Letter: A civics lesson for the GRU Authority
Letter to the editor
At the recent GRU Authority meeting, the “Directors” discussed the referendum results, each adding their own spin. They continued their efforts to delegitimize election results based on turnout and who got to vote. It is clear that they understand as little about how elections work as they do about utilities.
Any election, including referenda, are decided by a simple majority, or 50% +1. Turnout is what it is, as they say. The victory in any election anywhere is decided by the people who actually go vote, regardless of the percentage. After all, every voter permitted by the state to take part had a chance to vote.
Until a few years ago, all city elections were stand-alone and held in March of every year. Turnout in those elections was typically 10-15%. Despite that so-called “low turnout,” every single one of those Commissioners were duly elected, sworn into office, and served their terms.
The November 4th, 2025 election had a 19% turnout, which is a historic high for a stand-alone city election. Still, the number that tells the real story is by how much it passed: 75%. Had it squeaked by on one or two percentage points, there could be some argument that there was not full community support. But that is not the case.
Three times in a row, and by increasing margins, the citizens of Gainesville have stated in a unified voice and with supermajorities that we do not want an unaccountable Authority to govern GRU.
The first time was the 2018 vote, when Rep. Chuck Clemons forced a referendum on the ballot asking whether we wanted an independent Authority. In that election, 60% said NO. Every single precinct in the city voted NO. By any measure, that is a mandate. Note that Chuck Clemons did not open that vote to anyone other than City of Gainesville voters.
That should have settled it, but in 2023 Rep. Clemons ignored the will of his constituents and, subverting the normal process for local bills, created a Special Act: HB1645. That Act forcefully altered the city of Gainesville’s charter to create the Governor-appointed Authority. Rep. Yvonne Hinson offered an amendment that would have (1) put this to a vote of the people and (2) allowed GRU customers in the county to vote on it. Rep. Clemons said no, again. So, put blame for disenfranchising county voters where it belongs: with Chuck Clemons.
The second time this issue was voted on was in 2024. At the urging of citizens, a referendum was placed on the ballot to dissolve the Authority. Because it was a presidential election year, there was very high turnout. Again, every single precinct voted to abolish the Authority with a nearly 73% supermajority.
And despite a judge taking issue with the ballot summary grammar, people were not confused about what they were voting for. There had been months-long media coverage, a robust campaign, multiple public presentations, and city discussions. That minor grammatical point did not alter the overall intent of the referendum, and the voters understood that.
The third vote held on November 4th, 2025 resulted in another supermajority, a 75% mandate for the dissolution of the Authority. Again, every single precinct voted YES, and all but one with a supermajority.
Despite all three referenda results, the Authority continues their taxpayer-funded lawsuits. Prior to the last two elections, they tried to block the referendum from being put on the ballot. Their lawsuits also asked the courts to not count our votes and failing that, to prevent the implementation of the referendum if it passed. Sure seems they are afraid of hearing what the people want.
They’ve lost in court on key issues but still throw spaghetti at the legal wall, hoping something will stick, or at least delay the inevitable. Three times in a row the people of Gainesville, the legitimate owners of the utility, have told them to disband and go home. They should listen and abide.
Their Squatter’s Rights approach to public service is bizarre and an insult to all taxpayers. Despite citizens’ efforts to evict (read: via fair and legal elections), these squatters are occupying city-owned property without the owners’ permission.
Meanwhile, the Authority is at the point of dysfunction. The law requires five members to be appointed by the Governor, but DeSantis has been MIA on that duty for more than a year. Craig Carter’s term ended in October of 2024, yet he stayed on, waiting for his replacement or reappointment. None were forthcoming, so he left the board in June with only four members. Chip Skinner’s term ended September 30th, but he is still showing up at meetings. Again, the Governor is MIA and not upholding the very law he signed, as he has failed to do repeatedly. What are the three and a half remaining Authority board members, let alone the CEO, doing to ensure basic compliance with the law they claim to be defending? Nothing.
