Your council.
The issues. Their words.

Abby Burke Carroll

An assistant public defender and former Athens City School Board member who served eight years on the board.

• Open government: Proposes agenda deadlines with exceptions for emergencies and clearer procedures for boards and committees. Supports restoring comments on City Council Facebook posts. Her website also proposes meeting recordings and an annual municipal-code review.
• Economy & spending: Supports long-term capital planning and setting money aside before major projects. Opposes a historic overlay and proposes tax incentives for downtown renovations. Her website specifies a ten-year infrastructure plan and street priorities based on condition and expected lifespan.
• Community needs: Favors partnerships with community organizations, supported through money, resources or publicity, while balancing fiscal limits.
• Parks: Does not commit to a Cook Park water feature without knowing costs and available funds. Favors using data and budgeting to address different parks’ needs equitably.
• Leadership & outreach: Calls for respectful disagreement, a stable working environment and patience in recruiting a city manager. Describes volunteering and informal Coffee Saturdays as ways residents can approach her.

Larry D. Eaton

An Athens resident for more than three decades, seeking a second term after four years on City Council.

• Open government: Defends some late agenda additions when discussed publicly and says city business should be open and transparent.
• Economy & spending: Emphasizes attracting businesses to provide jobs and describes outreach to employers and developers.
• Community needs: Favors churches and the private sector leading assistance efforts, while saying the city should do some things to help.
• Parks: Prioritizes Cook Park parking, says its lighting needs adjustment, and calls for attention to other parks as well.
• Leadership & outreach: Calls for a positive council that can select a city manager and strong legal representation. Describes listening to residents who approach him in public. His campaign announcement emphasizes cooperation and availability to residents.

S. Thomas (Tom) Hamilton

An Athens native and U.S. Army veteran who describes a background in community service.

• Open government: Says adding an agenda item late does not itself violate the Sunshine Law, and points to public comment as the place for residents to address late additions.
• Economy & spending: Supports recruiting better-paying industrial jobs and educating residents to fill them. His October 6 campaign video identifies downtown parking as a way to strengthen the business district.
• Community needs: Questions the city’s relative budget priorities for animal sheltering and homelessness assistance and emphasizes higher wages.
• Parks: Supports studying a Cook Park water feature before making a commitment. In his September 25 campaign video, he promises to listen to residents about the former North City School property and work toward a park for public use.
• Leadership & outreach: Calls for civility and a slow, methodical search for an experienced city manager; says the interim manager may be a candidate to hire. Says council members should be available and residents should bring their concerns to them.

Perry L. McCowan

A council member appointed in December 2025, Army veteran and longtime Johnson Controls/Adient employee.

• Open government: Describes discussing late items at work sessions before placing them on the consent agenda for a council vote.
• Economy & spending: Favors infrastructure to support growth and says he does not want to raise taxes.
• Community needs: Encourages individual help and existing community organizations doing more for people in need.
• Parks: Prioritizes Cook Park parking and lighting. Wants to hear what the majority of residents want for a splash pad and consider available funds without raising taxes.
• Leadership & outreach: Expresses satisfaction with the interim manager and urges the city to move forward. Describes going where residents are, listening, and encouraging trades and education.

Lou Pascarella

A longtime Athens resident with a CPA background and experience serving on nonprofit and corporate boards.

• Open government: Urges selectivity with late agenda additions, asking whether they are genuine emergencies, and opposes slipping personnel matters onto an agenda. Supports financial disclosure and describes situations requiring recusal. Says allegations about handling public money should prompt opening the books and professional review.
• Economy & spending: Supports attracting businesses while preserving Athens’ small-town appeal; says he needs to study the strategic plan further.
• Community needs: Discusses housing costs, purchasing power and the role of nonprofits. Does not specify a new city assistance program in this answer.
• Parks: Wants the details, benefits and costs of a Cook Park water feature before deciding, and stresses professional conduct when council considers it.
• Leadership & outreach: Says council should focus on overseeing the manager rather than other employees’ personnel matters. Prioritizes hiring a full-time manager, addressing the attorney appointment, and reappointing or replacing the judge in year one. Emphasizes professionalism and strategic direction, with visibility, listening and social media as ways to connect.

Robert Patrick

A minister and former bookstore owner who moved to the area from Virginia in the 1970s.

• Open government: Asks whether work sessions and proposed council topics are accessible to the public, and calls for better public information.
• Community needs: Proposes a city social worker to help people find resources and complete paperwork, including people at risk of homelessness. Supports a homeless shelter.
• Parks: Raises concerns about Cook Park lighting and says helping homeless people may take priority over a water feature.
• Leadership & outreach: Proposes replacing the city-manager arrangement with an elected executive comparable to the county mayor. Describes talking with people and connecting them with recovery and community resources.

H. Chris Trew

An attorney practicing in Athens since 1985 who previously served as the city’s attorney.

• Open government: Opposes late agenda additions except for emergencies, so residents and council members can prepare and participate.
• Community needs: Favors identifying and funding organizations already addressing housing and homelessness.
• Parks: Will consider a Cook Park water feature after reviewing benefits, costs and continuing operations; does not commit to a vote without those details.
• Leadership & outreach: Emphasizes civility and recommends visiting manager finalists’ communities to learn about their character and leadership. Supports neighborhood meetings where residents can speak about local needs.