Midtown resident Bahareh Azizi joins City Council District 6 race
July 6, 2009 at 9:21 am by Thomas Wheatley in News
Remember that mystery candidate for Atlanta City Council District 6 that we hinted at a few days ago? Well, there’ll be no more waiting, fine commenters! She’s in!
Bahareh Azizi, a Georgia Tech scientist, announced her candidacy on Saturday for the increasingly crowded race to represent the Midtown, Morningside, Druid Hills and Virginia-Highland neighborhoods at City Hall.
According to an emailed press release, Azizi launched her campaign during Saturday’s 40th annual Peachtree Road Race. She says the announcement dovetails with her campaign’s “commitment, endurance and a willingness to join the people of our city on the streets of Atlanta.”
In 2007, she was the co-host of Science Investigators, a PBS pilot show. According to a press release about the show’s first episode, Azizi investigated the disappearance of a certain species of frogs in New York and drove an electric car that went from 0 to 60 mph in three seconds. Wheee!
Azizi received a doctorate degree in biochemistry from Georgia Tech and, according to her press release, “has spent her career on research, education, and mentoring students at [the university].”
There were some low-level murmurings (and a little bit of confusion) that Azizi might have to step down from her post at Georgia Tech if she were to run for City Council. In 1977, the Georgia Supreme Court upheld a policy made by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents — referred to by political junkies as the “Newt Gingrich Rule” — that says public university employees must take a leave of absence while running for state or federal office. The policy was unsuccessfully challenged by Christina Jeffrey in 1998 when the former Kennesaw State University professor announced she wanted to run against Gingrich.
It looks like Azizi’s in the clear, however. According to section 802.15.03 of the board of regent’s policy manual, “Employees may seek and hold elective office at other than the state or federal level, or appointive office, when such candidacy for or holding of the office does not conflict or interfere with the employee’s duties and responsibilities to the institution or the System.” Keep in mind, that Council is — or if you ask some councilmembers, is supposed to be — a part-time job. A campaign spokeswoman said Azizi consulted the policy and checked with school officials before she decided to run.
Azizi’s opponents in the District 6 race are Steve Brodie, Liz Coyle, Alex Wan and Miguel Gallegos.
(Photo courtesy Bahareh Azizi Campaign)
July 6th, 2009 at 9:39 am
Wow. Is district 6 ready to be blinded by science?
July 6th, 2009 at 9:42 am
Bahareh Azizi makes the District 6 race even more interesting. She has an impressive set of accomplishments and certainly has more appeal than Liz Coyle. But is she known in the District and does she have a base of support? The race will turn on who works the hardest and best gets their messages out.
July 6th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Don’t worry, Liz. Bahareh may have more brains and beauty than you, but where’s her bank account? Wayne Mason’s bucks will come in real handy for you now.
July 6th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
What about Sembler’s and Selig’s bucks? Don’t they count also?
July 6th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
I am shocked…shocked, that the above two posts suggest that real estate developers will be contributing to Liz Coyle’s campaign! Liz is on the Board of Beltline, Inc. The developers own huge tracts along the BeltLine. Liz is about throw her support behind much higher density for those tracts. Those developers stand to make millions from the change to higher density. But none of that makes any difference to the developers. No doubt the developers are supporting Liz because she is a “good candidate,” not because of the potential for enormous gains. And no doubt Liz is supporting the higher density not to garner campaign contributions from the developers but because it is “best for the community.”
July 6th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
May Brodie kick all of their asses, especially Porkchop Coyle
July 7th, 2009 at 12:33 am
George:
AMEN!
July 7th, 2009 at 5:36 am
Interesting that our new PhD candidate has no voting history in municiple, state, or federal elections. Does she plan to attend Council Meetings and vote there? Just check her voting history with the Fulton County records. What’s the saying, those that can, do; those that can’t teach….Seems Azizi can’t vote; maybe she plans on teaching at City Council. Perhaps the personal voting record is inaccurate because she’s new to the area. Maybe she just another wanna be that needs some press attention. This sure seems to be the race to get your picture in the paper. At least she’s better looking than the snake in the grass “Coil.”
