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Thursday, March 28, 2024
<p>Costello, left, and Wheeler, right</p>

Costello, left, and Wheeler, right

Scott Costello

Scott Costello was tired of reading bad news about Gainesville.

The 45-year-old saw that bad news outnumbered the good in local publications 15 years ago, he said.

He founded Advantage Publishing in 2003 to spread positivity with publications like HOME: Living in Greater Gainesville, Business in Greater Gainesville and Guide to Greater Gainesville.

“We wanted to showcase the best in our community,” Costello said. “The people and the businesses, and provide awareness to the nonprofits that needed attention.”

The nonparty affiliate plans to use his business experience as he runs for office for the first time against Gregory Caudill and Marihelen Wheeler for the Alachua County Commission District 2 seat.

Costello grew up in Palm Harbor, Florida, before moving to Gainesville in 1990 to study history at UF. He has spent the last 20 years serving for more than 15 charities, organizations and government committees, he said.

“We the People,” resonates in Costello’s mind when he thinks about bringing civility back to the dais.

As county commissioner, he would consider everyone, not just those who voted for him, he said.

“We need a voice for all residents of the county as opposed to just special interest groups,” he said.

If elected, Costello said he would focus on infrastructure, growing local businesses and paying county workers like teachers and officers a competitive wage.

Advantage Publishing taught Costello how to create jobs and build relationships with people from all corners of Alachua County, he said. Residents have more in common with each other than most people think, but partisan politics overshadow community voices.

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“I can see myself as that bridge builder and bring people together with a common vision,” he said.

He began seriously considering politics after moderating a State Senate debate between Republican Keith Perry and Democrat Rod Smith two years ago.

A debate about fracking escalated into an attack on each other’s character, Costello said.

Costello cut their argument short and redirected them back to the issues. He said the next day, Smith and Perry tried to convince him to run for office and said they would support him regardless of the party he chose.

“That was a real moment of recognition for me,” he said.

Costello said he is proud to have a balanced campaign with endorsements from 18 Republicans, 16 Democrats and a libertarian.

Costello received $49,401 in monetary and nonmonetary donations, according to campaign finances.

James Eiland, Costello’s campaign manager, said character drew him to Costello’s campaign more than anything else. He has never met anyone who cares so much about hearing everyone’s viewpoint, he said.

“Equity is not just a buzzword to Scott,” Eiland said.

Contact McKenna Beery at mbeery@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @mckennabeery

Marihelen Wheeler

Marihelen Wheeler has been campaigning for office since 2011 but has lost every time.

She ran in 2012 and 2016 for the Florida House of Representatives, Wheeler, 67, said. She also tried to run for a seat in the U.S. Congress in 2014 to no avail.

“I was just going to worry about connecting the different groups that I had met while working in the district,” she said.

But she said things changed when she learned that the Alachua County Commission would still be made up of men unless she decided to run.

Now Wheeler is working on her fourth campaign for public office, running to represent District 2, which includes northwestern Gainesville, Alachua, High Springs and northern Newberry. As of the most recent reporting period, Wheeler collected $53,173 in monetary and nonmonetary donations, according to campaign finance records.

As a former teacher of 22 years at Westwood Middle School in Gainesville, Wheeler said she wants the opportunity to improve the lives of her past students. The first students she taught are in their 30s.

“They’ve got families of their own, but the ones who are still here are struggling,” she said.

Wheeler began teaching special education at the school but eventually switched jobs and taught art for 17 years, she said. She also taught art therapy to students with behavioral challenges.

“The young people that I’ve taught, I say to them ‘You’ve left my classroom, but you haven’t left my heart,’” Wheeler said.

Wheeler wants to ensure that Alachua County has the necessary resources to support them, she said. If she wins, she plans to fight for higher wages and make affordable housing available to the people who need it.

“Society doesn’t help them much,” Wheeler said. “Particularly in a university town, our local kids get pushed to the fringe.”

Besides education and the lives of young people, Wheeler said she’s also passionate about the conservation of the county’s natural water resources.

It is necessary to protect springs in the county because the agricultural industry in northern Florida is continuously growing, Wheeler said.

“The freshwater we have on this planet now is all we’re ever going to have,” Wheeler said. “If we squander that, then there is no more.”

Although Wheeler is now retired, she stays in touch with fellow teachers like Madelyn Vallery, 75. The friends met while teaching at Westwood Middle School in the mid-1990s, Vallery said.

When Wheeler told Vallery about her decision to run for the County Commission, Vallery thought it would be a perfect fit for her friend because of Wheeler’s wit and intelligence, Vallery said.

“She will never lose focus nor become conceited about who she serves and represents,” Vallery said. “That’s simply who she is.”

Contact Gillian Sweeney at gsweeney@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @gilliangsweeney

 

 

Costello, left, and Wheeler, right

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