In the mayor's office, visitors may spot a whiteboard with the words “mostly fine” crossed out. Mayor Harvey Ward said that’s the mindset he brings to the job: He doesn’t want Gainesville to be a “mostly fine” city.
Ward said people can leave a place when they’re unhappy with it, or they can stay and work to improve it. He chose the latter.
“I have deep roots in the community and want to make this the sort of place that everyone who chooses to be here is glad that they're here,” Ward said.
Ward won 79% of the vote in his Aug. 18 reelection campaign, the largest margin in any Gainesville mayoral election. Entering his final term, Ward will continue his near decade-long career in Gainesville public office. He previously served two three-year terms as a city commissioner before being elected mayor in 2022.
Ward had little hesitation about seeking reelection, he said, because there’s still work he wants to finish.
“I have an expiration date in this office,” he said. “I feel a tremendous sense of urgency to finish what we started.”
During his first term as mayor, Ward said the city helped create 850 new affordable homes through projects in East Gainesville like the Heartwood community. In his next term, he hopes to add 1,000 homes, conserve 1,000 acres of land and create 1,000 jobs.
Before holding public office, Ward has always called Gainesville home.
He grew up in East Gainesville and attended Howard Bishop Middle School, Eastside High School, Santa Fe College and UF, where he earned a bachelor's degree in public relations. After graduation, he stayed in Gainesville, where he married and raised three children.
He spent 10 years directing a church foundation at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, where he focused on improving homeless services downtown. He then spent the next 10 years fundraising at WUFT, a UF-operated news organization covering North Central Florida. The experience drew him into public service, he said.
He thought Gainesville could improve its services for homelessness, so he ran for city commissioner, he said. At the time, mayorship wasn’t on his mind, he added; he was focused solely on the commissioner role.
Commissioner terms were three years long when Ward was in the position. After two consecutive terms, he reached his term limit.
When then-Mayor Lauren Poe reached his term limit the same year, Ward said running for mayor seemed like the obvious path for him to take.
“If it weren’t for term limits, I would have happily stayed a city commissioner for the rest of my career,” Ward said.
Looking back on his first mayoral term, Ward pointed to investments in East Gainesville, including a UF Health Clinic on Hawthorne Road and new affordable housing, as accomplishments he wants to build on.
The city spent a lot of time arguing with the state legislature during his last term, Ward added, and he hopes to focus more on Gainesville in the next one.
During Ward’s first term, Gainesville faced challenges as the city had to comply with the Florida Department of Transportation's mandated removal of rainbow crosswalks.
The city has also been in legal battles with the state after federal law removed local control over Gainesville Regional Utilities in 2023 and replaced it with an authority board appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Through all those challenges, Ward said his family has remained his strongest support system. As long as they continue supporting his work in public service, he plans to keep doing it.
His oldest daughter, Resli Ward, often campaigns door-to-door with him.
Resli, a 21-year-old UF history senior and the programs director of UF College Democrats, has always been involved in politics.
“I think it’s really fun to talk to other people about politics and see what they think and what issues are most important to them,” she said.
Her father attended city commission meetings even before holding office, she said, and his years in local government taught her family how the city operates. She described Ward as a walking encyclopedia on government — and country music.
The family was excited when he chose to run again, Resli added.
“I still love lore dropping on my friends,” she said. “I’ll randomly be like, ‘Hey, do you know who my dad is?’”
Ward also counts former Gainesville Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan among his longtime supporters. Hanrahan, who served as the city’s mayor from 2004 to 2010 after serving on the city commission, met Ward through Holy Trinity Episcopal Church before he entered office.
She remembers hearing one of his campaign speeches and being struck by his ability to communicate, she said.
“It was never a difficult choice as to whether or not to support Harvey,” Hanrahan said “He's always had my confidence.”
Ward will serve as mayor until 2031, when he reaches his term limit.
Contact Teia Williams at twilliams@alligator.org. Follow her on X @teia_williams.
Teia Williams is a journalism senior at UF and the Fall 2026 criminal justice reporter. This is her fourth semester with The Alligator. If she isn't writing an article, you can find her a concert, reading a book or somewhere soaking up the sun.
