Mac vs the Empty Chairs
District 4 Candidate Mac McEachern
At Monday night’s candidate forum sponsored by the Alachua Democratic Black Caucus, Mac McEachern had to provide all the information in District 4 by himself. Neither thee incumbent, Randy Wells, nor the other challenger, Alfredo Espinosa, participated.
Commissioner Randy Wells
Commissioner Wells claimed a conflict with a committee meeting. Eventually, a surrogate for Wells name Derrick came to a separate podium to read off a statement about the commissioner’s accomplishments. Those listed were: 1)increased access for bikes, 2) no smoking in parks, 3) make neighborhoods more green, and 4) coalition building to create jobs and business incubators.
Conspicuously absent from the list was any talk about biomass, Koppers, or Bus Rapid Mass Transit; the burning issues of this evening’s forum. This ground was ceded entirely to Mac McEachern, who repeated over and over how Wells, “Sat quietly and did nothing,” while Gainesville got saddled with a secret contract with no opt-out clause, and Stephen Foster Neighborhood residents seethed with anger over a Koppers clean-up that is questionable on a good day.
Since he had the time, because his opponents were not present, Mac also took a shot at the lesser known Alfredo Espinosa, pointing out that on his website he is posing with “lots of pretty girls,” and that he thought he wouldn’t have time to serve.
In the interest of verifying this claim, I found the Twitter account mac was referring to…
- Candidate Alfredo Espinosa
Surely you understand the comment about Alfredo’s picture was tongue-in-cheek. You don’t have to be dead serious all the time. He had classes the preventing his presents but promised to make all the rest.
The issues in this campaign were established in my first comments at the 4A and remain the same, GRU and the biomass contract including the Fuel Adjustment, RTS and Bus Rapid Transit, Neighborhood protection, road, bike paths and sidewalks maintenance and improvements and abuse of citizens at commission meetings and respect for the charter (hireling of campaign workers — patronage). I touched on each of these.
Yes, Wells sitting quietly and doing nothing deserves comment. He has been notably in support of the mayor and the fiscally irresponsible biomass contract and secret meetings but not proactive on anything. My comments were emphasized in response to his surrogate’s statement about the commissioner’s accomplishments. Since they were minimum but not championed by him.
I guess you think I should have let that slice by.
Wells, like the mayor, had more than ample notice of this forum but chose to ignore it.
I still envy Alfredo for his campaign supporters.
1Actually, I thought the whole Alfredo photo bit was funny. I don’t think it hurts him, nor the fact that his web presence is just in twitter and Facebook.
I appreciate your comment. I was furiously scribbling notes and missed a lot. This what I love about blogs. Try doing this with the Sun.
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