Vacant seats create instability, with no predictable replacements on the horizon. The remaining members ignore the will of the people, rubber-stamp anything the CEO tells them, and continue suing the city on our dime so they can stay in power. This is no way to manage a utility company, and We The People have had enough.
It’s past time that the unaccountable, unqualified, and unwanted members of the GRU Authority resign.
Jason Bellamy-Fults, Gainesville
The opinions expressed by letter or opinion writers are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AlachuaChronicle.com. Assertions of facts in letters are similarly the responsibility of the author. Letters may be submitted to info@alachuachronicle.com and are published at the discretion of the editor.
Can we talk about how GRU is actually functioning as a business under both the city and the board? We get the vote legalize and I think everyone understands that there needs to be more involvement of the voters before we start claiming mandates and “the will of the people”. When the city takes GRU back, under whatever circumstances, the people will lose and continue to be fleeced with inappropriate allocations of “unlimited transfers” to pet projects and favored NGO’s. The city commission has not had a clean audit done and continues to stonewall on requested documents. The constant revolving door of senior staff should be a wake up call. But I don’t believe we can wake the WOKE. SAIEW…
It’s running like a “business” that only pays what taxes it feels like, obeys only the local laws that it agrees with, honors only those contracts which is thinks apply to it, and sues the City anytime it disagrees with it, then forwards those legal and lobbying bills to the taxpayers.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but that’s not a business that I want operating in my community.
And who paid for the pizza as a bribe for a yes vote for the students? Hmmm 🤔. How convenient non-rate payers get to call the shots for the rate payers that do not get to vote. So you sir can go sit in the corner and continue to whine!
When are DemoCrooks of Gainesville going to realize, Its Way better with the GRU Board in charge, than the Incompetent COMMIE CITY COMMISSIONERS, that only want their hands back in the cookie jar!😳
The letter writer ignores that the courts have not ruled on the House bill prohibiting the City from interfering with the GRUA. Calling for the repeal of the charter amendment might be ruled as interference.
I did not read the entire article, but I can tell you this, not once has he (the author) tried to speak with me or any other members of the board that I am aware of. I do know that he has made some personal insults and initiated some failed lawsuits against the board however. I understand the authors agenda for writing the article and I am sorry that the will of a small faction is not being fulfilled. Point one I will make, is that we were appointed by the governor and that appointments happen all the time in a democracy. Point two is that GRU was not being ran with the best interests of the utility (maybe they meant to but they were not) this translates into a real and serious potential for failure and has created generations of debt. Having said that, regardless of the spin this article and others tell, I believe we have done the best we can to work with the city. I love Gainesville and I’ll always do my best to love my neighbors regardless of how hard they make it.
“I did not read the entire article…”
Oh, David. Clearly you do not like to read. Just like you didn’t read the 1/2 dozen or so email messages that I sent to you and all of the other “directors” before I finally gave up. I can re-post them here if you’d like? At least Carter and Lawson had the decency to respond.
You can continue to ignore me if you’d like, but please at least show some integrity and don’t lie about me in a public venue.
Jason if you did send me an email that was rude, condescending, or spam I did not read it I may have simply forwarded it. So maybe you did reach out to me. From your title “A civics lesson for the GRU Authority” it possible that you do not understand when you are being this rude/condensing. However, we have never met or spoke that I am aware of. I do know that you and your friends have you said nasty and profane things about me in writing (some of which are kind of hidden) as well as failed lawsuits against the authority (public record). Here is the thing about me. I am a 42 year old man, father, grandfather, multiple business owner, property owner, collage grad (who still works on containing education), volunteer at my church, Military Veteran, and a Volunteer For the governor appointed GRU authority board among other things. So forgive me for being busy and not engaging ever rude person that does not understand how to treat people with respect. So to be clear if you emailed me like you tend to behave I would have over looked it.