By the way, Liz has been pretty quiet of late. Has she been reading her own press lately? After that faux paux on her press release with the major typo in the subject line; she’s showing her intellect. If she can’t double check her first major communication just imagine what she won’t check in the legislation her buddies at Beltline Inc and ADA try to slide through.
Well all in all, welcome to the party Azizi, hope you can do more than handout flyers in Piedmont Park; District 6 is a lot more than your background from you apartment in the sky.
July 7th, 2009 at 8:10 am
My vote will go to the candidate who is clear about protecting neighborhoods and historic areas in district 6. Liz has shown she can’t be trusted. She sides with the big developers and Mayor Shirley all the time. Apparently she has been anointed by Fauver and Franklin to carry on the failed policies of the past administration. I am looking for a candidate who will step up and snuff out any hint of any plan that compromises the integrity of the residential districts in our area.
July 7th, 2009 at 8:55 am
What Midtown community service has this candidate done? What neighborhood alliances has she forged? How many hours of volunteer time has she put into the neighborhood groups, as opposed to a candidate who has put in hundreds of hours over the years?
How many elected offices has she run for How many campaigns has she even participated in as a volunteer?
Cute face; an attractive woman would be a refreshing change to the dour biddies who roost in Council Chambers. However, there are too many questions about her ability to represent our district to consider her a serious candidate.
July 7th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Well, here’s hoping we see Dr. Azizi’s “cute face” at the final Subarea 6 BeltLine masterplanning meeting this Thursday (6:30pm, Hillside). ‘Cause this not-so-dour “biddie” needs to get into the thick of things, maybe even drop some science on the situation.
July 7th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
I’m sure Dr. Azizi has good intentions but does she have the knowledge and experience we need for City Council? Has Dr. Azizi, or Alex Wan for that matter, ever been to an NPU meeting, let alone any of the monthly meetings for the neighborhood associations in District 6? I am a regular at NPU-F meetings and can definitely vouch for the fact that unlike Steve Brodie, neither are regulars at the meetings. What do Azizi and Wan know about public safety and zoning? Steve Brodie has shown he is very knowledgable on both these issues, as well as many others facing our city. In addition, Steve has been a very active participant in the NPU meetings and is a regular attendee at many neighborhood association meetings and functions. We need Steve Brodie — someone who is in touch with the residents of District 6 and is knowledgable on the important issues — to represent us, not inexperienced and uninvolved people like Azizi and Wan.
July 7th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
Vahi:
Without a doubt Brodie goes to all the meetings. If thats all that was required to be a good rep, he would be one. But just ‘going’ doesnt qualify somebody. Brodie resigned as head of MNA Land Use because he had issues. He resigned as midtown’s rep to NPU-E because he had issues. A portion of Midtown really supports him, but a lot of it does not, nor does most of Ansley, Morningside, and most other communities of NPU-E (which he is part of, dont know what goes on at NPU-F). Hence the reason he lost unanimously to become NPU-E president to the Ansley rep (yes, unanimously, something like 13-0 by the board. He didnt get one vote). These are his peers, people that worked most closely with him. If he lost unanimously among them, I think it should raise some eyebrows.
So, yes, he goes to a lot of meetings (because he is campaigning, and has been for the last 4 years). Theres a bit more to it than just attendance, though.
July 7th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
I doubt that Azizi is running for City Council for the press attention or to get her picture in the paper. Her accomplishments and involvement in the community suggest that she might really care about Atlanta. After all, it has been her home for many years.
There is no doubt that there are many questions about Azizi’s abilities to represent District 6, however we cannot deny her our vote until we ask those questions and then evaluate whether she is a serious candidate or not.
Neither should we judge Azizi’s potential as a City Council based on her lack of experience in politics. She might not have the political experience or political involvement some might ask for in a candidate. However this may be what we need; someone with a clean and unbiased political view, who will do what is really best for the community and not necessarily for their political interest.
