Alachua Voter Guide

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

In today’s G’ville Sun there was an interesting article about our current cold temperatures. Essentially it said that we’re breaking records that were set back in ‘99 for cold. It is also interesting to note that global temperature increases began to level off in ‘98 and have decended since then. Which, of course, is why the Al Gore disciples (and ALL members of our City Commission) dropped the phrase global warming and embraced the term climate change. But………we’re still going to get a tree burning power plan in G’ville.

I read with interest the ideas in the G’ville Sun For a better community in 2010 and will bet the ‘ideas’ have either been written by an elected official or by a writer at the G’ville Sun who has probably been at that ‘job’ for life. Let’s take a look at the ideas and, while we’re at it, I’ll add a few:
G’ville Sun – Reduce the district’s unacceptably low dropout rate: Will require the School Board to form better working partnerships with the city, county, and community nonprofit organizations.
Me – Would be nice but it is doubtful this strategy will work. What must happen (and will not, I might add) is that one must create disincentives for teenagers having children and babies born out of wedlock. In years past our parents and the society provided the ‘disincentives’ for out of wedlock births by, at the very least, disapproving of this behavior. Unfortunately and sadly, some now applaud this behavior. If elected officials don’t have the guts to do this (and they don’t), at least don’t offer incentives for out of wedlock births. Remember what Pavlov taught us. You do that and you’ll decrease the dropout rate. If you don’t do that, you will be spinning your wheels as you have been for 4 decades.

G’ville Sun - Renewed emphasis on early childhood development-education: The entire community should rally around the United Way’s “Success by Six” initiative.
Me: See #1.

G’ville Sun - Make progress on homeless services: Build the long-promised “One-Stop” service center.
Me: “Build it and they will come.” Absurd idea. Let them live with the Commissioners who are pushing this idea (Jack Donovan, Rodney Long, and Craig Lowe).

Gville Sun - Unify vital public services: Separate city-county police and fire departments are wasteful, inefficient and unnecessary.
Me: Another bad idea. Cities are responsible for police and fire protection and for protecting their citizens; not counties. Besides, all you’re really advocating is absorption of GPD with ASO. You really think Waldo, High Springs, or Alachua are remotely interested in giving up protecting their residents. Get real.

G’ville Sun - Improve transit: Advance a bus rapid transit initiative for west Gainesville. Get legislative approval for RTS transit fee for Santa Fe College students.
Me: Not a bad idea but be careful about dedicating rapid transit lanes because the city, by ordinance, cannot expand a road beyond 4 lanes, therefore, if you dedicate a lane to bus rapid transit on a 4 lane facility, you’re going to have one less lane for cars. Be careful what you ask for.

G’ville Sun - Insist on a meaningful clean-up of Koppers Superfund site: The remediation plan recommended by the EPA is totally inadequate.
Me: Totally agree for many reasons but mostly because it threatens out city’s water supply.  I thought Senator Nelson was going to help on this but he was clearly just blowing hot air several years ago.

G’ville Sun - County charter reform: We urge vigorous citizen participation in this once-in-a-decade opportunity to make county government more accountable to the taxpayers.
Me: Yes but that’s like barking up a tree. History is the best predictor of the future so I’d suggest looking at our history. Additionally, I’d suggest having the G’ville Sun release the figures, once again, on reader responses to this question and compare it to the recommendations of the Charter group when published.

G’ville Sun - Strengthen the town-gown partnership: Collaborate on the future of the old Shands at AGH site. Support development of the eastside UF campus.
Me: I’ve been suggesting that for years and, in fact, it is happening.

G’ville Sun - Protect our water: Clean-up southeast Alachua County’s impaired water bodies and Gainesville’s stressed urban creeks.
Me: Duh. Goodness, that suggestion took a great deal of thought.

