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A. I decided to run for mayor the day that I went to the Texan to cast an early vote for President. Upon receiving my ballot I noticed that all of the local candidates were running unopposed and found that to be disheartening. There should always be options in a democracy. The fact that there weren t options, to me, is indicative of a population that has given up hope on affecting meaningful change at a local level. I would really like to change that.
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A. When I decided to look into the mayoral race I found that, out of 12,700+ people, a mere 10% of the population cast a vote for mayor in 2017. That means less than 10% of the population picked the winner. Now that is a serious problem that I intend to fix by decentralizing the office and allowing every person living in Athens to cast a direct democratic vote on every decision I must make. This will encourage participation by giving everyone a greater say in the local affairs which govern their daily lives.