David, it is clear from this response that you don’t know if the emails sent you by the author of this thread were rude, but use that as an excuse anyway. Since his direct communication is something you emphasized in your 1st post I think you might have more honestly thanked him for his letters, apologized for overlooking them, and pledged to respond.
Can you do that?
I do appreciate you assuming you understand that inner works of my mind or what I know or remember. How wonderfully not condescending of you . But no thank you and I appreciate the (got you moment).I’m be sarcastic obviously. You may notice unlike yourself I do not spend I lot of time anonymously trolling people. You’re the first a last person that is using a screen name that I’ll respond to further like I said I’m not a fan of condescending people particularly ones that hide behind a screen name. However, I’m sure you’ll be excited knowing you are a great influence on 10s of people.
I responded to your comments David, not some imaginary vision I have of you, of which I have none. But hey, you be you, knee jerk hostile and all.
By the way, most of us commenting here choose anonymity, so sue us.
David, I’ve watched enough of your meetings to know how easily you dismiss people who disagree with you, so it’s unsurprising that any comments from me might be perceived as all those lovely adjectives you used and easily ignored.
I really wish that you would go back and watch some recordings of what our old Utility Advisory Board meetings used to look like. They ran significantly longer than your rubber stamp sessions, but they involved staff actually having to make real public presentations on issues the utility was working on, then answer tough questions from people with relevant backgrounds. Less backslapping and chuckling, less virtue signaling, I suppose, but we took our positions seriously and did our best to hold people to account.
It’s long past time that you acknowledge how utterly unqualified you are for this position and how no one would ever let you near a utility board if it weren’t for your demographic as a conservative, white man in DeSantis’ Florida.
So please follow in Carter’s footsteps and do the only reasonable, sensible thing for a local businessman: resign. There’s absolutely no benefit to you or anyone else in you remaining in this position. Ed and F-W are making hundreds of thousands on the basis of your complicity and I’m sure they’re secretly laughing all the way to the bank.
“conservative, white man in DeSantis’ Florida.”
Well now I understand who I dealing with thank you. Its a shame that you have a hardened heart. Ill pray for you.
“It’s long past time that you acknowledge how utterly unqualified you are for this position”
Again showing me what you think you know and proving my original point? You know know nothing of my background or the positions I have held other than the little I have spoke about publicly. I do not always brag on myself.
“less virtue signaling”
Are you being sarcastic?
To anyone reading this. I checked and Jason has emailed me and it was just as condescending as he comes off.
To anyone reading this I have never met Jason in person this must be the extent of he he how much he cares to know me.
Well, we can agree on that at least, David. We have never met in person, though I’m happy to if that genuinely means something to you. And for the record, both Lawson and Carter found it in their hearts to respond to my “rude, condescending” emails. Hell, Carter and I even had a phone conversation. I guess they’ve just got thicker skin than you.
But from my perspective, I honestly have had no interest in meeting with you, because:
1) I do not recognize you as a legitimate “director” of our city-owned utility.
2) I have watched enough of your meetings and heard enough of your comments to know that there is pretty much 0 likelihood of you changing your mind on anything that I care about.
3) There is absolutely no recourse because you are 100% unaccountable to the ratepayers of this utility.
And before you get all tender about that last statement, let me be clear, you may *think* and *believe* in your heart that you’re accountable, and that’s special. But structurally, officially, there is no way to hold you to account. The same goes for all of you on the Authority. You get appointed by someone who has a track record of outright disdain for this community, basically can’t be removed from that appointment, and then (for some of you, at least) continue to just hang out well after your initial appointment ends.
How you or anyone else can take a hard, honest look at that sort of governance model, especially in the context of how EVERY OTHER UTILITY in this country is governed, and think that is an acceptable form of democratic governance is just beyond me. You could literally sit up there and decree that Ed B will be paid $10 million/year and that all future GRU energy will come from burning books and there is nothing that ANY GRU ratepayer can do about it. Honestly, man, how are you okay with being in a position of that level of unchecked power? And how can you be so dismissive of those of us that have concerns about it.
