APN’s Top 5 Best (and Worst) of 2025

Every year, APN reviews the top 5 best and worst news stories we covered that year. Since our focus is on the local government, that’s the focus of the lists below as well.

Without further ado, here are the top 5 worst and best things that happened this year in local or state government and politics, in the opinion of APN’s editor:

Top 5 Worst

#5 – Misinformation and NIMBYism spread, almost defeating a community garden and a fire station

2025 was a bad year at both the local and national levels. In Athens, misinformation and toxic NIMBYism spread in ways that were difficult to stop. Worse, the ACC Commission nearly surrendered their better judgement and caved to the pressure in two important cases this year.

A community garden somehow became controversial

The first example involved a community garden and teaching kitchen requested by Farm to Neighborhood, a nonprofit dedicated to helping everyone gain access to “delicious, nutritious and affordable food.” Normally, gardens don’t need special approval by the mayor and commission, but this one did because the parcel in question (585 Vine Street) is part of a “planned development.” Planned developments are specified and approved precisely with no changes allowed, unless the plan is later modified, as Farm to Neighborhood was requesting.

During the approval process, the Inner East Athens Neighbors association spread false information about Farm to Neighborhood’s request, saying that it could be used to allow student apartments in Triangle Plaza if approved. Despite being given a schematic of the actual request – which did not include any housing whatsoever – Cshanyse Allen, the president of the Inner East Athens Neighbors, continued to spread conspiracy theories about the redevelopment. She even attacked the ACC Planning Department, which was not responsible for the request, saying that the department “needs to be gutted.”

Mayoral candidate Mara Zúñiga echoed this aggressive language, telling commissioners that “the blood would be on each of your hands” if they approved the community garden. I hope it goes without saying, but this kind of rhetoric, whether expressed in honest confusion or used cynically to score political points, is completely unacceptable for anyone who wants to serve this community as an elected official. 

While the ACC Commission approved the community garden in a 7-3 vote, it is extremely disappointing that Commissioners Dexter Fisher, Stephanie Johnson and Ovita Thornton gave any oxygen at all to these conspiracy theories. Thornton has been a commissioner since 2019 and definitely knows that no housing could be allowed as a result of Farm to Neighborhood’s request. But she still voted against it, saying that she believes in “devils that work behind the scenes.” This is not the first time that Thornton has used such language to describe those who work under her, either.

Fisher, who is running for mayor in 2026, also voted against the community garden. While he did not use inflammatory language like some of his colleagues, I have to wonder why he voted the way he did. Does he not believe ACC staff when they explained to him how planned developments work? If not, he’s not ready to be mayor – this is pretty basic stuff. Another possibility is that he knew better, but caved to the pressure anyway. If so, that’s just as concerning to me. Are a few confused and angry people all it takes for him to surrender his better judgement and stop working in the public interest? I know it’s just a garden, but cowardice like this is not a political virtue.

On the other hand, Commissioner Tiffany Taylor really distinguished herself during this drama by voting for what she knew was right regardless of the political cost. She’s facing a challenger next year because of her vote for the community garden. Yet, no matter what happens during the election, I know Taylor won’t ever regret making improvements for her community.

The commission nearly rejected an eastside fire station

A new eastside fire station was very nearly rejected this year because some ACC Commissioners were seemingly unable to stand up to their constituents, even on an issue as important as fire safety.

Before we get into it, I want to say that I believe in democracy. I believe that commissioners should listen to their constituents as they govern. But governance is complex and not everyone can be an expert on every aspect of running a modern city. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day. When it comes to issues of life and death, the ACC Commission must rely heavily on the advice of experts while they craft policy. If we’re striving for a world where fewer people suffer and die unnecessarily, there’s no way around it.

It doesn’t matter how many laypeople contradict him: when it comes to fire safety, you listen to the fire chief!

