By John Fredericks / Staff and Jonathan Copsey / Staff

Chris Owens, candidate for Alpharetta Council, Post 3 was the big gainer of Tuesday night’s Alpharetta City Council debate, held at the Metropolitan Club and sponsored by The Beacon.

Owens, trailing favorite Tom Miller, who had picked up the key endorsement of powerful Alpharetta Councilman D.C. Aiken over the weekend, and getting overshadowed by the more flamboyant John Keim, needed a boost to get back in the race. He may have got what he needed, just in time.

Owens was well prepared while demonstrating a keen knowledge of the issues facing Alpharetta. He successfully staved off one tough question by Miller, who tried to tag him as a tool of the city’s developers.

But in one of the best exchanges of the night, Miller shot back with this salvo: “Then why are most of your yard signs on vacant developer properties, Chris?”

Owens, not known for his public speaking acumen, presented his positions firmly and with vigor. 

KEIM THE SHOWMAN

If the debate was rated for pure entertainment value, Keim stole the show. Glib, funny, quick-witted and abound with enthusiasm, Keim is the consummate motivational speaker. Adding substance to his unique and ingratiating style, Keim forwarded some serious proposals, the biggest being his desire to retire Alpharetta’s debt of $45 million and to forego future bonds while fully funding the city’s pension plan, which is currently under funded by about 18 percent.

His idea of “no debt,” while noble, may be unrealistic in a city with a $60 million budget.  Parklands, ball fields, greenways, and roads are not normally expenditures that can be plucked out of an annual budget. If elected, Keim might be hard pressed to convince three other members of the Council to go along with his “no debt” philosophy. Funding a pension plan at 100 percent is not altogether necessary, as the city’s employees are not going to retire simultaneously. Alpharetta’s level of pension funding is in line with most other surrounding municipalities. 

What Keim lacked in the debate was a comprehensive blueprint to accomplish several of his aggressive plans within his promised timeline of vacating his elected office after serving only one four-year term.

MILLER TRANSCRIPT SOLID BUT ­DELIVERY POOR

Front-runner Miller lost some ground to Owens and Keim, but it was by no means a knockout blow. The contrast in Miller’s performance centered on a classic contradiction between substance and presentation style.

When studying the transcript of what Miller actually said, he made sense, held his own and clearly articulated his vision of more transparency in government, less big project development and a more austere operating budget. But his delivery was one step up from anemic, and he was not particularly inspiring on the dais. But we suspect Miller will grow from the experience and live to fight another day.

OVERVIEW OF POST 3 RACE

With three weeks to go Miller maintains his lead, but with Owens now closing fast. Keim is the wildcard in the race. Will voters embrace his “there is a bigger picture” mantra and send the city a message? Only time will tell, and no one knows. Keim could win or finish a distant third.

OSTEEN STUMBLES, NOW FADING FAST

Post 2 candidate Aubrey Osteen, his campaign sinking fast coming into the debate, may have sealed his fate with an abysmal performance. Osteen’s very limited grasp of Alpharetta’s local government was evident all night. In one of his more embarrassing moments, he talked about potholes on Web Bridge Road that don’t exist. The road was completely repaved last year.

Osteen is looking more like the Harold Stassen of the race: a perpetual candidate looking for an office to fill.

KENNEDY MEASURED, CONSISTENT

By contrast, Osteen’s opponent, Mike Kennedy, played not to lose-and didn’t. His performance was steady and measured all night. He said nothing particularly riveting, and he stepped in a well on his Alpharetta water reservoir proposal- which is unrealistic and borderline comedic. But he had no gaffes and demonstrated a basic working knowledge of the city’s governance. By contrast to his opponent Osteen, he looked liked the much better choice.

OVERVIEW OF POST 2 RACE

Barring a last minute Hail Mary-Doug Flutie type miracle by the Osteen campaign, this race is over. You can mail it in. Kennedy will get elected in his second try at elected office.