For the last time, please show some integrity: end the lawsuits to stop the will of the voters and resign your position. Actually, probably not the last time, because I’m going to keep saying it until you do so or we’re able to boot your butts out ourselves.
I am glad we agree on something.
I plan on working as a volunteer director of GRU till my time is up. In this country we still have due process for legitimate legal issues and no amount or lies, condescension, or bulling will change my mind. I will do what I was appointed to do.
Thank you Jason.
Perhaps we can agree to disagree.
You’ll never be a woman Jason.
Anyone who sits on this Board is an active participant in the theft of the utility from the rightful owners – the City of Gainesville. Your love of Gainesville clearly doesn’t prevent you from stealing from it.
The author would likely approve of a child staying in the “care” of a pedophile too.
Spoken like a true coward who can’t be bothered to reveal their true identity when making such heinous remarks.
😂 Why not liken you to such? You clearly support and endorse the City Commission’s continued rape and pillaging of GRU profits for their own personal agendas.
In giving such support, you have obviously gone against the teachings of Mr. Douglass who wrote and argued against slavery. That same support for the Commission that wants to keep people enslaved to their high property and utility rates. Maybe you’ve forgotten, they voted to increase rates about 5% per year until 2027.
Maybe you should change the picture to Thomas Jefferson.
Drama queens are gonna’ drama.
The author talks a lot about “the will of the people”. What about the will of the people outside the City of Gainesville who have no say and no redress for their grievances? If GRU is going to be allowed to continue to have customers outside of city limits, then GRU must not be allowed to be governed by the City of Gainesville Commission. It the residents of Gainesville want to keep “their” utility, then those of us outside city limits must be given the option of going with another provider.
Kind of begs the question; why isn’t GRU called GCU? Because it is Gainesville/Regional Utility, but apparently, in name only when it comes to our “neighbors” outside the city.
The city owns GRU, not the county. Perhaps you want to buy it or into it?
I am all for GRU cutting power to everyone outside the city limits. Now is good. You can pay any other company to run power lines to you. I’m 100% good with that.
gatorgab, you wll have no input into decisions by whatever utility company serves you, unless maybe a coop. I suggest you move for the county to develop one if that’s what you want.
The clown commission can’t wait to get it’s hands on the money again. 2 billion dollar wood burner, 8,000 garbage cans, free ride bus system, grants to weirdo organizations.
Thank you Mr Bellamy Fults for standing with democracy and the property rights of the citizens of Gainesville. The Governor doesn’t give a hoot unless he can use his appointment power to elevate his friends to high paying jobs. Like the University system.
The authority board is a hapless sad situation and it needs to go.
You carry on about it being Gainesville region, utilities and belongs to the citizens of Gainesville. I sure as hell hope the 40% of the customers that lives in the county that has no say so are able to reach out and get their electricity from a different company then when y’all paying even higher rates and what you are be thankful it belongs to y’all.
Sure. Good luck. Don’t expect that company to let you in on how profits are spent.
That sure was a lot of hot air to blame the Governor for the inept ability of the City Commission for not allowing all of GRU’s ratepayers in on the vote. Until that happens we need the right people to decide where the GRU money goes and not the money grabbing City Commission.
Sunday, the county – that’s you apparently – doesn’t own a utility company.
What planet are you all from? How did you get to Alachua County?
It is quite laughable that the author used the phrase ‘civics lesson’ in his title and then COMPLETELY ignored the citizens who are not in the city limits but are forced to buy from GRU. Maybe when he took Civics in school, they completely skipped over the ‘taxation without representation’ portion. For decades, the GCC has been using Gainesville REGIONAL Utilities as its own special projects piggy bank. That needed to stop and the best way to stop that was the GRUAB. If you don’t like the Authority Board, and want the GCC to resume stewardship, then allow county citizens to choose their electric provider. Or allow us to have a vote in elections when it DIRECTLY affects us. Until then, leave the GRUAB in place.