But unfortunately that’s not what three commissioners did this year. Commissioners Patrick Davenport, Dexter Fisher and Stephanie Johnson all voted to deny the purchase of land for a new fire station at 4730 Old Lexington Road. This was after two full rounds of site selection and public input, a process spanning years. If this vote had failed, it would have thrown the entire concept of criteria-based site selection in Athens into question. These three commissioners voted for an entirely political method of choosing where to build important ACC Gov facilities. In a worst-case scenario where politicians were in the driver’s seat instead of trained emergency response professionals, people might die as a result. That should not be acceptable to us, as residents or as voters.

Davenport is up for re-election in 2026 and Fisher is running for mayor. We should ask them: why did they vote to put our safety at risk? Why did they fail to heed the advice of ACC Fire Chief Nate Moss regarding the location of fire station #5? If the only people who care about this are those living on Old Lexington Road, our local democracy would suffer for it as politicians were able to avoid accountability to the public. It’s time to ask the tough questions.

#4 – State legislature attacked transgender youth

In 2025, the Georgia General Assembly targeted the transgender community with an array of unnecessary new bills the Human Rights Campaign described as “Georgia’s slate of hate.” While many of these intentionally cruel bills failed to pass, Governor Brian Kemp did end up signing one of them, the “Riley Gaines Act,” into law. This new law bans teenagers who are “capable of producing sperm” from participating in K-12 women’s sports in Georgia. The bill also encourages parents to file lawsuits against their child’s school system if trans kids are allowed to use bathrooms appropriate to their gender at school.

Let’s be real: “culture war” issues like this are a complete waste of legislative time. There are only 40 days in the session; time our representatives could have used to address healthcare, housing affordability, gun violence or education. Trans girls competing in sports is a complete non-issue that has been turned into a priority only through the sad logic of hate and discrimination that has taken over our country. Worse, it will have real impacts on the lives of trans children and teenagers who will now be forbidden from participating in sports and even from using the appropriate bathroom at school without fear of harassment.

This could have a major impact on trans kids’ education and mental health while accomplishing nothing positive. Look, if sporting associations feel the need to provide rules for this sort of thing, that can be done by athletic professionals on a sport-by-sport basis. It should not be done by transphobic legislators under the gold dome. Hopefully, this hateful law will be overturned in court as soon as possible. 

#3 – Trump waged war on science and clean energy

President Donald Trump has done so many awful things in 2025 that it’s often difficult to keep track. In the first half of the year, the main way the Trump administration impacted people in Athens was through budget cuts from the “Department of Government Efficiency,” which was neither efficient nor an official government department. Nevertheless, research grants were slashed, scientists and other government workers lost their jobs and Trump pulled a $5 million grant that the Biden administration had intended to be used for electric vehicle charging stations across Athens.

Fortunately, ACC Sustainability Director Mike Wharton told APN that he hopes the EV grant will eventually be reinstated. 

A few weeks ago, 16 states filed a lawsuit against the federal government in an attempt to force the Trump administration to release billions in clean energy funding, including the $5 million earmarked for Athens. That’s good news – we might get the funding after all! But until the lawsuit is resolved, $1.2 million in local matching funds – which are required to receive the grant award – will remain tied up and unavailable for use. The ACC Sustainability Department could be using this money right now to advance Athens’ clean energy priorities. Instead, we’ll lose valuable time as we wait for this lawsuit to be resolved.

#2 – Piedmont-Athens Regional retaliated against union members

When Piedmont-Athens Regional maintenance workers voted to join the International Union of Operating Engineers last year, they probably didn’t realize that the hospital would retaliate against them by changing their shifts, requiring some workers to be on call when they hadn’t before, forcing them to work nights and even unfairly firing union supporters. Piedmont never negotiated in good faith with the union and now has completely cut off communication, refusing to negotiate a contract at all.

It’s important to note that these actions by the hospital are illegal, a violation of the National Labor Relations Act.

