Russell Edwards and Drew Abney, hosts of the AthChat podcast, held a mayoral debate for the 2026 local election runoff on Saturday, May 30, 2026 at the historic Morton Theater in downtown Athens, GA. Mayoral candidates Tim Denson and Dexter Fisher were both in attendance.
0:00 – Intro
2:30 – Opening statements
6:05 – Housing
21:53 – Philosophy of leadership
26:08 – Homelessness
36:08 – Road safety
40:06 – Sewer expansion
43:37 – Getting SPLOST projects done
48:09 – Denson’s 50/10 plan
50:18 – Fisher’s opposition to fire station #5
52:20 – What are you most proud of / most regret?
56:28 – Commissioner Allison Wright blasts Denson
1:02:08 – Relationship with UGA
1:06:30 – Does Fisher get money from Republican PACs?
1:11:30 – Money for the airport but not transit?
1:14:27 – Affordability: wages and retirement benefits
1:17:53 – Affordability for musicians
1:20:35 – Sewer expansion, part 2
1:24:12 – Overpolicing & false arrests
1:28:36 – Closing statements
Denson and Fisher clashed on a number of topics, including housing, homelessness, transit, police funding and who is best suited to “get stuff done.” Moderators also allowed the candidates a significant portion of time to discuss the meaning of leadership in a democratic society, an issue on which there was a stark difference of opinion.
Early voting will be held from June 8 to June 12 at three locations, the ACC Elections office (155 E Washington St), the ACC Library (2025 Baxter St) and the ACC Tennis Center (4460 Lexington Rd).
The runoff election will be held on June 16.
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One thought on “Athens Mayoral Runoff: Tim Denson and Dexter Fisher debate”
Housing won’t happen if we don’t have affordable utilities. A data center will eat our resources like Pac Man. What good is a house with no water or electricity?