“..the citizens who are not in the city limits but are forced to buy from GRU.” I am not in the city limits and am forced to buy from GRU. Before that it I was forced to buy from Clay Elecetric. Ohhh, the horror!
For the “taxation without representation” crowd:
1) Do you object to Duke and FPL taking profits and returning those to their shareholders, as the City of Gainesville did with GRU, or are profits somehow “taxation” when they’re being returned to a municipality?
2) Who’s “representing” you now under the GRUA? If you don’t like the decisions that they make, what can you actually do about it? Call the Governor’s office? DeSantis’ office doesn’t even return the calls of GRUA members, apparently, so good luck with that.
For real though, these are serious questions that no one from this crowd has been able to answer for me yet. I honestly do not get this line of argument.
Jason, they have no answer and when challenged on their ridiculous claim to have a say over places where they are customers, not owners, disappear until they repeat the same nonsense again. And as you point out, no one has any say over what the “authority” does except the governor, as if he GAS about it or our town and county. He doesn’t if we’re under his boot.
Jason and Jazzman, I assume you are aware of the Florida Public Service Commission and the fact that FPL cannot raise rates on a whim but must justify the rates to the regulators – so you are either deliberately glossing over that or completely ignorant of how utilities work in Florida. Both are bad, since you both claim the high ground.
The only brakes on rate increases from the city commission are elections, they are every four years, and with an overwhelming Dem voter advantage, the incumbents do not fear being replaced. That’s why residents were protesting in 2022 over the high rates. They certainly did not feel at that time that they “owned” anything. They felt helpless.
So you can go on about not having a say in FPL or other investor-owned utilities, but hopefully other people on this page will realize that you are leaving out the state’s regulatory functions with regard to utilities when you make those arguments.
Thanks, Hannah. Yes, I’m aware of the PSC and its relationship with utilities in our state. Munis like GRU are not as closely regulated by the PSC as the investor-owned utilities (IOU) are, specifically because they’re deemed to be more accountable to their ratepayers.
That being said, they don’t totally escape PSC oversight. The biomass disaster that everyone likes to talk about was, for instance, approved by the PSC.
I’m also well aware, however, of the deep “regulatory capture” that exists in this state and what a terrible job the PSC does of keeping the IOUs in check. The near complete lack of any demand-side management requirements and the record-breaking FPL rate increases are just two examples. Jason Garcia does a great job on his Substack (“Seeking Rents”) of discussing these issues if you’re ever interested.
All that to say, I’ll take real local governance of a utility, however flawed, over living under an IOU any day. Personally, I’d even be fine with an independent governing board for GRU, as long as it was one that was locally accountable and made up of people who are actually qualified. Neither of which we can say about the current GRU Authority.
So if nothing else, I hope folks here can see that this doesn’t have to be a black and white issue, you’re either for full control by the CC or full control by the GRUA. We can find some middle ground, I think. We just have to get Tallahassee out of the way, because folks there aren’t looking out for any of us.
Taxation without representation is wrongful and unconstitutional. I seem to recall the founding fathers had a problem with that back in Boston that involved tea taxes.
Make no mistake, that is what happens when the city of Gainesville raids GRU’s high-rate-engorged coffers for money to power their social engineering experiments. It fits the city leadership using the Palo Alto model, but it does not fit my lifestyle.
My normal recourse would be to “vote the moron’s out.” But I can’t vote as I reside in the county.
As a former Senior Engineer with Florida Power & Light’s home office, I recognize government-supported monopolies’ ineptitude when it is visited upon me by GRU’s roaming gangs of semi-workers. My property has been repeatedly vandalized over the past 30 years.
