Alachua Voter Guide

At some of my events and interviews I have said that it is important for the city to cultivate a working relationship with the churches because they are the city’s natural allies in confronting homelessness and other societal ills. I recently said that, as Mayor, I would go to the churches to tell them that they are welcome and that their participation is needed to make Gainesville a better place. Although I have not yet been challenged on this, I will anticipate and answer two potential questions in this space.

1. Will churches respond to such a call? First, I want to tell you that this is not a setup. I have not held any meetings with pastors to formulate how they would respond to my election. My presumption upon their good works potential comes from my own three decades of ministry work as a volunteer. There are many people in the church who are motivated to feed, clothe and shelter the homeless, visit the sick and incarcerated, and mentor the fatherless. Some of that is already getting done at the expense of those who do the work. It is hard to say how much worse things would be if they weren’t. But I know they could do a lot more if it were not for the ambivalence of both church and civic leaders. The evolving ethos of “church-state separation” has created a hostile environment for people of faith who are told that their faith is not welcome. My opponent, City Commissioner Craig Lowe, has been quoted as saying, “ Our community cannot afford to discard any talent or intellect due to discrimination.” Yet, we discard the talent and intellect of a vast number of Gainesville residents. This must be actively challenged.
2. Is it appropriate to do so? It is unjust to tell people, “You cannot participate as fully as anyone else in civic life and discourse because of the beliefs you hold.” A part of the American experience throughout history has been the need to demand the rights that you possess only on paper. It took almost 200 years for African Americans to begin to possess the promises of the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution, and it did not happen because they waited patiently to be called on. It had to be demanded. Likewise, the men and women in our churches, who have become timid under the disapproving glare of the Statists who have come to power, must make their demand to be included. It will be much easier for them, however. All they have to do is vote on March 16. Then they have to follow through by living up to the things they believe in.

Do not confuse my call to action with a desire to Christianize the local government. I am just trying to desegregate it. Anyone should be able to take his faith, whether you are Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Wiccan or Atheist, with him into the service of his community. It’s also a good opportunity for us all to interact and learn from one another instead of isolating and writing each other off.

As I wrote in these pages on December 2nd, getting action on Koppers “will require a very organized citizenry (from the adjacent neighbors right up to a city-wide effort, given the potential harm to our entire community).”

The good news is that is exactly what is happening. Neighbors across the city (with leadership from neighbors most closely located to the Koppers site) are banding together to spread the word about Koppers–and to demand action from all involved. All the time involved in the organizing is volunteer but definitely skilled.

And so far, in a relatively short time, it has been effective.

If you would like to have a citizen presentation on Koppers at YOUR neighborhood association, your fellow citizens at Gainesville United Neighbors will come to you! Please contact me at conexos@gmail.com or 335-8874 for more information. I will happily connect you with the valiant neighbors who are putting this issue on the front burner.

I hope the first thing you will do then is thank them.

Randy Wells, Candidate for City Commission District 4

They did not come to protest anything, but to build an organization. That was the purpose of the Gainesville Tea Party, namesake of the nationwide movement of previously unaffiliated Americans who are revolting against our unprecedented deficits and policies that are perceived as wrong-headed and irresponsible. According to my head count, there were 87 people present, and the organizers told me that a lot of people who came to the first meeting were not here this time. And this meeting was twice as big.

The meeting was called to order by Karianne Wilkins, whose first order of business was to lay the framework of an orderly meeting, loosely based on Roberts Rules. Next was a reading of the mission statement: “To educate, organize and mobilize our fellow citizens so we can elect future representatives who will support and defend the US Constitution and secure public policy consistent with our core values of Fiscal Responsibility, Limited Government, and Free Markets.” Next, she presented a flow chart that described how this would be accomplished through community service, education, and events. The first special event is called “Kickoff to Judgment Day 2010″. This will take place on Saturday, February 6, and will be hosted by Gainesville Target Range. There will be more details as that time draws near. In the meantime, there is a Facebook page for the event, as well as for the Gainesville Tea party group, as well as a web site.

There was also a guest speaker, Tom Hayes-Morrison, who presented a preview of some material that would help arm people with information to share with friends and neighbors about the Health Care Plan in Congress and about Cap and Trade. At the end there was an initial installment of a DVD series to be used as part of a study group, but this followed some lively discussion that was both diverse and orderly.

There were Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians and Independents at the meeting, and although there was some disagreement about the role of third parties, everyone seemed to just want to work together to accomplish the goals in the mission statement.

