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| PAID FOR BY: MORRIS FOR ATHENS - Gary Van Meter, Treasurer - 39 Avon Place, Athens OH 45701 |
| 2011 © Morris for Athens - Site Design by: Emily S. Morris |
August 4, 2011 - Ohio Veterans United endorses Randy Morris for Mayor of Athens.
For more on this endorsement visit:
• examiner.com
• ohioveteransunited.org
• examiner.com
• ohioveteransunited.org
August 18, 2011 - The Athens News covers the mayoral campaign in an article titled "Athens' one contested race is
the city's top official" by David DeWitt.
Click here to read the article!
the city's top official" by David DeWitt.
Click here to read the article!
September 14, 2011 - Morris for Athens announces a new student outreach campaign directive:
- (ATHENS, OH) In a statement released today by Morris for Athens, mayoral candidate Randy Morris
announced a new student outreach phase of his campaign. “For years, many issues in local politics have
been cast in a light that leads students to believe their interests are in conflict with those of long-term Athens
residents,” Morris said. “I believe the division between the two entities is more perception than reality. The
vast majority of students are productive and responsible members of the community and should be engaged
in civic discourse. They are partners in our community; they help to strengthen this place where we all live
together.”
“There can be no true community dialog without the engagement of a population as large as that of resident
students here in Athens, Ohio,” Morris explained as he concluded “…this is why I am looking forward to
engaging student opinion in my bid to become mayor of Athens. I want students to email me at: randy [at]
morrisforathens.com, ask questions for the website Q &A section (www.morrisforathens.com), or to call me at
(740)707-1853. I plan to continue to pursue that dialog as mayor should I win election in November. I will
establish a monthly meeting with students, not just the OU administration as is done now.”
September 20, 2011 - The OU website The New Political published an article about the student outreach initiative:
http://thenewpolitical.com/2011/09/20/morris-announces-student-outreach-campaign-directive/
http://thenewpolitical.com/2011/09/20/morris-announces-student-outreach-campaign-directive/
October 4, 2011 - The Athens County League of Women Voters held a debate between the candidates for Athens
To view the debate in its entirety, go to this site: http://www.ci.athens.oh.us/tgc_meetings.cfm
and click on "specialty" by the Mayoral Debate listing!
To view the debate in its entirety, go to this site: http://www.ci.athens.oh.us/tgc_meetings.cfm
and click on "specialty" by the Mayoral Debate listing!
October 19, 2011 - Read what your neighbors are saying about Randy Morris and the mayoral race! Click on a link!
Morris Will Build Consensus with OU, The Athens Messenger, 11/4/11
Morris is the Proven Leader and Problem-Solver Athens Needs - The Athens Messenger, 11/4/11
Mayor Wiehl's Firing of Staff Members Shows His True Nature - The Athens Messenger, 11/2/11
People Who Work With Morris Know What A Great Leader He Can Be - The Athens NEWS, 10/26/11
Your Position on S.B. 5 Should Have Nothing to Do With Mayoral Vote - The Athens NEWS, 10/26/11
Don't Let Party Affiliation Keep You From Voting for the Best Person - The Athens NEWS, 10/23/11
Your Endorsement Presented Lame Reasons to Vote for Wiehl - The Athens NEWS, 10/23/11
Veterans Possess Tremendous Skill Set - The Athens Messenger, 10/21/11
Randy Morris Will Return Job Creation as a Top City Priority - The Athens NEWS, 10/16/11
Military Service Can Enhance Public Service - The Athens Messenger, 10/16/11
Mayor Misstates History of NCR in Athens - The Athens Messenger, 10/14/11
Wiehl no; Morris yes - The Athens Messenger, 10/12/11
Athens Needs a Mayor With More Intelligence - The Post, 10/4/11
Morris' Student Devotion Makes Him a Viable Mayor - The Post, 9/27/11
Register to Vote then Consider Voting for Randy Morris for Athens Mayor - The Athens NEWS, 9/25/11
Return regularly for more as they appear. If you feel strongly that Randy Morris should be the next mayor of Athens, we
encourage you to share your thoughts with your neighbors in The Athens NEWS, the Athens Messenger, and The
Post!