I need John Morgan, Dan Newlin, and Racehorse Haynes, and I need them now. Perhaps our Governor and his Attorney General will rescue us from our forced servitude.
Hummm private utilities gouging customers for ridiculous CEO salaries and shareholders, our utility profits reinvested here in our community.
Overview
https://www.nexteraenergy.com/content/dam/nee/us/en/images/bios/bio-john-ketchum.jpg
The FPL CEO’s salary is not a single fixed figure, but rather total compensation that has varied by year and by the individual holding the role. For example, in 2024, the total compensation for NextEra Energy CEO John W. Ketchum (who is also Chairman of FPL) was over $21.6 million. For previous years, Salary.com reported Armando Pimentel Jr., the former FPL President and CEO, received over $10.9 million in total compensation in 2024.
https://energyandpolicy.org/key-decisions-loom-in-fpl-historic-bid-to-raise-rates/
“Nearly 12 million Floridians face higher electricity bills as state regulators weigh competing proposals in Florida Power and Light’s bid for what is likely the largest rate hike in United States history. One proposal, led by Florida Power and Light (FPL), would lead to a $7 billion rate increase compared to another proposal, led by the state’s consumer advocate, which would limit the rate increase to $5 billion.
FPL filed its historic $9.819 billion request to increase rates in February 2025, including a request to raise the company’s return on equity (ROE) to 11.9 percent, several points higher than the industry standard of 9.68 percent. About one third of the proposed first-year rate increase would go strictly to profits, due to an increased ROE, according to the Office of Public Counsel (OPC), which represents the public in utility rate cases and other matters. “
Compensation for the outgoing UF football coach is in the neighborhood of $21 million. Mullen $12 million. McElwain $2+ million.
Sorry, what was your point?
Like Mr Haslem you fail to read things you are responding to. My point was that the former FPL’s employee name calling is hypocrisy given his prior employer’s price gouging monopolistic practices. “As a former Senior Engineer with Florida Power & Light’s home office, I recognize government-supported monopolies’ ineptitude when it is visited upon me by GRU’s roaming gangs of semi-workers.”
How often are FPL customers allowed to vote on the utilities BOD, another monopoly that you conveniently ignore.
I get to vote 4/7 commissioners!
No, you voted, what was your point? FPL ‘s CEO is underpaird? Hey, I guess I am too.
Or maybe college football coaches ARE OVERPAID!!
For both of you, people get compensated. Rarely does the general populace agree with what most consider an exorbitant amount and it appears Invitado doesn’t agree with those compensation packages either.
Given his/her/their choices for 4/7 of those fiscally incompetent idiots, they’ve been poor choices.
Dude, that makes zero sense. Want to try again?
Nevermind!
Did FPL let it’s customers decide how to use it’s profits and oversee it’s operation? Tell us about that please.
City residents didn’t get a choice either. They were forced into purchasing the Bio-fiasco, forced into higher utility rates, and hit with increases in property taxes and assessments, and don’t forget the solar trash cans. Just a reminder, those higher utility rates were implemented despite the “owners” pleading and signing a petition for their owners not to raise them.
Ward and the rest of the Commission has you exactly where they want you.
unexploded, can you give us any inside information on FPL’s illegal dark money campaign contribution to Sen Perry’s reelection effort in 2018? He’s one of the primary movers of stripping control of GRU from it’s owners.
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article264196761.html
The GRUA opponents claim they don’t want chaos, but that is exactly what would happen if the entire board resigned. GRU would not automatically revert to the city commission if there was no GRUA – the charter would still give that power to GRUA, so there would be no governing body. So calls for resignation are nothing but attempts to rile people up against the members of the board, who are doing what they were appointed to do.
Your fight is not with the board members. It is a legislative fight.
Hannah, as surely you shouknow, the city and county has no representation in the stae legislature other than Rep Hinson. The GOP has gerrymenderd our blue island so that we are overwhelmed by the voters of Marion, Levy, and other surrounding red counties.