Chris Carr, an organizer with the International Union of Operating Engineers, told APN that the union is asking the National Labor Relations Board to step in and force Piedmont to come to the bargaining table. Additionally, he filed 12 unfair labor practice complaints against Piedmont, but these have yet to receive a decision. Why is it taking the NLRB so long? That might have something to do with the Trump administration’s decision to delay filling vacancies on the board, which has left it completely paralyzed.

Athens Regional Hospital is a valuable part of the community that provides critical medical care for tens or hundreds of thousands of people a year. But this vital institution is owned by a (non-profit) corporation that is hostile to its Athens workforce. It seems to believe that it can break the law with impunity to get workers to submit and give up their rights. Unfortunately, with Trump in the White House, maybe Piedmont is right about that. Even if the International Union of Operating Engineers eventually wins its case, the victory may come too late for the maintenance workers, many of whom have already moved on.

#1 – The Pinewoods community lacks consistent access to water

The worst local story in 2025 is that at least one Athens neighborhood lacks consistent access to clean drinking water. How is this possible in the richest country on earth?

Pinewoods Estates, a Hispanic neighborhood off US-29, relies on a private well and pump system operated by their landlord for their drinking water. This system is past its useful lifespan and was poorly engineered from the beginning. Whenever any of the aging pipes that connect dozens of trailer homes in the area spring a leak, the water for all of the homes must be shut down so that the line can be repaired. Unbelievably, the landlord says that the system doesn’t allow cutting off the water to only the house or street that has the issue.

You wouldn’t design a water system like this today. The entire system must be scrapped and replaced, preferably with clean city water, but that would cost more than the landlord is willing or able to pay.

It’s possible that code enforcement could step in and require that the landlord act, but there are some issues here. First, it would take complaints from the community to get code enforcement involved, and many people living there are undocumented and fear retaliation. This keeps them suffering in silence under conditions that none of the rest of us would tolerate. Second, some of the people in the neighborhood have low incomes as well, and they might not be able to afford the higher rent the landlord would charge if he or she had to pay for a new water system.

Most of us would just move if we were faced with a living situation like this, but that’s not really an option for many people in Pinewoods.

So they continue living without consistent access to water even though we have ample resources as a community to make sure this never happens to anyone. What it will take to fix the situation is the political will to help Pinewoods Estates replace their pipes and connect to the city water supply. Long-term, we need to reform our immigration system so that people don’t have to live in the shadows at the mercy of whatever slumlord will accept them, but that’s not something we can address at the local level.

What we can do is connect Pinewoods to city water. Regardless of the cost, that’s what we need to do.

Top 5 best

#5 – Athens Transit’s ridership numbers got more accurate

I wrote an article in October about a supposed “ridership boom” on Athens Transit. While the transit agency did report a huge increase in the number of people who rode the bus last year, what actually happened was Athens Transit just got better at counting the number of people who ride the bus.

Either way, 2025 was the best year for ridership that Athens Transit has ever reported. This is great news – one of the best things that happened all year in my opinion! 

But at the same time, I think this record should be fairly easy to beat. If we can make our buses faster, come more often, go to more places and run later into the night while keeping them fare-free, we should greatly exceed this record in future years.

All this would make our commutes faster and easier while reducing carbon emissions at the same time. Electric cars are great (at least compared to gas-powered ones), but I’d argue that there’s no way to cut emissions as low as they need to be without vastly expanding our public transportation system. You shouldn’t need a car – and the large expense of having to buy and maintain one – just to get to work in Athens. And expanding our transit system isn’t even that big a lift in the grand scheme of things! We can do this.

#4 – The ACC Commission funded the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia

When the federal government tripped over itself and stopped functioning in November, the Trump administration briefly denied food assistance for low-income people. This short disaster highlighted deep flaws in Georgia’s nutritional safety net that existed well before the shutdown and still haven’t been fully resolved.

The one bright spot in this mess was how the local government reacted. ACC Gov immediately provided $150,000 to the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia to help reduce the severity of the crisis and then gave another $50,000 in mid-December. At this time, our federal and state governments were refusing to act, but the people of Athens could still rely on local nonprofits and the local government to step up.