Morris Will Build Consensus with OU, The Athens Messenger, 11/4/11
Morris is the Proven Leader and Problem-Solver Athens Needs - The Athens Messenger, 11/4/11
Mayor Wiehl's Firing of Staff Members Shows His True Nature - The Athens Messenger, 11/2/11
People Who Work With Morris Know What A Great Leader He Can Be - The Athens NEWS, 10/26/11
Your Position on S.B. 5 Should Have Nothing to Do With Mayoral Vote - The Athens NEWS, 10/26/11
Don't Let Party Affiliation Keep You From Voting for the Best Person - The Athens NEWS, 10/23/11
Your Endorsement Presented Lame Reasons to Vote for Wiehl - The Athens NEWS, 10/23/11
Veterans Possess Tremendous Skill Set - The Athens Messenger, 10/21/11
Randy Morris Will Return Job Creation as a Top City Priority - The Athens NEWS, 10/16/11
Military Service Can Enhance Public Service - The Athens Messenger, 10/16/11
Mayor Misstates History of NCR in Athens - The Athens Messenger, 10/14/11
Wiehl no; Morris yes - The Athens Messenger, 10/12/11
Athens Needs a Mayor With More Intelligence - The Post, 10/4/11
Morris' Student Devotion Makes Him a Viable Mayor - The Post, 9/27/11
Register to Vote then Consider Voting for Randy Morris for Athens Mayor - The Athens NEWS, 9/25/11
Return regularly for more as they appear. If you feel strongly that Randy Morris should be the next mayor of Athens, we
encourage you to share your thoughts with your neighbors in The Athens NEWS, the Athens Messenger, and The
Post!
October 27, 2011 - The Post reports on the Athens mayoral campaign: "Mayoral Candidates: Small-Business Growth
Key Post-election", by Xander Zellner. Read it here!
Key Post-election", by Xander Zellner. Read it here!
October 28, 2011 - The Post reports on the way the Morris campaign is getting the word out: "The Athens Campaign
Trail: Mayoral Hopeful Uses Web to Build Campaign Support", by Marika Lee. Read it Here!
Trail: Mayoral Hopeful Uses Web to Build Campaign Support", by Marika Lee. Read it Here!
October 31, 2011 - The first in our series of "What You Need to Know" informational advertisements appears in
The Athens NEWS today. Click HERE for an In Depth discussion of the issues raised in the
advertisement.
The Athens NEWS today. Click HERE for an In Depth discussion of the issues raised in the
advertisement.
October 30, 2011 - The Athens Messenger has strongly endorsed Randy Morris in the race for mayor of
Athens in their Sunday edition.
Morris for mayor...the right approach for challenging times - The Athens Messenger, 10/30/11
Athens in their Sunday edition.
Morris for mayor...the right approach for challenging times - The Athens Messenger, 10/30/11
Here's an excerpt:
"Morris brings to the table a fresh perspective, a clear understanding of many of the problems the city faces, and
ideas for addressing not only those problems but also ways of generating revenue from some of the things that
make Athens the community that it is.
When the two mayoral candidates talk about what their priorities in office would be, Wiehl tends to focus on such
amenities as bike lanes on city streets and an improved city bus system. While these are certainly worthwhile and
nice services, we are little concerned when the mayor of our county seat doesn’t also name economic development
and addressing shortfalls in basic and vital city services among his priorities. Athens city leaders made a big to-do,
which we supported, over Ohio University contributing funding for a new ladder truck for the city’s fire department. At
the same time, that fire department is so understaffed, and has been for quite some time, that the fire chief says the
loss of another city firefighter would mean the closing of a fire station in the city. The staffing situation at the city’s
police department is not much better.
Bike lanes, arts programs and other things that Athens city residents enjoy in their community are part of what make
the city such a wonderful place to live, and things that both candidates support. But the fundamental and most
important role of government is to protect its citizens and to provide basic services, like water, sewer, roads, and
police and fire protection.
In our interviews with Morris, he listed among his priorities economic development and shoring up city services and
made it clear that he would be a more proactive mayor, helping to set the direction for the future of the city and
seeking input wherever he can find it.
In terms of economic development, Morris advocates focusing on small business and working with city workers to
ensure that those wanting to do business in the city of Athens receive assistance in meeting local laws and
regulations. He believes Athens owes it to the county and to the region to be a generator of jobs and to lead the way
in terms of economic development. Morris disagrees with what he perceives as city leaders hitching their economic
development wagon solely to Ohio University, which has been under a hiring freeze for many years now, has cut its
workforce several times and, like the city, is facing dwindling state revenue. Morris believes that relying strictly on
OU is dangerous. As he puts it, “When they get a cold, we get pneumonia,” and we can’t argue with that."
"Morris brings to the table a fresh perspective, a clear understanding of many of the problems the city faces, and
ideas for addressing not only those problems but also ways of generating revenue from some of the things that
make Athens the community that it is.
