A devastating fire in November 2014 destroyed several buildings on West Union Street, including The Union Bar and Grill. More than two years later, construction is still ongoing and a section of the street and sidewalk remain closed to traffic.
It was the constant delays and slow progress that pushed The Union co-owner Eric Gunn to run for city council.
"I was opposed to keeping West Union to one lane," Gunn said. "That was the first time I had opposed something enough to speak with the councilmen and councilwomen."
To this day, that section of West Union remains a one-lane road. Over the next 18 months, as The Union remained closed to repair fire damage, Gunn mulled over getting more involved in local government.
"Through that experience, I felt that city council could use some new blood," Gunn said. "When (Councilwoman Michele) Papai (D-3rd Ward) decided not to run in my ward, maybe against my better judgement, I decided to get involved and move Athens toward the future."
Gunn's frustrations with the rebuilding of West Union included the new developments.
"What ended up replacing the buildings that burned down, (the new buildings) aren't historical and they don't look very good," Gunn said. "If the city had more of a plan in place, things could have been different."
The Union co-owner Andy Studniarz felt that the local business community was not as involved with planning as it could have been.
"There's a lot of frustration from business owners on (West Union) from a time standpoint and input standpoint," he said. "We were told what would happen instead of sitting down and having a dialogue."
Gunn, who has lived in Athens for 25 years and graduated from Ohio University, said that city council needed to do more to bring business to Athens and specifically living wage jobs. He feels that his experience running a business would give the council a unique perspective.
The Union has employed both locals and Ohio University students and is frequented by both groups.
"I have an understanding of the students' side of town and the non-students because I have my feet in both worlds," he said.
Gunn will be running to represent Athens' third ward, which contains much of uptown Athens. He will be running against Samuel Emerson Crowl, OU's sustainability project coordinator.
Athens County Democratic Party chairman John Haseley said he had only met Gunn on a few occasions but was impressed by Gunn's solid reputation.
"As a member of the business community, he would have a strong voice on a lot of issues important to our city," Haseley said. "Someone who has the business perspective is important to have."
Gunn said that if he wins a seat on city council, he would not have as much time to spend at the Union, but he was not concerned.
"We have two managers who work for us and they take a lot of the responsibilities from me," Gunn said. "City council does take time, but I think I have time to spend."
