ATHENS, Ohio — Athens City Council 1st Ward candidates Megan Almeida and Anthony Jacobs, both Democrats, talked West Side pride, housing and other city issues at a forum held by League of Women Voters at the Athens Community Center on Monday, March 31.
Athens City Council consists of a president, four ward reps and three at-large reps. This year’s 1st Ward electee will replace current councilwoman Solveig Spjeldnes, who has served two terms on the council and declined to seek a third.
Though his name will still appear on the ballot, Andrew Guidarelli has dropped out of the race.
“Due to the lack of ability to find housing in the first ward, I have withdrawn from the race for council,” Guidarelli said in an email. “I will continue to be active in the community as a member of City Council’s Pedestrian Accessibility and Bicycle Task Force and I wish the remaining candidates the best of luck.”
The 1st Ward encompasses much of the city’s west side. Early voting begins Tuesday, April 8. The deadline to register to vote in the Tuesday, May 6 primary election is April 7.
Questions have been paraphrased for conciseness and clarity.
Opening statements
Almeida began with a metaphor: “‘My roots run deep as ironweed’ is a phrase often used by Appalachian people, particularly women, and it’s a symbolic expression for deep family ties, community and connection to the land. For quite some time, this expression has resonated with me and deepened my commitment to finding opportunities that work toward building thoughtful and stronger communities for all of us to thrive in in many ways.”
She said she came to the area in 1998 to attend Hocking College, where she earned an associate degree in recreation and wildlife management.
“For over the last 20 years of living in Athens, I raised my family, furthered my education at [Ohio University] and completed my undergraduate and graduate degrees,” she said.
She has volunteered at Community Food Initiatives; served as an AmeriCorps service member, and upon the Athens Environment & Sustainability Commission. She is also a licensed community health worker.
Jacobs also attended OU, earning a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. He grew up in Granville, home of Denison University.
“I am so passionate about wanting to do better for my community here, to make Athens a better place to live all around,” he said. “And I do hear the concerns of the constituents around my neighborhood, and I do agree with them for the most part, and my hope is to be a representative for them that can help address those issues that they have.”
Jacobs believes that his skills from his job in the “utilities and energy delivery sector … will translate well to doing this job.”
“Above all, I stand for fairness, equality and integrity,” Jacobs said.
How would you attract more housing, affordable housing and business into this area?
“Athens has a severe shortage of affordable housing,” Almeida said.
“There’s also a lot of work that needs to be done to it, too. I’m concerned about housing for renters, for homeowners — to be more attractive for people to come in and want to live here is a big issue as well, with not having a lot of choices,” she said.
Jacobs would like to explore zoning and rezoning areas of Athens.
“My goal would be to start the discussion of: Can we look at some of these neighborhoods and maybe rezone them for mixed-use?” Jacobs said. “I think mixed-use zoning is really at the heart of American culture.”
Jacobs said qualities of mixed-use zoning include walkability, small business promotion, “niche quality services and goods,” and potentially more housing, “perhaps in zones that are zoned specifically for businesses that could bring in residents.”
Athens zoning codes include a kind of mixed-use zoning that allows both residential and commercial development. Currently, the city has 10 B-1 Neighborhood Business Zones, most of which are small, isolated pockets.
Two years from now, what would you like to have accomplished on council?
Jacobs said that if he could accomplish one thing, it would be to improve the city’s efficiency in construction management and “hiring contractors that are responsible,” as well as “holding contractors accountable to deadlines, to timelines.”
“I’m only representing the 1st Ward, but I would want to have a serious discussion with the whole of the city government to accomplish something better for our construction practices in town,” Jacobs said.
Almeida said she’d like to strengthen community connections.
“A lot of my strength is in bringing people together,” she said. “I would love to find different opportunities that create more neighborhoods of people that come together and help each other out a little bit more.”
She pointed to the upcoming Westside Spruce Up on April 12 as an “opportunity for people to talk and get to know each other.” She also mentioned her involvement in the Athens West Side Community Association and hopes to expand and enhance the organization while on council.
Why do you want to represent the 1st Ward? Why are you qualified to represent both homeowners and tenants?
Almeida said she’s been both a longtime renter and a two-time homeowner, so she understands both perspectives. She is a longtime resident, too, having lived in the area and established a family over 20 years.