That’s not the way things should work. We should have a functional government that cares about people at all levels. This duty should never have fallen on ACC Gov, but it did, and they rose to the task without making a big deal out of it. It’s a small thing, in one sense, but it’s also a good deed worthy of mention here. 

#3 – ACC Gov scored an “A” for LGBTQ+ equality while Julie Mauck lost a lawsuit

A few years ago, the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government scored quite poorly on the Human Rights Campaign’s municipal equality index, which evaluates over 500 US cities every year on the LGBTQ+ inclusiveness of their laws, policies and services. After gradual improvement every year, the ACC government finally scored over 90 points out of 100 in 2025, getting an “A” for the first time.

While there’s still room to improve, this achievement marks the ACC government as one of the more accepting and inclusive local governments statewide. In a year full of bad news, this is something to celebrate.

As a nice bonus, open homophobe Julie Mauck lost a lawsuit that she brought against Athens Pride and Queer Collective at the Georgia Court of Appeals recently. This is a victory for freedom of speech more so than LGBTQ+ rights, but either way, it’s definitely a loss for bigoted extremism. Mauck is appealing the decision (for the second time), but she has essentially no chance of success at this point. 

#2 – Athens stood up against authoritarianism

Yes, it’s been a bad year. But we didn’t take it lying down.

In rally after rally, Athenians took to the streets in record numbers in 2025. There were more protests than ever before, more than I could keep up with! They started very early in the year as UGA students protested a university employee who has ties to a neo-Nazi group. Soon after, the United Campus Workers of Georgia rallied against Trump’s war on science, Indivisible GA 10 held a big President’s Day protest against Elon Musk, Athens’ churches and other communities of faith marched to resist mass deportation and most recently, the Party for Socialism and Liberation has been protesting the coming war against Venezuela.

Of course, I can’t forget the massive “No Kings” protests held on October 18, which was the largest single day of protesting in US history. Let’s double that in 2026!

There were more protests in Athens than perhaps any other year, ever. I believe that’s a very positive thing. Our country owes a debt of thanks to each and every person who fought for democracy this year.

#1 – Democratic wins in Georgia House District 121 and on the Public Service Commission

You may have already heard, but Eric Gisler (D) managed to flip state house district 121 this year!

To fully appreciate Gisler’s victory, you have to know that Athens has been badly gerrymandered, precisely to stop this sort of thing from happening. In 2024, Gisler ran for the exact same seat and lost 61-39 because the odds were so badly stacked against him. Until Donald Trump took the White House in January and incumbent Marcus Wiedower (R) stepped down suddenly in November, this had been a safe Republican seat.

With no incumbent to worry about, surging Democratic enthusiasm was enough to secure the win in a low-turnout, off-cycle special election. If we include the two fantastic Democratic victories for Public Service Commission, in my opinion, this is the best thing that happened all year in local news and politics.

Whether Gisler or the new Public Service Commissioners can repeat their amazing performances next year and hold on to these seats is anyone’s guess, but in a sense it doesn’t matter that much. What matters is that the Republican coalition is starting to break apart while Democrats are energized in ways we haven’t seen before. Trump’s policies are wildly unpopular and he is clearly a liability for all Republicans right now.

If the 2026 elections are fair and if all authorized voters are welcomed to cast their ballots without fear of retaliation, then I have no doubt that Democrats will continue to rack up win after win. They’ll probably take back the US House and maybe even the US Senate in 2026. Then, if we stay involved into 2027, we can hopefully leverage these wins to break the back of the MAGA movement and finally end our national nightmare. 

To do all of this, Democrats will need to disassociate themselves from the oligarchs and billionaires, fire their corporate consultants and rededicate themselves to fight for regular, working people once again. While that may be off-brand for the Democratic party, I believe it’s possible. Stranger things have happened!

Happy new year, everybody!