Fresh Loaf

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!

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The race to represent Morningside, Druid Hills, Virginia-Highland and Midtown residents at City Hall gets bigger by the week.

The Southern Voice reports that Miguel Gallegos has officially entered the contest, joining Liz Coyle, Alex Wan and Steve Brodie. Councilwoman Anne Fauver has said she would not seek a third term in office.

We’re hearing another potential candidate has been seen handing out campaign information in Piedmont Park. That mystery person hasn’t officially filed their papers yet. When she does, however, be prepared for this race — which is already spinning with political dynamics — to get even more interesting.

Gallegos, who the Voice reports is openly gay, doesn’t have a website just yet. Hey, Miguel! Send us a line sometime!

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Picking up from where this morning’s post left off, Project Q Atlanta says Liz Coyle has filed her paperwork to run for Atlanta City Council’s District 6 seat.

According to Project Q Atlanta, Beltline attorneys informed Coyle she would not be required to resign. The longtime community activist is now the third candidate vying to represent the Midtown, Druid Hills and Morningside neighborhoods at City Hall when Councilwoman Anne Fauver ends her term.

The news site also has some background on the district’s hot-button issues among its large gay community. (Think bar-closing hours and access to Piedmont Park for Atlanta Pride.) There’s also the issue of demographics: Since 1998, District 6 has been represented by openly gay women. Coyle, who’s heterosexual and married, will face off against Steve Brodie and Alex Wan, who are both openly gay.

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Southern Voice reports local businessman Steve Brodie now has an opponent in the race for the Atlanta City Council seat serving the Midtown, Morningside and Druid Hills neighborhoods:

The race to see who will be the Atlanta City Council’s next District 6 representative is a gay vs. gay contest once again.

On Wednesday morning, gay business owner and community volunteer Alex Wan met with Southern Voice to announce his bid for the seat, which is currently held by Anne Fauver, the Atlanta City Council’s only openly gay member.

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“I think an openly gay person or Asian-American person being elected to City Council sends a huge signal about how open the city is,” Wan said. “If there is representation on the governing council of the city, I think that alone sends a huge message about openness and diversity.”

This will be Wan’s second bid for elected office. In 2004, he ran for the District 57 seat in the Georgia House held by gay-friendly incumbent Pat Gardner. Wan, who lost to Gardner in the Democratic primary, would have been the first openly gay man and first Asian American in the state legislature.

More details at Southern Voice.

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Atlanta City Councilwoman Anne Fauver’s unexpected exit from the District 6 race yesterday took nearly everyone in the politically active and tight-knit neighborhoods she serves by surprise.

In a Tuesday interview with CL, Fauver said the decision, which she’s wrestled with for the last two months, largely came down to two things: frustration with city politics and the desire to try something new.

“[Atlanta] once had a strong council and a weak mayor,” Fauver said. “That’s been reversed. That can be very frustrating because council is supposed to determine policy…As of now, we don’t.”

Fauver added that it’s difficult to juggle a career and serve in City Hall. The job of a councilmember, which pays $39,000 a year and is supposed to be a part-time gig, is more like a round-the-clock position.

“It’s four years,” she said, referring to another term. “Four years on top of eight years is a little bit longer than I want to do it. I’m frankly looking forward to a new challenge and I don’t know what that will be.”

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Average percent decrease in the price of an existing single-family home in metro Atlanta from late 2007 to late 2008: 10.5

Years since Atlanta saw a double-digit decrease in home prices: 17

Of 20 metro areas, rank of Atlanta among those with the most severely decreasing home prices: 12

Percentage that home prices dipped in Phoenix, the hardest hit city: 32.7

Decrease in Dallas, the city to fare best: 3

Percentage increase in Atlanta home prices from June to July — the last month home prices rose: 0.4

Average percent decrease in home prices in Druid Hills from the fall of 2007 to fall of 2008: 20

Average percent increase in home prices in Cabbagetown from the fall of 2007 to fall of 2008: 14

Average percent increase in Benteen Park, over the same time period: 57

(Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

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