July 7th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Mside guess you’re trying to imply you live in Morningside. Well you’re in NPU-F, not E.
NPU-E is that NPU that had the Chair that didn’t live in the NPU and they even voted him back but the City demanded he be removed. It was Brodie who was the lone vote against an illegal and unfair game.
Then there’s representative from another neighborhood that doesn’t live in the area he represents, not even in NPU-E.
Oh, E is that NPU where the residents can’t vote except once a year on the By-Laws. This is the NPU where citizens have to pay membership dues to their neighborhood organizations in order to vote on their representative; clearly against city policy. Have a chat with some residents in Ansley who have to pay up big bucks just to have a vote. Oh, this is the Ansley that has all closed meetings, even to it’s own members.
It’s also the NPU where Midtown makes up about 70% of the population but only gets one vote out of about 13. District 6 only has two neighborhoods in NPU-E, Midtown and Ansley. No doubt that this NPU that is run by people who don’t live in the NPU or the neighborhoods they represent do weird things.
Maybe it’s time to expose what really goes on inside that NPU. Hmm, the Chair of the NPU is also on the Design Review Committee of Midtown Alliance (she lives in Ansley) and applications have to go through her twice…..
I wouldn’t be judging Brodie by what that NPU says; Brodie should consider it a compliment that he wasn’t part of that dysfunctional group that needs to be investigated by the City.
July 8th, 2009 at 12:08 am
NPU-E needs to be disbanded and we should start over. NPU-E is dysfunctional, ineffective, worthless, disgraceful, and undemocratic. Of course, we are in Atlanta. Maybe those attributes are what are needed to get one’s views adopted?
July 8th, 2009 at 1:47 am
Oooh, I missed the typo on Ms Coyle’s web site! What a hoot considering she’s a marketing spin doctor BY CAREER…. What will Little Miss Turncoat come up with next…
July 8th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Midtowner:
Brodie ran against the Ansley rep. He lost unanimously. The other stuff about the president living outside the district is the reason fluff (true, but it doesnt change the fact that not one perseon voted for Brodie). Not a single one of his peers voted for him. Does that not trouble you at all?
I agree that I hate the whole “vote once a year on bylaws” thing. But, wait, how many times did Brodie try to change that?? He was on the board, he played the game without trying to change it.
Why not make NPU-E decisions subject to popular vote like other NPU’s? Brodie never tried to change that.
I live in morningside, I own property in midtown.
July 8th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
Midtowner:
I tried to introduce change to NPU-E bylaws so that if more than 20 people of the public called for a public vote, it would be subject to a public vote. That way, small issues could still get solved efficiently by the board but the big ones would go to public NPU vote instead of the 13 people board.
Brodie did not support this ammendment to the bylaws. In fact, if you complain about how the NPU-E is run, you should complain about your own MNA– it is run the same way. Decisions are voted on by the board and bylaws are voted on once a year (this is almost unheard of for neighborhood assosiations, which are usually small enough to always allow for popular vote on all issues). So, why not change the MNA bylaws while you are at it??
September 15th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Steve Brodie’s biggest campaign contribution comes from Tivoli and Kim King properties…. Lest we forget how hard he fought for tivoli’s high rises on 13th street by piedmont park (they were ultimately denied after the neighbors opposed them).
Who were the developers— why it was a joint development between Tivoli and Kim King Assoc. They wanted to get a property half a mile from the park rezoned so they could build 400? and twice as dense as allowed.
see here, in case you dont remember:
http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/freshloaf/2007/09/26/piedmont-park-high-rise-take-two/
Funny, right after Brodie lost that case he resigned from the MNA land use committee and NPU rep…
Alex Wan’s biggest donators include Ken Britt, co-chair of the board of the Human Rights Campaignd longtime LGBT activist E.D. Cofrin; Paul Horning, a director of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund; and the Jerusalem House.