More candidates enter Gainesville city races
Craig Lowe, the two term city commissioner who is running for Mayor, now has an opponent in Richard Selwach. It is still early, so there is plenty of time for more candidates to enter this race. The election will be held on March 16th of 2010.
Selwach is the owner of Best Jewelry and Loan Pawn Brokers, and he has run for city commission seats twice before. This year he ran against Jeanna Mastordicasa and lost. Two years ago he faced Lowe in the District 4 race and lost that one. Selwach is campaigning to decriminalize marijuana in the city limits and to fine Koppers $1,000 per day to clean up their toxic waste.
Craig Lowe championed the Transgendered Bathroom ordinance, and is promising to keep the city on its path of renewable energy development and expanding equal rights protections.
In the District 4 seat, being vacated by Lowe due to term limits, former County Commissioner Penny Wheat will now be facing homeless advocate Pat Fitzpatrick, who was also defeated by Craig Lowe two years ago for this same seat. His strategy is to register 1,000 homeless people and then to get them to stay around long enough to vote. In past District 4 races, that would be enough to do it.
