Candidates set for City of Alachua April 8 election

Staff report

ALACHUA, Fla. – The City of Alachua’s qualifying period for the scheduled April 8, 2025 election concluded at noon on Tuesday, February 25, 2025. Two commission seats are open for election. The candidacy information for each open seat is as follows:

Seat 1 (Mayor)
Candidate Gib Coerper
Candidate Walter Welch

Seat 2
Candidate Jacob Fletcher
Candidate Edward Potts

The polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8, 2025 at the Legacy Park Multipurpose Center, Cleather Hathcock, Sr. Community Center and Clubhouse at Turkey Creek. Candidate documents are available for review in the Deputy City Clerk’s office at Alachua City Hall.

Information from qualifying documents

Gib Coerper, the current Mayor of Alachua, lists the City of Alachua as his main source of income, along with retirement income and Social Security. He lists no real property and no investments or liabilities over $10,000.

Walter Welch, who is running for Mayor, lists no sources of income, no real property, and no investments or liabilities over $10,000.

Jacob Fletcher, who is running for Seat 2, lists the University of Florida as his primary source of income; he works in IT and has the job title Application Developer Analyst I. He lists no real property and has a brokerage account valued at over $10,000 and a loan of over $10,000 with Campus USA Credit Union.

Edward Potts, who is currently the Seat 2 Commissioner, lists the City of Alachua as his primary source of income and lists no real property but lists several bank and investment accounts and a personal residence under “intangible personal property,” along with a mortgage of more than $10,000.

Candidates are welcome to send opinion pieces to info@alachuachronicle.com to describe their qualifications and their goals as elected officials.