City of Gainesville Elections Spring 2008

A 27-year-old land-use lawyer, Thomas Hawkins Jr. is a graduate of UF and Gainesville's Eastside High School. Hawkins' family has been involved in Gainesville politics since his great-grandfather was mayor more than 100 years ago. Hawkins is a graduate of UF and Gainesville's Eastside High School. Being so familiar with Gainesville, Hawkins feels he's prepared to be an active part of the city commission.

• denser growth in downtown Gainesville
• more housing for students and professors
• improve youth programs
• promote cheap housing alternatives

Though his term as UF Student Senate president ended in October, Robert Agrusa is not done with politics. Agrusa, 22, who graduated in December, helped bring about Sunday bus service, campus recycling bins, sustainability programs and the UF Book Market, a Web site to sell and buy textbooks, he said. His work with the Student Senate has prepared him well, he said. He thinks his experiences from his Senate days could help rejuvenate a "stagnant" commission, he said.

• transportation, public safety and economic development
• update Gainesville's traffic light system
• bring more living-wage jobs to the city
• improve sustainability in the city

Bonnie Mott, 58, has been the owner of Prudential Preferred Properties, a local real estate company, since 1993, an experience she said qualifies her for a seat on the commission managing thousands of residents. Municipal work like preparing budgets, listening to constituents and organizing priorities is nothing new to her. She also said her 43 years in Gainesville - more than both of her opponents combined - give her a better perspective on the city's future.

• rethink tax incentives
• GRACE Marketplace plans are too far from those who need help
• improve mass transit system
• improve relations between long-term homeowners and student renters

Lauren Poe, 37, has lived in Gainesville for 25 years and earned a UF master's degree in education a decade ago. He now works as an economics and government professor to dual-enrollment students at SFCC. He encourages his students to stay civically involved by attending speeches and following local politics, he said. At a commission candidate forum last week, several of his students cheered his name as he left the stage.

• build up downtown Gainesville
• rethink tax incentives
• improve relations between UF, SFCC and the city
• SFCC bus service

Over the past several weeks, Bryan Harman, 33, who worked in real estate and marketing before taking a break to campaign, said he has walked numerous neighborhoods and knocked on several thousand doors in an effort to meet the taxpayers he hopes to serve. This is Harman's first election. Harman said his policy of direct conversation with constituents has helped him realize what city residents feel local government could work on.

• attract more high-paying jobs to Gainesville
• social programs for the needy
• rethink tax incentives
• spend less on consulting fees

Jack Donovan is proud of what he has accomplished in his three-year term. Donovan said he has helped bring in an $18 million grant to improve traffic synchronization from the Florida Department of Transportation and stopped other commissioners from voting for a coal-burning power plant that would have harmed the environment. A Gainesville resident for 21 years, Donovan is a former minister and has worked with UF students to create internships with the city commission.

• improve the city's road grid
• downtown and East Gainesville development
• address race and class divisions
• find alternative punishments for juvinile offenders

Armando Grundy said he decided to run for the commission after noticing a lack of accountability by the commissioners. He came moved to Gainesville after spending eight years in the army to finish his education at SFCC. "I wanted to be part of The Gator Nation," he said. "It has, so far, surpassed any expectations I have had." He has been here for just under a year. "It's important to be concerned about all of the community, but never allow your homefront to fall to the wayside," Grundy said.

• tax cuts instead of public funds for downtown development projects
• ensure that police and fire rescue forces have necessary resources
• elected officials should be held accountable
• help small businesses

Editor's Note: Christopher Salazar could not be reached for a photograph. Christopher Salazar first became interested in politics as a child watching the news. Salazar studied general science and engineering before he went on leave from SFCC. A Gainesville resident all his life, Salazar first experienced the local political system at a commission meeting last year when he spoke out against the closing of Tent City, a homeless camping area near South Main Street.

• address Gainesville's energy needs
• improve communication between homeless ministries
• improve sustainability in the city
• reduce congestion on the roads
• address problems that are important to students