Patrick O. Ingle: Make Gainesville a safe, affordable city for everyone
As your elected commissioner, my responsibility would be to every resident of the city of Gainesville, not just a select few. This includes our permanently low-income residents, to ensure their health and well-being so that they can live within their income limits without fear or oppression.
I also am responsible for helping to build the economy of Gainesville for those residents who want to grow and prosper and remain in Gainesville. I also have the responsibility to help my other commissioners plan for the future of Gainesville city government expenditures to ensure revenue will always be available to fund the needed services that all cities are required to provide to their residents.
I will go the extra step to introduce funding proposals that use alternative methods of revenue generation instead of raising taxes, which can include bonds for revenue-generating capital projects to NFTs for community projects like Shared Places. City governments have previously sought sponsorship for adopt-a-road or plant-a-tree programs. The NFT funding concept is similar to these adopt-a-project concepts.
I would reject zoning proposals that eliminate single-family housing. I would help make city government operate on less funds more efficiently without overworking our city workers. This includes reducing the revenue received from Gainesville Regional Utilities to ensure GRU has an operating budget to meet the needs of the residents of Gainesville, which could include the funding of rooftop solar to all city homes and energy efficiency improvements.
Our GRU utility bills become a flat-rate service like our phone and internet. GRU will also increase their revenue by selling excess electricity as a renewal energy producer.
Improve the GRU biomass plant operations to ensure city recycling is incorporated into the process, which includes the separation of plastics and other materials not suitable. The plastics can be recycled into high-strength building products, which can be used in the construction of affordable housing.
I would invite the non-profit builders back to the city and work with my fellow commissioners to fund these affordable income-based housing projects. I would propose legislation to prevent valuable residential real estate from being used for travel and tourism as well as limit the amount that for-profit corporations can hold in the residential market.
I would also introduce a similar program that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has for low-income buyers to receive 100% financing with a low interest. Gainesville is not a USDA eligibility area for USDA home loans, including construction loans.
Our topography here in North Central Florida makes Gainesville an ideal location to become the supply chain capital of Florida and the country. The pandemic broke our supply chain. I would propose legislation that is both business- and employee-friendly that would bring the supply chain to Gainesville, including the development of a microchip fabrication plant in the failed Innovation District and indoor farming in our empty warehouses, to name a few ideas.
In conclusion, my campaign is self-funded, as you the voter and residents have enough expenses just trying to make ends meet without a political candidate nagging you for donations. My plan is to make Gainesville a safe and affordable city for anyone who wants to live, work or retire here!
I have published my Platform Issues Implementation Guide, which goes into more detail and is sold in paperback on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B37R9FMJ. If you are District 3 voter, you can receive a free PDF version of my guide from my website at https://journeytopublicoffice.vote by clicking on the login button and registering for access.
You will also have priority. I ask for your vote on Aug. 23.
Patrick O. Ingle is running for the Gainesville City Commission, District 3. More opinion columns written by the candidates in this race and others running in the upcoming election can be found online at bit.ly/august22electioncolumns.
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This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Column from Gainesville City Commission candidate Patrick O. Ingle
