Dear Mr. Niesse:

Thank you for your well written 2 April news article on the Single-Family Definition.

I know that we only had about ten minutes to talk for your preparation for this article, so allow me to clarify some issues:

1.  As you wrote correctly, we cannot win this fight in the Commission.  However, we can win in a general election with the Single-Family Definition on the ballot as a referendum/initiative issue.  
2.  Acquiring the signatures will only put the issue on the ballot.  Then the people can decide.  With a massive student voting registration movement in the Fall, we will win on the Single-Family Definition issue.

As long as Athens-Clarke County continues to apply the Single-Family Definition to proscribe high-quality student living in Athens, students will remain second-class citizens.  A-CC’s message to students is: Students may pay our salaries, pay our inflated sales taxes, support our business, but may not live in our neighborhoods, regardless of their behavior.  

On Tuesday night, I will ask for the floor to give a presentation on the history and issues of Single-Family Definition.  I hope that you will be there.

Warmest regards,
/s/ Chris Hoofnagle
Chair, External Affairs