I had the opportunity to participate, and I did get to speak, but I was not the first person to urge this group to get involved in our local elections. Indeed, these people are pretty hot to do something, so if you are already a candidate for an upcoming election, want to be a candidate, or want to help a candidate, you should plan on being a part of this group. If you are in favor of Cap and Trade, the Health Care Plan, and bigger government and more spending, there are probably better uses of your time.

The next meeting is scheduled for Saturday, January 30th, at the Tower Road Library from 10am to noon. Since the meeting room was overflowing, a larger site is being sought, so stay tuned to their website or this one for further information.

Randy Wells, Candidate for City Commission District 4

I am THE candidate for neighborhood revitalization, with 20 years experience working to make great city neighborhoods–6 years here in Gainesville & 14+ years prior to that in Washington DC. Here in Gainesville, I have zeroed in on the special issues that make city neighborhoods great places to raise a family–the parks, schools, local business, events & activities–in part because we are raising our own kids here, but mostly because a great neighborhood for kids is a great neighborhood for everyone. I will bring that vision, passion & focus to the city commission. Please join me, and share your own ideas, time & talent to help make Gainesville an even better place to live!

Join Team Randy now, or contact me with your question or suggestion. — Randy

Randy Wells, Candidate for City Commission District 4
telephone: 335-8874 home / 328-2997 cell
e-mail: conexos@gmail.com
Facebook: Randy Wells for City Commission District 4

Nathaniel Sperling, Candidate for Gainesville City Commission (District 4)

A hearty hello to all who peruse this website! Before introducing myself, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Don Marsh, the owner of Alachua Voter Guide, for allowing my fellow candidates and myself to post on his blog.

My name is Nathaniel Sperling and I am a candidate for Gainesville City Commission (District 4). I am a recent graduate of the University of Florida (BA in History) and, before that, Santa Fe College (when I attended, it was still Santa Fe Community College) and am currently discerning a calling to the Catholic Priesthood. I have lived in Gainesville virtually my entire life and, for me, this was a nice city to grow up in. When I was younger, my paternal grandparents moved here and, several years later, my father’s brother and sister-in-law moved up here with their two children. For my grandparents, may they rest in peace, they sought closeness with their family and a nice place to retire, while my aunt and uncle were looking for a nice place to raise young children. This city has been good to us, providing a wholesome and nice place to live for my family, and as a, electorate-willing, city commissioner, I would like to help make Gainesville a city we can all call a wonderful home.

Today, we live in troubling economic times. As a city commissioner, I would work hard to get people back to work at good pay and full hours and also to help those who have suffered the most in these hard times. In terms of addressing these two important issues, it is not so much about what our local government needs to do, but what it needs to stop doing. Instead of capriciously standing in the way of our business community and charitable organizations, we must cooperate with local businesses and charities to make Gainesville a more prosperous and compassionate city. It is shameful that a pregnant woman or a young child would be turned away hungry from St. Francis House because they happened to be unlucky number 131 under an arbitrary special-use permit that limits St. Francis House to serving 130 meals.

Our city government must be more fiscally responsible and generally more responsive to the needs and concerns of the community. In terms of the first issue, local families and individuals, myself definitely included, are having to tighten their belts in response to harsh economic times. Why should our local government be any different? We must go through the budget carefully and determine what this city really needs versus what it may want–in better economic times, we can seek to address these ‘wants’. Many would argue that it is this lack of fiscal responsibility that has led to a recent hike in property taxes at a time when people have less money to spend and homes are much harder to sell. It is shameful enough when a family must choose between putting food on the table and getting proper medical care, but it seems downright criminal to then tack on fears of losing their home or business on top of everything else.

Besides being more responsible in financial matters, local government must be more responsive to the populace. Sadly, much of the problem is due to low voter turnout; for instance, in the 2007 District 4 elections, only 9.2% of registered voters actually voted. Regardless of whether I win or lose the election, I really want to see more people get involved in local issues: learn about the candidates, mark your calendars (March 16th, 2010) and go vote (or get an absentee ballot and vote that way). Obviously, I would prefer that people vote for me, but in the end, I think it is important that people just actually vote. I would rather lose the election because a well-informed majority of the electorate has examined the issues and the candidates and decided that one of my opponents would do a better job serving this city than win the election due to majority apathy. The city commission can do its part to promote greater involvement by being open and willing to listen fairly to all viewpoints. My door will always be open. During the campaign and, if granted a victory by the voters, future term as city commissioner, I look forward to getting to know my fellow citizens, to hearing their concerns, issues and desires, and working towards solutions that benefit as many people as possible but are fair to all. Deep down, I think most of us want what is best for the community, although we may have different conceptualizations of the ideal.

