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

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) -Harvey Ward is a familiar face. He has been the district two Gainesville city commissioner since 2017 plus, he’s a Gainesville native.

Ward’s campaign and tenure as a commissioner, has focused on increasing RTS ridership, roadway safety and affordable housing. Although, with eight other candidates in the mayoral race, a run-off is likely.

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“The math makes it really hard for anybody to get 50%, plus one. I’m prepared to be in this for the long haul,” said Harvey Ward. “I’m also hoping for a win, I’d be happy to walk away from Tuesday night and be able to move forward and prep for actually being mayor, but I like campaigning too so I’m more than happy to stay on the campaign trail.”

Challenging Ward for the mayor’s seat is David Arreola, his colleague on the dais, and Ed Bielarski, the former GRU manager fired by Ward, and other commissioners, this year. Also on the ballot for mayor, Gary Gordon, Ansaun Fisher, Gabe Hillel, Adam Rosenthal and Donald Sheppard.

You can learn more about Ward’s campaign 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 Gary Gordon says community activism is key in one-on-one interview

Gainesville mayoral candidate July Thomas calls for culture shift within city hall 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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