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.

I will be the People's Mayor!

The Tea Party movement is evidence that government has gotten so bad that it has inspired Independent voters to organize. It is easy to see how Washington has so terrified its citizens by answering its own out-of-control spending with yet more of the same. But now we are seeing the same hammer-headed arrogance from our local officials. Instead of confining themselves to their mission of public safety, roads and sensible codes enforcement, they try to make a name for themselves in Copenhagen by forcing their ideology on the rest of us.

• The biomass plant. Our city commission became enamored with saving the planet (from something that seems more illusory every day) and decided that it would be far better to burn trees than coal. They began with giving people the option of signing up to have their electricity generated through wood-burning means. The only city commissioner who signed up for it was Rick Bryant! None of the others, including Craig Lowe, made the planet-saving choice! They had the option and decided that it was too expensive! We will not have the option once they shut down the coal plant. By the way, trees do not burn “cleaner” than coal.
• Koppers. When it comes time to oppose environmental hazards that are NOT figments of their imagination, Craig Lowe and the other commissioners have failed to take action. The city does not have to wait for the EPA to stop the Koppers plant from operating because the city has a legal inherent interest in preventing the spreading of poisonous fugitive dust into the Stephen Foster neighborhood. Yet, the city can do no more than wring its hands before turning away to fight against a nemesis they fear even more: Wal-Mart.
• Wal-Mart. In spite of the fact that it enjoys widespread public support from its customers, Wal-Mart seems to be the sum of all fears for a city commission that does not recognize the limitations of its own mission. After demonizing the Wal-Mart Supercenter as a polluting sweatshop and overall blight on the land, they finally agreed to let them build it in East Gainesville, where they must think a polluting sweatshop is a nice fit with that community.
• Stupid spending leads to higher taxes. When the city insists on staying in a losing golf course business, inexplicably buys real estate of questionable value (Mom’s Kitchen), loses your money in avoidable lawsuits, and is a revolving door of high-priced consultants who tell them how to spend more and more of your money, it is no surprise that your electric bill gets higher and higher. After all, GRU is a revenue source for the city, and if you were paying reasonable rates, they would be even deeper in the hole than they already are.

I am asking you to elect me to be your next mayor.  And I am asking you to help me get as many people to the polls as possible this March 16th. Our typical 9-12% turnouts have led our officials to believe that no one is watching them! If we have a resounding victory (which would not take a Herculean effort), the 2 commissioners who face re-election next year will become more attuned to the public mood. And that’s not all. Another one is resigning this year to run for the county commission. There will likely be a special election this year to fill that seat with another reasonable person. And this is going to be a very good year for reasonable people.

Hi I am Walt Boyer and as the title states I am running for Alachua County Commissiner District 2. I need 1547 signed petitions from Alachua County registered voters to be on Novembers ballot. I am an Independent but have a more conservative view on issues. I also believe that as an Independent, I can better serve the residents of Alachua County without being a pawn to party politics. I would be able to concentrate on all the best ideas to work towards lowering our taxes, putting a stop to wasteful spending, improve our public safety, and enhancing our educational system. I appreciate the opportunity to serve the community and the County. You can Email me at wboyer64@yahoo.com to ask questions or express your concerns about where we are currently heading. I believe its time we put common sense to work for us.

It appears that I will need a co-administrator to take over the mundane tasks at Alachua Voter Guide so that I can run for Mayor of Gainesville. Yes, I did say that I would not run back in October, but I have felt more and more compelled to do so. I plan on using this site as much as I have encouraged EVERY candidate to use this site. No opponent will be shut out of AVG. I have never denied any candidate his or her space here, and have never censored them. (I have occasionally fixed an email link for someone who did not know how to make one.)

If you have a problem with my imitation of Bret Favre, my dithering between running and not running, just remember that it’s the worst thing you can say about him this year. And if that’s the worst thing you can say about me, then I can live with that.

Web site coming soon!

Don Marsh

Candidates, feel free to leave your responses in the comments section after you have logged in, and then I will not have to approve it!

I understand that the Koppers site on NW 23rd Ave. has been designated as toxic since the Reagan Administration. Why has this still not been dealt with after a quarter century while we are fairly certain that it is a danger to our drinking water? In light of the fact that this county and city government has been pretty much dominated by Democrat majorities whose members have long records as champions of the environment, how has this buck gotten passed for so long? And what will you do about it?

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

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.

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.