Gainesville mayoral candidate Gary Gordon says community activism is key in one-on-one interview

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) -Gary Gordon was a Gainesville City Commissioner in 1983, then elected mayor by that commission in 1985. He said that experience distinguishes him from the eight other candidates in the mayoral race.

Gordon said he was a community activist before being elected in the 19-80s and said he still is now, which is how he plans to win the mayoral seat.

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“I spoke out against that and people said, ‘great speech you outta run’ and other things came up and it was like, ‘great speech you outta run’ and I was like, I’m not gonna run, I’m not gonna run,” said Gordon. “But then I took a look at who’s running and thought, I can do a better job than these people. I’ve got the experience, this is my wheelhouse.”

Gordon mentioned his top priority, if elected, would be combating a controversial zoning policy, that city commissioners are considering. Gordon faces nine other competitors for the mayor’s seat including David Arreola, Ed Bielarski, Ansaun Fisher, Gabriel Hillel, Adam Rosenthal, Donald Shepherd, July Thomas and Harvey Ward. Voters cast their ballot on August 23rd. You can learn more about Gordon’s campaign on his website linked here.

GNV MAYORAL COVERAGE:

Gainesville mayoral candidate David Arreola addresses high GRU rates, affordable housing in one-on-one interview

Gainesville mayoral candidate Ed Bielarski talks about ‘GRU piggybank’ in one-on-one interview

Gainesville mayoral candidate July Thomas calls for culture shift within city hall in one-on-one interview

Gainesville mayoral candidate Harvey Ward says action over words reflects his campaign in one-on-one interview

***Disclaimer*** As Gainesville’s mayoral race is a congested one, the TV20 news management team decided on 3 criteria as objective markers to determine which candidates would be invited for a live interview. The criteria are based on an active social media page, an active website, and at least $500 in reported monetary contributions over at least two reporting periods. Candidates who did not qualify were invited to submit one campaign photo and a brief bio for a cumulative online article featuring every candidate qualified for the race according to the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Office.

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