Exclusionary zoning, changes in leadership and a surprise resignation topped local political headlines in 2022

While many are looking to put 2022 in their rear view mirrors, the past election cycle − for better or worse − will have a lasting effect for years to come that will impact most Alachua County residents whether they realize it or not.

The year brought out a host of controversies that took over the local political landscape, highlighted by protests from hundreds of residents, zoning changes and the candidates running for office.

Here are some of the top topics in local politics from 2022:

New Gainesville mayor

Following his two terms as mayor, Lauren Poe is term-limited and will leave office on Jan. 5.

His replacement is a familiar face, District 2 City Commissioner Harvey Ward.

Ward, 55, defeated former Gainesville Regional Utilities general manager Ed Bielarski with 57.6% of the popular vote, a margin of about 5,400.

Despite the candidate field consisting of nine candidates, Ward and Bielarski were regularly seen as the front runners throughout the year.

Election 2022:Harvey Ward defeats Ed Bielarski for Gainesville mayor after a contentious battle

Exclusionary zoning:Gainesville commissioners eliminate single-family zoning citywide after split 4-3 vote

The two have history.

Ward was the one who motioned to terminate Bielarski as the top GRU official. The conversation resulted in Bielarski launching his campaign, and thus sealing his fate as general manager.

The candidates went head-to-head on an array of subjects, including having heated debates over the leadership of the utility, single-family housing and pedestrian safety.

Despite their differences, the two also agreed on a number of topics that were lost in controversy, including supporting renewable energy, speaking out on exclusionary zoning and reducing the local government’s reliance on GRU.

Ward has vowed to continue much of the progress that has been made the past few years in City Hall and says he wants more affordable housing options for residents, more development in east Gainesville and safer streets.

Resigning from office

One of the most anticipated local races in this year wasn’t even supposed to be on the ballot.

In May, The Gainesville Sun looked into residency claims of candidates and elected leaders. The investigation found that County Commissioner Mary Alford lived outside of the district she represented at the time of her election and continued to do so while in office.

The Sun cross-referenced homestead exemptions with the campaign filings summited by Alford. A similar inquiry into County Commissioner Marihelen Wheeler resulted in the chairwoman having to pay back roughly $12,000 in back taxes and resulted in a lawsuit.

Prior to the publication of the article about the residency claims, Alford acknowledged the issue and informed the newspaper that she intended to resign from office in the coming weeks.

The timing of her decision, however, had its benefits.

Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed GOP ally and local attorney Raemi Eagle-Glenn to the District 1 seat, which would then go up for grabs on the November ballot. Though costly, Alford had enough time to find a new home and qualify for her old seat on the commission.

Voters overwhelmingly sided with Alford, a Democrat, over Eagle-Glenn with 58.7% of the vote, a margin of more than 16,000 ballots.

Despite the loss, Republicans managed to help push through the single-member district referendum, giving moderates and conservatives a better chance to be elected to the seat in the future.

Exclusionary zoning

Single-family zoning in Gainesville is no more.

After much debate and several public meetings, a split Gainesville City Commission voted to eliminate single-family zoning rules across the city, a move championed by Mayor Lauren Poe.

The city became the first in Florida to do so, causing a stir from state lawmakers and leaders.

Supporters of the decision say the change will help provide more affordable housing options in Gainesville, while opponents say it will result in deteriorating home values and ruin the make-up of the neighborhoods they live in.

A majority of the candidates who ran for the City Commission races said they did not support the zoning change, while some even vowed to try and reverse it once in office.

It’s unclear how the move will ultimately impact neighborhoods citywide though, as the change simply allows developers the option of building multi-family units on empty lots depending on the size of open space. It does not prevent single-family homes from still being built.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Looking back: Alachua County elections, resignations among top 2022 stories