Look it up.
Jazzman, you’re deflecting as usual…
You did not respond to my point that GRU would not revert to the city if the board resigned.
Chuck Ross is correct that the board could drop their appeals, and then the city could ask a judge to remove the injunction, but Jason and others aren’t asking board members to do that – he’s asking them to resign, and that won’t solve the problem he’s trying to solve. If all the board members resign, there is no board to vote to drop the appeals, and the appeals would go on for some period. In the meantime, presumably DeSantis would appoint enough members to have a quorum. While he has been slow to appoint members to fill expiring terms (throughout the state, not just on this board), he acts quickly when there is not a quorum.
Hannah, you are deflecting from the fact that we have no say in the “legislative fight” that you think rightfully should dictate our lives. As to the law, forgive me for waiting for the judge while you howl at the moon.
The city is subservient to the state.
That BS election is an attempt to do a workaround of the current law ( the authority).it ain’t gonna work!
The utility authority is not going anywhere.
Only the elected state representatives can repeal a local, special law such as HB 1645. Straw ballots are allowed but enforcement of such referendums have been blocked until last year’s “election” is reviewed. Any unqualified MEMBER or one whose appointment has expired should resign immediately.
Failure to resign as indicated renders any official action questionable.
I support Jason’s presentation of the background and facts about the 2018, 2024, and 2025 referendums, which resulted in all three elections overwhelmingly being in favor of returning the Utility to local governance and that the board should resign.
Prior to their resignation, it is necessary for them to withdraw the lawsuits. This action will result in the dissolution of the GRU Authority, and the Utility will be transferred back to local governance, as specified by the outcome of the vote. This answers some of the comments made on this post.
The people have spoken…multiple times now. It’s one thing to be a sore loser. It’s another thing entirely to say you’d rather circumvent the democratic process because you didn’t get your way. That’s just what the state has tried to do here.
But an overwhelming number of voters in Gainesville have spoken up. Local residents should have the right to decide how they get their energy. Enough is enough.
Think about it this way. You walk into a crowded store and 3/4 of the people in the store likely voted to eliminate the legislative act that created the board you are a member of, knowing that action will return GRU to local governance. Why would you want to remain on this board? The legal appeal by the GRU board is a waste of time, resources, and a lot of money. Out of respect for the voters of Gainesville and the many County Customers that I know want the law repealed, please withdraw the lawsuits and resign.
Well, no. 3/4 of 19% (14%) of the people in the store voted to eliminate the board. The rest did not care enough to show up to vote and probably have no idea who is on the board.
Are you implying that members should resign because 14% of people don’t like them? I’m pretty sure that more than 14% of Gainesville residents oppose the single-party rule of our city and county commissions, but you don’t recommend that they resign because of the animosity.
Hannah, that’s a poor argument and you should know it, and it’s not about like or dislike.
By the way, I have attended almost all of the GRUA meetings since the board was formed. I speak to some of the members, their attorney and Bielarski on occasion after and/or before the meetings.
However, I am a proponent of Home Rule, and I don’t think the State should appoint members to a local government board. It violates the powers of home rule among other things. Based on the vote it appears that I am not alone.
But for the sake of argument in 2024 the turnout was close to 70% and of those that voted close to 70% voted to eliminate the law that created the board.
I was an Independent auditor during my career as a CPA. Did you ever study statistics? Auditors test samples of data looking for errors or irregularities. When you are testing a population of data for errors you do not test 100% of the population, but you take a sample. So think of the 19% as a sample of the entire population.
Based on the 2024 the result of the 2025 vote appears to be accurate. And if it was an audit I would accept the result and move on, no need for further testing.
Unfortunately off-year elections especially with a single item on the ballot don’t produce a large turnout. There are are numerous reasons why people don’t come out to vote in an off-year election and it doesn’t mean they don’t care about the issue.