“I’ve always given back to the community in which I live in, and I have definitely done that for Athens,” she said. “Representing the West Side would just be another way that makes sense to me to continue giving back to my community. It’s a privilege to be sitting here tonight and to possibly have the opportunity to sit on council.”
As a West Side resident, Jacobs said he’d like to represent the 1st Ward. “I live right in the heart of the neighborhood,” he said. “I really want to represent everyone on the West Side and their best interests.”
Jacobs said he has been elected chair of the Athens West Side Community Association, where he volunteers alongside Almeida.
How will you communicate with 1st Ward constituents?
Jacobs admitted that he currently does not use any social media, and will likely have to rejoin Facebook and other apps to communicate effectively with the 1st Ward.
“I think that’s just something I have to do,” he said. “[Facebook] seems to be the majority of the constituents’ preferred method of communication, and I want to support that.”
Almeida said she would continue to make connections within the community via the Athens West Side Community Association. She also expressed interest in scheduling recurring “round-table” and “listening” sessions at locations across the West Side.
“I also walk around the neighborhoods a lot — I’m not a stranger, and I feel that I’m very approachable,” she said. “So if you ever see me out walking, please, I’m always more than happy to take some time and invest in my neighborhood.”
If the proposed income tax increase fails at the polls, what cuts would you recommend be made in the city budget?
In December 2024, Athens City Council approved an issue for the May 6 primary ballot, seeking voters’ approval to hike the city’s income tax rate from 1.95% to 2.25% beginning Jan. 1, 2026.
Almeida said she needed to know more about the city’s budget before giving a solid answer.
“I would be leaning into the team and coming up with some solutions to address dealing with cuts,” she said. “I’m not entirely comfortable answering that question, but I accept that I would that I’m new to this, and it would be something that I would be invested in learning a lot more about.”
Jacobs said he would hope cuts to employees and programs would not be immediate.
“I think that a better solution would probably be to look at: How does the city generate more capital?” he said.
Citing the council’s recent discussion of an out-of-town property owner seeking a retroactive permit for work in the city’s right-of-way, Jacobs said the city should look for ways to raise revenue by charging fees.
“I think that by [holding contractors accountable] — by charging fees — those are ways that we can make up the budget shortfall rather than making cuts,” he said.
What are some ways rental housing in the city could be improved?
Jacobs said that he’d first like to speak with Athens’ largest landlords.
“I just think that if we can somehow implore these landlords to just have some pride in their properties [things would improve],” Jacobs said. “If we can have that kind of open communication with the powerful, then maybe we can begin to affect some positive change with the housing situation in town.”
Almeida said she thinks there should be more accountability for landlords in Athens.
“Expanding the code office would really help,” she said. “If we had an extra code officer or a bigger staff, maybe we would be able to educate, provide more information resources for landlords — just show ways of working together more cooperatively, I feel would bring a lot of positive change.”
As someone who lives in the 1st Ward, what are the things that you take pride in? What would you like to see improved?
Both Almeida and Jacobs commended the West Side for its creative residents and their art. Aleimda said she’d like to see more, even.
Jacobs said he’d like to see the former West Side Elementary site utilized as a park. The state of Ohio has proposed the site as a good location for construction of three-bedroom, single-family homes.
What recent council issues most interest you?
Jacobs said the retroactive permit incident caught his attention, especially as a utilities worker who is familiar with obtaining permits.
“Those are the things that I am aiming to improve upon,” he said. “I want local businesses to have ingress and egress when they’re dealing with a construction project outside. And I don’t think that it’s unreasonable to expect that and to plan that, you know. And it takes everybody — it takes the city and it takes constituents, and we can all work together to accomplish what we need to accomplish.”
Almeida said she’d be most interested in housing and tenant rights, as well as recent small business struggles, and working on solutions for both issues.
How do you feel about the council’s recently passed ‘safe haven’ resolution?
In March, Athens City Council unanimously passed a resolution declaring the city as a “safe haven for transgender and non-binary individuals seeking gender-affirming healthcare.”
Almeida said she was moved and proud of her city.
“I cried — I thought it was the best thing, and I was so, so proud to see my community of people come together and be supportive and loving to people that exist and are here and are lovely, wonderful community members,” she said. “When they passed that resolution, it made me feel a great sense of pride and as well as feeling like my community is safer.”