For more information on my candidacy, please check out my campaign website (www.nathanielsperling.com) and my Facebook group (Nathaniel Sperling for Gainesville City Commission (District 4)). Also, if you have not gotten a chance to read it, you can find the Gainesville Sun article on my candidacy (special thanks to Megan Rolland for taking the time to meet with and interview me) here: Recent UF grad runs for City Commission.

If you wish to contact me, I can reached by phone at 352-214-3170 (if I do not answer, leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible) or by e-mail at nathanielsperling@yahoo.com (this e-mail is checked multiple times per day). If you wish to mail me anything the old-fashioned way, my address is 405 NW 19th ST, Gainesville, FL 32603. I look forward to hearing from you. As I said, my door is always open (please call first if you wish to meet with me in person though, but I would greatly welcome such personal meetings).

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope everyone had a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Randy Wells announces run for City Commission District 4

Hello Alachua Voter Guide Readers! Thank you for the opportunity to discuss my candidacy for City Commission District 4.

What can we as citizens AND as city government do to make our city neighborhoods even better places to live and work? As candidate for city commissioner, I bring 20 years experience working on this very question (more than 6 years here in Gainesville, and nearly 15 years previously in Washington DC). I am a part-time stay-at-home dad, small business owner, and active in my neighborhood & the city. I welcome your ideas, and invite you to join me in making Gainesville an even better place to live & raise a family.

Please visit RandyWells.org to learn more about me, and if you use Facebook Randy Wells for City Commission District 4. And if you missed it, please check out my interview in the Gainesville Sun: “The 42-year-old father of two said that it boils down to listening to the concerns and priorities of neighbors and then figuring out a way to address those issues.”

Thank you! –Randy

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Randy Wells for City Commission District 4

RandyWells.org

Twitter.com/RandyWells

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Randy-Wells-for-City-Commission-District-4/180244078245?ref=ts

conexos@gmail.com

352-335-8874 / 352-328-2997

More and more, national issues are encroaching on our local politics. When Washington creates economic disasters, it all rolls downhill to the rest of us. Part of that is because we have let ourselves become so dependent on the federal government. The other part is that our local politicians copy Washington’s behavior. In this video I use a simple candy bar to show how higher taxes and the high cost of government gets paid by even the least of us!

Robert Woody, guest, Master of Ceremonies Jeff McAdams

Local party chairman Stafford Jones had yet another successful event out at the Canterberry Equestrian Center. This year’s headliner was Conservative radio talk show host and Fox News commentator Laura Ingraham.  She is heard locally on The Star FM 99.5 from 9am til noon every weekday.

This annual event, known officially as the Ronald Reagan Black Tie and Blue Jeans BBQ, is the Alachua County Republican Executive Committee’s annual fundraiser that is used to help support local candidates and other party functions. It’s what has helped them outraise the Democrats in recent years, but it has become more important to Republican candidates as a must-attend event. This year drew US Senate candidates Charlie Crist, who is presently Governor of Florida, and his Primary opponent, rising star Marco Rubio.

Governor Crist posing with guests

The Governor was given a chance to speak at this event, just ahead of Laura Ingraham. It was a good stump speech, designed to appeal to the recently energized conservatives. He invoked the name of Reagan and trotted out all his conservative street creds and got a good reception from the crowd. But earlier in the program his US Senate Primary opponent, Marco Rubio,  gave the invocation which included a brief appeal to conservative values and a short prayer. He got a standing ovation that was several notches higher on the applause meeter than what Crist was to receive.

Marco Rubio posing with guests

Laura Ingraham wrapped it up with short speech on the need to continue to fight the Democrat agenda. She was armed with plenty of humorous barbs, as well as a litany of dangers that we currently face from Congress. She did not fail to include some “Tough Love” items for Republicans in Congress who have rolled over for the liberals in the past, hitting John McCain especially hard.

Laura Ingraham hammered away at Nancy Pelosi

Before the program began, there were some local candidates meeting potential supporters. Among those that I saw were Keith Perry And Remzey Samarrai, both running for the State House, District 22. Jodi Wood, who is still unopposed in his race for the School Board, was there and had a booth. I also saw Speaker of the Florida House Larry Cretul, former Gainesville City Commissioner Ed Braddy, State Senator Steve Oelrich, and perennial challenger Ward Scott. Altogether, I was told there were about 700 people present, although it could have been more.

