Harvey M. Budd and Charles Edward Goston Sr. emerged victorious in the City Commission runoff election Tuesday night.
For the At-Large seat, 8,771 voters cast their ballots. Budd ran against Jay Curtis and received 4,470 votes — 50.96 percent — while Curtis received 4,301 votes, according to the Supervisor of Elections website.
Goston defeated Yvonne Hinson-Rawls for her seat, receiving 913 votes, or 51.96 percent, while Hinson-Rawls received 844.
Voter turnout dropped slightly from the March election, from 12.5 percent of Gainesville’s 74,884 registered voters to 11.84 percent.
Budd suspected voter turnout would be low, so at around 3:30 p.m. he paid for 3,000 automated phone calls to frequent voters.
That move paid off.
Surrounded by friends and supporters, Budd thanked his campaign manager, Connie Amidei, and his wife, Ilene Silverman.
“What a woman,” Budd said, embracing his wife. “I couldn’t have done it without her.”
Budd said his first order of business will be to look at the Gainesville Renewable Energy Center contract.
He is also in favor of forming a Gainesville Regional Utilities advisory board.
Goston had already won the race by the time he strolled into Piesanos. The restaurant erupted in cheers.
“District 1 is not going to look the same in three years,” Goston said.
He promised to represent District 1 residents and work toward improving the area by lowering GRU rates and improving the economy.
“They said that I didn’t have a snowball chance in hell of being here,” he said, “but I’m here to tell you snowballs exist in hell.”
Curtis woke up today knowing it would come down to 100 votes.
Though his campaign failed, it wasn’t due to a lack of effort.
Curtis said his supporters made about 60,000 phone calls and knocked on about 8,000 doors to drum up support. He knocked on about 2,000 doors himself and lost 10 pounds in the process.
Commissioner Craig Carter was there to support Curtis.
“If he ran against me I will probably support him. He’s that great of a guy,” Carter said.
In the University City Elks Lodge #1218, about 14 supporters gathered to hear the runoff election results with Yvonne Hinson-Rawls.
The phrase “69 votes” was whispered throughout the room — it was the number that separated her from a win.
There was no outburst, positive or negative.
“I’m sorry about the outcome, but I’m glad it’s over,” Hinson-Rawls said.
Hinson-Rawls said she was glad to have impacted the people who influenced her while growing up in Gainesville.
“I’ve literally given my life to the city,” she said.
Upbeat music played as her supporters started to gather around a table of shrimp, ribs, cheese and fruit.
“Let’s eat,” she said.
Alligator staff writers Cyanne Dunn, Hannah Morse, Carla Vianna and Hunter Williamson contributed to this report.
[A version of this story ran on page 3 on 4/15/2015]
Commissioner-elect Charles Goston celebrates his victory over Yvonne Hinson-Rawls in the District 1 commissioner seat election in Piesanos Stone Fired Pizza on University Avenue on Tuesday night. Goston won with 913 votes against Hinson-Rawls’ 844.
Jay Curtis watches for the results of Tuesday’s election at First Magnitude Brewing Company with his 8-year-old son, Grant. Curtis lost the at-large race to Harvey Budd, with 4,301 votes to Budd’s 4,470.
Yvonne Hinson-Rawls (center) refreshes the election results on her phone next to her sister Marilyn Mack (left), 60, and her Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority sister Diyonne McGraw, 45, at University Center Elk Lodge #1218 on Tuesday. Hinson-Rawls lost the District 1 race to Charles Goston, with 844 votes to Goston’s 913.
Harvey Budd and his wife, Ilene, celebrate Budd’s victory over Jay Curtis in the race for the at-large commissioner seat Tuesday night in a banquet room in the Hippodrome Theater.