Jacobs acknowledged that “I don’t understand why we need to affirm this, but I am at the same time, I’m happy that we are affirming it.”
He said he sees “these folks and I want them to know they are loved, they are supported, that even though our federal government doesn’t seem to agree, that doesn’t matter — what matters is the people of this country, and we will win. We will fight back. And this is a great first step.”
Scenario: An issue arises, and a majority of your constituents’ oppose your view. How do you respond?
Jacobs said he would first consult his constituents to hear their views.
“Ultimately, if I am still outnumbered and my constituents want it one way, first and foremost, I am a representative of the people, and so I will honor what the people want,” he said.
Almeida said she has acted as a mediator in similar situations.
“[I’m] always striving to practice active listening and patience when it comes to that, and really investing time and listening to people — even if it doesn’t work out their way, [I] can encourage people to keep working towards something new and try to make it more of a positive experience,” she said.
Whether you’re elected or not, will you continue to work together with the other candidate, the council and other community organizations to coordinate efforts in a cooperative, rather than an adversarial, manner?
Almeida said she is a “firm believer in cooperative work” and will continue to stay involved with her community.
Jacobs agreed and said he looks forward to working with Almeida in May during spring clean-up.
“Those are the types of things that I want to continue to perpetuate and I want Megan to continue to be a part of the West Side Community Association,” he said. “Even though we’re opponents here on this ballot, the ultimate goal here is to achieve a better community for ourselves here. … No matter who wins, you know we are, we are taking steps in the right direction here.”
What are your thoughts about the former Spire Development housing project on Pomeroy Road?
In February, Columbus-based Spire Development dropped a zoning request that would have facilitated construction of low-income housing on Pomeroy Road near the intersection with Richland Avenue.
The company asked for the zoning change in the fall of 2024, but faced significant opposition from the neighborhood. Although it withdrew that request, the question of a zoning change for the area remains open.
While not entirely familiar with the situation, Jacobs said, “If it were me, I would be a proponent of trying to get some affordable housing developed, but ultimately, if my constituents say no, I have to honor them.”
Almeida said that she used to live on the South Side and keeps up council meetings, so she is familiar with the issue and the area.
“Some of the concerns were valid, but I feel like we as a community didn’t trust the process, that we should have really kept more of an open mind and not let fear — fear of change — really creep in,” Almeida said.
The city needs affordable housing, she said. “It breaks my heart,” Almeida said. “We can’t afford to miss out on opportunities, and work hard and come together — and really, really come up with some solutions to this problem.”
What committees would you like to serve on?
Almeida said she’d like to serve on the environment and sustainability commission, or the affordable housing commission.
Jacobs said he’d like to serve on the transportation committee.
Closing statements
Jacobs said his campaign platform is “integrity and virtue” and noted that he has no “special interests in town.”
“I do not own any businesses. I have no financial interests with other businesses that might otherwise compromise my integrity and ethics,” Jacobs said. “I will not be bought or sold. I will return respect to the city government, and I will return accountability and authority. The constituents have had enough with the complacency.”
Jacobs also vowed to “end the profligacy.”
“Know that no matter the outcome of who wins here, we are all winners when we support our community and support the outcome.” He concluded by encouraging the public to vote.
Almeida said that as a West Side resident for 14 years, “I understand a lot of the challenges of such a diverse population of people who have different needs and experiences.”
Almeida said she cares about “improving the quality of life in our city, and will work hard at making it a priority to listen to the needs of the people and build bridges that connect their voices to city leadership, especially when making decisions.”
She wants to improve communications from the city and transparency; “One way I hope to achieve this is by showing up and providing support to the West Side Community Association.”
She also noted that she is passionate about sustainability.
“Every single issue within a community is connected to sustainability and resiliency,” she said. “Creating a more sustainable community means balancing and integrating the social, economic and environmental components within the community.”
Almeida said she also holds tenants rights and improving “rental experiences” as high priorities, as well as “holding property owners more accountable for the conditions of our rental homes.”
Almeida described tenant rights as “a community health issue, and it’s critical to ensure tenants rights are protected,” she said. “Housing stability is not just a legal issue, but it’s a public health and community well-being concern.”
Corinne Colbert contributed reporting for this story.
Update/Correction: This article has been updated from initial publication to correct a typo. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.
