New majority: August election will reshape Gainesville City Commission

The seven-member Gainesville City Commission will be reshaped by the Aug. 23 election as four of the seats are up for grabs to voters to choose a new majority.

Election season is officially underway as Friday marked the qualifying deadline for candidates running for Gainesville City Commission. A total of 18 candidates filed to run for office, including nine in the mayor's race.

Aside from the leader of the commission, three other seats in Districts 2, 3 and 4 are up for grabs, which could be decided during the primary election on Aug. 23. If candidates don't reach over 50% support from voters, a run-off election will be held on Nov. 8.

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Here are your district candidates for upcoming Gainesville City Commission races:

District 2

Four contestants have filed to run for District 2, a seat being vacated by Harvey Ward who is running for mayor. The district covers most of the northwest portion of town.

The first to file for the seat was James Ingle, who currently serves as president of the local electrician’s union and has worked in the community as an electrician for over 25 years. He's also in his second term on the Local Plan Agency and Planning Commission for Alachua County.

“Gainesville is a great place to live, but it’s a hard place to earn a living and I am running because I believe we need to change that,” he said. “There needs to be a voice from a working-class background on the commission, someone with the lived experience to know what challenges blue-collar families face here.”

Ingle previously ran for the city commission's at-large seat in 2012 where he earned close to 10%of the vote. That race was ultimately won by Lauren Poe after a run-off election between Poe and Nathan Skop.

Jo Lee Beaty has lived in Gainesville for the past 38 years and has regularly attended city commission meetings for the past 15 years, following the introduction of the city's controversial biomass plant issue.

“(I’ve been) researching and learning about many aspects of the city, which is currently at a tipping point, and I believe I have the knowledge, background and experience to help stabilize it effectively and equitably,” she said.

During her campaign, Beaty says she will share facts — not spin — and will make decisions based on data, in full consideration of the people’s input.

Ed Book is also a long-time Gainesville resident with over 36 years of service as a law enforcement officer. Since 2011, he has served as chief of police for the Santa Fe College Police Department and previously retired as a captain from the Gainesville Police Department after a 26-year career.

He regards himself as a practical and common-sense candidate and describes himself as “moderate and centrist,” uniquely suited to run in this non-partisan race. Book is a University of Florida graduate and an adjunct instructor at SF, in addition to his role as police chief.

Michael Raburn has lived in Gainesville since 2017. He and his wife are lead pastors at Gainesville Vineyard, where they have purchased and restored hat was formerly the Southeast Boys & Girls Club in the Lincoln Estates neighborhood in southeast Gainesville, establishing the GNV Bridge Community Center, which provides free groceries to over 1,000 people each month.

Raburn says he has watched citizens in Gainesville be overlooked and ignored numerous times and believes the community is capable of much more if everyone worked together. He says he's running to restore honesty, collaboration and respect to local government.

He's currently a member of the city's Affordable Housing Advisory Committee and serves as board chair for Grace Marketplace.

District 3

District 3 Commissioner David Arreola, like Ward, is also leaving his seat due to term limits and is running for mayor. The district covers southwest Gainesville and has three contenders hoping to take the reins.

Casey Willits works for the University of Florida as a residency program coordinator.

He believes that Gainesville should promise a high-quality standard of living for all of its residents and that the city deserves safe and affordable housing, ample transportation options, and renewable energy to build a sustainable future.

“Gainesville to me means opportunity and the promise of a good life,” he said. “I’m running for City Commission to ensure that Gainesville’s good life is accessible for everyone, no matter where you come from or how much money you make.”

Dejeon Cain is a local businessman and considers himself a citizen-advocate who has been passionately and selflessly serving the citizens of Gainesville behind the scenes for over 10 years.

A native to Gainesville and a product of local schools, Cain currently chairs the Gainesville Human Rights Board and the Affordable Housing Commission and formerly served on the city's Development Review Board.

This election cycle marks the second time Cain has run for a city seat. His first run was in 2012 when he gained about 2% of the vote.

Patrick Ingle is a retired Uber driver and former engineer who says he’s wired to solve problems and find solutions. He believes it’s time to move beyond the "status quo."

Ingle ran in a special election held last year to fill Gail Johnson's At-Large seat after she resigned. He lost, however, to Cynthia Chestnut.

“As a Gainesville resident, I have experienced first-hand the deficiency of basic services, the lack of attention to our most vulnerable citizens and the non-solutions-based thinking from our city leadership,” he said. “As a father of two, my appreciation for what citizens around me do not have is both heart-breaking and unacceptable. We need to do better.”

District 4

District 4 Commissioner Adrian Hayes-Santos is term-limited and not seeking another elected office. His seat, which represents portions of northwest and northeast Gainesville, will now go to one of two candidates.

Bryan Eastman is a small business owner and community organizer who says he has spent his career working on the front lines of progressive change.

His political experience includes managing innovative programs formed by the Obama administration and organizing grassroots campaigns for progressive candidates and causes.

He's running for Gainesville City Commission because he believes it is time for new, progressive voices to build a brighter future for the city. His policy priorities include ending homelessness by building more affordable housing, investing in affordable high-speed broadband for every home and supporting and growing Gainesville's vibrant arts and music community.

His challenger, Christian Newman, is a Gainesville native and former science teacher at his alma mater, Eastside High School.

He now works for an energy research nonprofit organization, where he leads endangered species research related to the energy sector.

“I want to bring my passion for Gainesville, my community, and my talents to the Gainesville City Commission because we need collaborative leadership in local government now more than ever,” he said. “I have the right experience, perspective, and temperament gained from being a kid, teacher, coach, business owner, father, volunteer, and community member in Gainesville to be an effective City Commissioner.”

Mayor

The nine candidates who have filed for mayor are Commissioner Harvey Ward, former GRU general manager Ed Bielarski, Commissioner David Arreola, local activist July Thomas, former mayor Gary Gordon, Ansaun Fisher, Gabriel Hillel Kaimowitz, Donald Shepherd and Adam Rosent

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Key dates for the 2022 Primary Election

Voter registration deadline: July 25

Early voting: Aug. 13-20, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Mail ballot request deadline: Aug. 13, 5 p.m. (Must be received by Supervisor of Elections office by 7 p.m. on Election Day to be counted)

Election Day: Aug. 23, polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Key dates for the 2022 Primary Election

Voter registration deadline: July 25

Early voting: Aug. 13-20, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Mail ballot request deadline: Aug. 13, 5 p.m. (Must be received by Supervisor of Elections office by 7 p.m. on Election Day to be counted)

Election Day: Aug. 23, polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: August election to reshape Gainesville commission, 4 seats up for grabs