Nathan Crabbe was at the Heartwood Soundstage election watch party when results came in Aug. 18 — but this time he wasn’t reporting on it. The local journalist was sitting with his family and friends when it was announced he had just won the District 2 city commission seat.
“I’ve covered watch parties before, so it was weird being on the other end of it,” Crabbe said.
This year was his first time running for public office. He entered the race late, starting his campaign in May, but he still garnered 62% of votes to win the election. He will begin his role as city commissioner in January.
Long before Crabbe even thought of running for office, he found his passion in journalism.
Crabbe grew up in Akron, Ohio, and earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ohio State University. He went on to report for the Napa Valley Register in California and earned a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication at Point Park University in Pittsburgh.
In 2005, he moved to Florida to join The Gainesville Sun.
Growing up in Ohio, he associated Florida with its theme parks and beaches.
But what really made him fall in love with the state was seeing the springs for the first time, he said.
“The natural beauty of north Florida is really what sold me on wanting to live with it for the rest of my life,” he said.
His appreciation for Florida nature was apparent in his work as The Gainesville Sun’s environmental reporter. He later became the opinions editor, where he worked for 10 years.
During his time in the role, he said, he had to broaden his knowledge about the community. He would regularly talk to community members to learn what they cared about. Crabbe views his decade as opinions editor as having helped build his understanding of the community and his reputation within it.
Starting in 2023, Crabbe was also an editor for The Invading Sea, a nonpartisan digital news outlet founded in 2018 that reports on climate change and environmental issues in Florida. It’s currently on hiatus, which he said thankfully coincided with his run for office.
Prior to his time with the website, he said, he hadn’t ever considered running for office.
“A lot of the issues we cover there are the challenges we face in terms of climate change and the lack of action on our state and federal government’s part,” he said. “It got to a point where I felt like writing about these issues and editing other people’s pieces about these issues wasn’t enough.”
That frustration pushed him toward public office.
As city commissioner, he said, people can expect him to continue to prioritize the environment through Gainesville’s tree canopy, parks, greenways and trails. He views environmental issues as economic issues, he added.
Protecting land below creeks, for example, can prevent flooding and help protect homes from costly damage, he said.
The city should draw more on UF’s environmental expertise, he added.
“I want your help in helping to address these issues,” he said.
While campaigning, Crabbe said he knocked on more than 3,000 doors. He was thankful when many opened, he added, because he got to have conversations with the people behind them — and they were kind enough to get him out of the summer heat.
Among those conversations were senior citizens who described issues with mobility and transportation. Crabbe said he wants to explore ways to improve home accessibility and expand door-to-door transportation options for older residents.
He also said he wants to address homelessness among children and families and increase residents’ involvement in local government.
“I want to further engage people in our community, “ he said. “Our community is better off when people are more engaged in the local political process and developing solutions.”
Crabbe’s community involvement began before his campaign.
James Lawrence, a retired journalist, met Crabbe about 10 years ago after reading The Gainesville Sun’s opinions section and deciding to contribute to it. Lawrence said Crabbe’s work as an editor exposed him to the perspectives of residents from across Gainesville.
Lawrence later invited Crabbe to work with Gainesville for All, an initiative launched in 2016 to address racial and economic disparities. Crabbe eventually led its education team, where he successfully lobbied the Alachua County School Board to create an equity office focused on educational barriers related to race, gender and disability.
“Having his presence made a big difference in the success that we achieved in the area of education,” Lawrence said.
Crabbe’s wife, Colleen, said the family learned to adapt to the unfamiliar campaign routine.
The two met shortly after he moved to Gainesville and married in 2009.
“It was nice to have a little bit of a different routine and just something new to experience and look forward to,” she said.
Crabbe said he couldn’t have won without his family’s support.
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 at a concert, reading a book or somewhere soaking up the sun.