G’ville Sun - Economic development: Time to write a new strategic plan for sustainable job creation.
Me: No, no, and no! If the writer had a clue about the psyche of an entrepreneur they would know that government does NOT have to write a strategic ‘plan’ to help business. That is, unless the ‘plan’ is to reduce government influence in economic development. The word is REDUCE not EXPAND government’s role. Please, please, please understand that people who either own their own businesses or want to start their own business have a fire burning in their belly to do just that. In other words, the desire is ALREADY there! By far the best thing government can do is create an environment in which the fire can be stoked. There is very, very little government does, plans, or enacts that does that. In fact, what government typically does is throw a large bucket of water on the fire.
As an entrepreneur who has started two successful businesses and a former City Commissioner, I promise you, I know what I’m talking about. I have even offered, as a Commissioner, solutions to this endemic problem but they have been ignore which, I suppose is not surprising since none of them have any experience in the private sector. Look at it this way, if you want to know about starting, sustaining, or building a business, you’re probably going to be more successful if you talk to someone who has actually done it.  Have any of your local elected officials done that?  The answer is a resounding, NO! It would be the high of insanity to ask these folks.

Here are a few of my suggestions for improving the community in 2010:

1. STOP THE TREE BURNING POWER PLANT IMMEDIATELY. It is WAY to expensive and will result in continued massive increases in utility rates.

2. Offer (the operative word here is ‘offer’ not mandate) solar electric power generation for ALL residences and office buildings in Alachua County right now. If the owner agrees, attach cost of units to the property. This way if the property sells the remaining cost of the PV Array will transfer to the new owner.

3. Cut GRU’s transfer to the city by $5 million dollars and reduce the electric rates to all city residents by a commensurate amount. At least have the discussion.  Offer the same to residents living outside the city IF they wish to annex into the city.

4. Change the City Charter and return to 5 Commissioners instead of 7. We can’t afford 7 for many reasons.

5. Cut the pay for Commissioners in half. No retirement and no healthcare (I can hear the squeals already).

6. Move the City elections to November. No elections in the Spring. This will save money as well as increase the paltry turnout (10.78% of registered voters in the last Mayoral election).

7. Eliminate the $500,000.00 dollar per year City Communications office…it didn’t exist when I was on the City Commission. I can think of a few more but this is likely too long already.

I’d say that would be a good start for 2010 and I didn’t have to go to 10.   I guarentee you my 7 will provide more improvement in our community than the Sun’s 10.  Somehow, someway, we’ve got to stop this nonsense.

I am excerpting the questions and answers that took place between Commissioner Poe and I just yesterday. I will withhold my comments at this time.

1. Is there some legal barrier to a local governmental body that keeps them from shutting it down?

Answer: In essence yes, there is a legal barrier.  That barrier has to do with body of evidence necessary to declare the site a “public nuisance” and have it shut down.  In order to do this, we must have evidence that the current operations of the facility cause a public nuisance.  Such evidence might include codes violations from noise, or air, water or soil pollution caused from current operations.  We have asked for all citations, complaints or findings of evidence from the county health of environmental departments that would give us an opportunity to proceed in a court of law.  We have been provided with almost nothing that would help us make this case.  You may be able to help with this via your blog.  Encourage residents to call in noise violations and report all complaints to the proper authority.

In the future, if the county or state health department or environmental protection departments are able to show that the current operations are causing a nuisance we will move forward with shutting them down with all deliberate speed.  I have attached a memo from the city attorney describing some of what I have just relayed to you.

2.  Is there a statute of limitations for when that could be done?

Answer: Not really. Since the evidence must be related to current operations, the case would have to be tied to what is happening now, not what happened in the past.  Past activities and the resulting pollution are covered by the Superfund law and governed by the EPA.  This law was severely weekend under the previous administration, but has been injected with a renewed purpose under the current president.  I am hopeful that this will move the process along much more effectively.

3. Who has oversight of the problem?

The main person in charge of this process is Scott Miller of the Atlanta branch of the EPA.  His contact information is (404) 562-9120, miller.scott@epa.gov.

4.  Who is monitoring the spread of the pollution?

There are several entities involved.  GRU has been primarily responsible for monitoring the migration of the pollutants through groundwater system, mainly keeping an eye on migration towards our well field.  The Department of Health is investigating the surface soil migration and is continuing to determine the ultimate spread of contaminants.  The Water Management District issues their storm water permit and has asked Koppers to provide additional information to their most recent application before reissuing their permit.  I believe that the site has a grossly inadequate storm water infrastructure in place and it is my hope that the water management district shares this view.

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.

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

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!