It’s been a little over a week since the Gainesville City Elections, and I am finally ready to weigh in on the results. I would have done this sooner, but I have been sick for a good part of the time, and I haven’t even felt like writing. In fact, between today’s abysmal weather and the return of my symptoms, this is the first time that opportunity and the right mood have coincided.

A 27% turnout is not a mandate, but it doesn’t have to be. Our elections do not require that we have a quorum to be official. If, on elections day, only 10 people bothered to vote, 6 of them would basically do all the deciding for us.

It is mark of profound apathy that it took so much outside money and outside manpower to rally 15% of the registered voters to come out and defeat Charter Amendment One and the 12% of voters who came out to support it. The conservative Citizens for Good Public Policy must be wondering what they could have done to draw out a few thousand more sympathizers, but there is actually a more important question than this. The questons is, how did we become a community that has no conservative representatives in our city government?

For years my fellow conservatives have told me, “Gainesville is such a liberal town! There is no hope for a conservative candidate here!” Yet, those rascally liberals keep winning so many elections with so many voters being left on the table. We routinely have turnouts in the 10-13% range. Are we really doing the best we can do?  Should  we just give up permanently? Does this enlightened University town only have room for one point of view?

Critiquing our performance

In retrospect, it was probably a mistake to get Charter One on the ballot. It was also a mistake for the city commission to blow off the concerns of the citizens who opposed the gender identity provisions in regard to restrooms, but it was a sustainable mistake. What was underestimated was the amount of resources that would be released to oppose a ballot initiative that would roll back the city’s ambitous civil rights laws to the state’s more modest ones. If Citizens for Good Public Policy had instead gathered a similar effort to support a candidate to defeat Jeanna Mastordicasa, they would have faced much smaller resistance and may have pulled it off.

This also would have required that conservatives do something they never do: think ahead. Their successful effort would have to be followed up by getting a new Mayor and District 4 commissioner after Pegeen Hanrahan and Craig Lowe are removed by term limits. Three new commissioners, with the amenable Sherwin Henry, would have made the majority needed to cherry-pick the changes they wanted to begin with while leaving the rest of the civil rights laws in place.

Of course, all of this falls apart if each opportunity brings a new crop of last minute conservative candidates tumbling out and getting each others’ way. If you are thinking about running for one of these seats, you should adopt the motto of, “If you don’t get in early, get out of the way.” City elections are non-partisan, so there is no party primary to give people a chance to choose which conservative they will have to vote for in the big one. And when you have a lot of candidates, it usually means a runoff. And runoffs go to the liberals who faithfully participate in elections, and everything that leads up to them.

In summary, conservatives need to change their ways, not their values. They need to show up on election days, but they also need to stay engaged year round. And that means that Citizens for Good Public Policy should NOT disband, but expand its mission.

Troy Blakely, supporter of Charter Amendment One, took his place on the corner of 8th Av. and NW 34th Street, and someone else tried to take his signs. The extra-large perpetrator, pictured with the police who nabbed him, told Blakely that he was offended by the signs that urged people to vote for Charter Amendment One, the ballot initiative that will roll back Gainesville’s expansive civil rights that include allowing people to self-identify which sex they are for the purpose of choosing a public restroom on private property.

When I arrived on the scene, I was just rounding the corner to head north on 34th Street and I saw that the police had a person handcuffed by the side of the road. I also saw a political sign waver, and since he was the first I have seen this season, I decided to pull over into Westside Park’s parking lot. It was only after talking to Mr. Blakely that I discovered that he had been accosted by the suspect who was only about 40 yards away. I asked him if the man was being charged with any crime, and he said that he thought he should be because the man was trying to deprive him of his rights.

After a few minutes it was apparent that the police were letting the man go, and I asked the police if the man was being charged. They said no, and they left me immediately, but then they stuck around a short distance away.

In some of the discussions I have had on this blog, I have talked about how there is only anecdotal evidence that women are having to put up with men in local restrooms. That is because the men cannot be charged under this current law, and business owners cannot make the men leave. What happened here, too, is only anecdotal. There will probably not be a police report. There was no arrest, although the man was handcuffed for awhile. And Mr. Blakely was not asked if he wanted to press charges. So, other than the fact that I was a witness to the handcuffs, and have a photo of the man with the police, it’s as if this event never happened.

I want to suggest that before you go out to hold political signs in support of Charter One that you make sure you don’t go alone. You might need a witness. You might also want to have a camera and a voice recorder. And you might also want to have your attorney on speed dial.