigning at the end of the week, bringing his three-term career as a member of the body to an early close after announcing in January he wouldnât seek another term.
Kotses, an at-large Democrat, said in an interview that he decided to leave once it became clear that the primary to replace him was uncontested with Ben Ziff, a Donkey Coffee manager, pursuing the Democratic nomination. Itâs still possible that Independent candidates could surface in the general election.
Kotses said his life shifted radically in 2020 after closing his bicycle shop, which monopolized much of his time over the years, contributing to his decision to step down from Council.
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