When the two mayoral candidates talk about what their priorities in office would be, Wiehl tends to focus on such
amenities as bike lanes on city streets and an improved city bus system. While these are certainly worthwhile and
nice services, we are little concerned when the mayor of our county seat doesn’t also name economic development
and addressing shortfalls in basic and vital city services among his priorities. Athens city leaders made a big to-do,
which we supported, over Ohio University contributing funding for a new ladder truck for the city’s fire department. At
the same time, that fire department is so understaffed, and has been for quite some time, that the fire chief says the
loss of another city firefighter would mean the closing of a fire station in the city. The staffing situation at the city’s
police department is not much better.
Bike lanes, arts programs and other things that Athens city residents enjoy in their community are part of what make
the city such a wonderful place to live, and things that both candidates support. But the fundamental and most
important role of government is to protect its citizens and to provide basic services, like water, sewer, roads, and
police and fire protection.
In our interviews with Morris, he listed among his priorities economic development and shoring up city services and
made it clear that he would be a more proactive mayor, helping to set the direction for the future of the city and
seeking input wherever he can find it.
In terms of economic development, Morris advocates focusing on small business and working with city workers to
ensure that those wanting to do business in the city of Athens receive assistance in meeting local laws and
regulations. He believes Athens owes it to the county and to the region to be a generator of jobs and to lead the way
in terms of economic development. Morris disagrees with what he perceives as city leaders hitching their economic
development wagon solely to Ohio University, which has been under a hiring freeze for many years now, has cut its
workforce several times and, like the city, is facing dwindling state revenue. Morris believes that relying strictly on
OU is dangerous. As he puts it, “When they get a cold, we get pneumonia,” and we can’t argue with that."
November 4, 2011 - The Post strongly endorses Randy Morris in the race for mayor of Athens in their Friday
Edition!
Students, make Morris mayor so you have a voice - The Post, 11/4/11
Edition!
Students, make Morris mayor so you have a voice - The Post, 11/4/11
November 2, 2011 - The second in our series of "What You Need to Know" informational advertisements appears in
The Athens NEWS today. Click HERE for an In Depth discussion of the issues raised in the
advertisement.
The Athens NEWS today. Click HERE for an In Depth discussion of the issues raised in the
advertisement.
Here's an excerpt:
"We urge our readers to vote for Randy Morris for Athens mayor. We believe Morris is the candidate most committed to
taking students into account during the decision-making process.
Morris points out that the city can’t keep treating students as if they have to be taught how to live in Athens. He respects
that students are adults too and that we are part of the community. Morris recognizes that students were raised to
respect others’ rights and don’t need a reminder to live here, and he has noted the importance of having two-way
communication. If elected, he hopes he will proactively work to ensure that communication takes place. He has
suggested monthly meetings with student leaders in addition to the current meetings between the mayor and Ohio
University President Roderick McDavis. Those meetings would be yet another step in the right direction.
We chose to endorse Morris over current mayor Paul Wiehl because we believe Morris would be more open to
students. Wiehl’s relationship with the student body has been adversarial at times, and it often feels as though his
attitude (and the attitude of some other city officials) is that students must approach him in order to have their voices
heard.
Equally troubling is Wiehl’s pride in his refusal to allow the university to cut the curb at Bobcat Lane, below Baker
University Center. He cites it as an example of his ability to “stand up to” the university; however, the spat over cutting a
curb fueled unnecessary tension between two entities that should work hand in hand.
Morris shows strong leadership skills and fresh ideas. He argues that the city must find more ways to profit from the
annual Halloween block party. Simply trying a beer garden and quitting once it failed is not enough, he says. We
couldn’t agree more."
"We urge our readers to vote for Randy Morris for Athens mayor. We believe Morris is the candidate most committed to
taking students into account during the decision-making process.
Morris points out that the city can’t keep treating students as if they have to be taught how to live in Athens. He respects
that students are adults too and that we are part of the community. Morris recognizes that students were raised to
respect others’ rights and don’t need a reminder to live here, and he has noted the importance of having two-way
communication. If elected, he hopes he will proactively work to ensure that communication takes place. He has
suggested monthly meetings with student leaders in addition to the current meetings between the mayor and Ohio
University President Roderick McDavis. Those meetings would be yet another step in the right direction.
We chose to endorse Morris over current mayor Paul Wiehl because we believe Morris would be more open to
students. Wiehl’s relationship with the student body has been adversarial at times, and it often feels as though his
attitude (and the attitude of some other city officials) is that students must approach him in order to have their voices
heard.
Equally troubling is Wiehl’s pride in his refusal to allow the university to cut the curb at Bobcat Lane, below Baker
University Center. He cites it as an example of his ability to “stand up to” the university; however, the spat over cutting a
curb fueled unnecessary tension between two entities that should work hand in hand.
Morris shows strong leadership skills and fresh ideas. He argues that the city must find more ways to profit from the
annual Halloween block party. Simply trying a beer garden and quitting once it failed is not enough, he says. We
couldn’t agree more."