“We will lead with love”: City Commissioners describe goals for the next few years

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Three Gainesville City Commissioners were sworn in today, and the City Commission held a brief Special Meeting. Commissioners also briefly discussed a local bill that will be introduced at Thursday’s Legislative Delegation Meeting to ensure that GRU stays under the Authority’s control.

James Ingle sworn in

During a morning ceremony at the Thomas Center, new Commissioner James Ingle took the oath of office from Judge Meshon Rawls. During his speech, he said it had never occurred to him as a child that he would hold elected office someday; he said he moved to Gainesville when he was 19, and “through sheer dumb luck, I fell into an electrical apprenticeship program sponsored by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.”

He said that decision led him to get “involved in the labor movement, and that has been my life’s passion ever since.” He said there are not many “working-class people in the halls of government,… but very few people have my experiences,… and that lack of voice has had real consequences, especially in the state of Florida. In this last legislative session – the decision to eliminate all protections for workers out in the Florida heat, the decision to roll back child labor laws, those decisions got made by people [who are] far away from the consequences of their decisions… Workers need representation.”

Ingle said his goal is for “the working-class people in Gainesville to have what I have, and that’s a pretty impressive list. I’ve got a roof that doesn’t leak. There’s food in my pantry. I’ve got a car that starts every single time I turn the key… What I want for people in Gainesville is to not worry.”

“I think it’s our responsibility here to be a citadel, a safe place”

He said he wants Gainesville to continue “to be a leader on environmental responsibility,… a leader on all workers’ rights through things like our wage theft ordinances and our living wage policies… I think it’s our responsibility here to be a citadel, a safe place, regardless of whatever else is happening… We can make sure that we still stand up for the working class; we can still make sure our gay, lesbian, trans brothers and sisters can still safely be who they are and not live in danger. Because I think in times of darkness, that’s the most important time to be a light.. I look forward to working with all of you to make this an even better city than it is.”

Desmon Duncan-Walker sworn in for new term

Re-elected Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker was also sworn in by Judge Rawls; she thanked her “forefathers and foremothers who were enslaved at Haile Plantation and other local plantations, whose blood, sweat, and tears are soaked into the soils of this city, whose hands built this town and the University of Florida, even though, because of the color of their skin, they were not allowed to attend.”

Duncan-Walker also thanked “the elders… [and] the activists and community organizations: you are the life-blood of this city. Thank you for walking with me, talking with me, for illuminating the voices of the marginalized and unheard, for fighting for social justice, and for sharing insights into the needs of this community.”

She spoke about family members who had inspired and guided her throughout her life and said, “I am proud to have stood with this city and to have declared gun violence as a public health crisis, one year before it was done at the national level; that declaration, with the support of my colleagues, has allowed the proper resources to be put into place… [to] properly address this critical situation.” She thanked the County and Santa Fe College for their contributions to the Gun Violence Alliance and continued, “We have moved the needle, if only for a moment, on the issue of gun violence, and please know that our situation in Gainesville is much better… but we know we cannot stop here.”

Hippodrome to host Cultural Arts Center pilot program

Duncan-Walker announced that “in that spirit of addressing places to go, things to do, mentors and jobs, a partnership with the Hippodrome has arisen. I’m grateful that Stephanie Lynch is opening the doors of the Hippodrome for the pilot program of the Cultural Arts Center to take place.”

Duncan-Walker pointed to improvements to sidewalks and pedestrian crossings in east Gainesville: “As a result, now we have a community that sees that we will address their needs. A level of trust is beginning to take place as they recognize that your city is our priority… District 1 still needs a grocery store. We need banks and financial institutions. And while we do have an urgent care, we do still need expanded healthcare in east Gainesville… I renew to you my commitment to continue moving forward on those things… I look forward to the next four years with hope,… and I believe, in the very fiber of my being, that the change that we want is truly going to come.”

Ward says he is investigating trees removed on University Avenue

In his closing remarks at the ceremony, Mayor Harvey Ward said he is personally reaching out to the Florida Department of Transportation about some trees that were removed on University Avenue and would be hosting some walking tours in the next few weeks “with the very intent of looking at our sidewalks and our trees that are on University Avenue… Make no mistake, we are still Tree City, and we will continue to take that all very seriously.”

Ward continued, “We are the 13th-largest city in Florida, and we do things a little differently here than most cities, and I’m real proud of the way that we do them… I will tell you that this coming year, we will continue to lean in on gun violence… We will continue to lean in to pedestrian and cyclist safety. We had tremendous success last year, but as we were reminded just a few days ago, success is only as good as the next moment. We will continue to do a better job of ushering in Vision Zero,… and we will continue to work on the scourge of houselessness in our community. We have a responsibility to provide for everyone in our community, and… we will continue to work with our partners harder and more diligently in this coming year.”

Ward: “We will lead with love, but it would be an error for anyone to mistake that love for a lack of resolve”

Referring to the recent death of former President Jimmy Carter, Ward said, “My faith tradition and President Carter’s faith tradition, we’re the same, and that tradition calls for us to do two primary things, to love one another and to not embrace fear… Both those things are a tall order, here in 2025. There’s a lot of uncertainty out there, but I can promise you that this commission… will embrace loving one another across our community. We will continue to be a welcoming place for everyone who wants to be part of this community. We will continue to work hard not to embrace fear… We will lead with love, but it would be an error for anyone to mistake that love for a lack of resolve; we are resolved to accomplish the work that the people of the city of Gainesville elected us to do… Embracing love and not embracing hate is the path forward for our city, for our county, for our nation, for our world, and we will lead in that direction.”

Cynthia Chestnut sworn in on Zoom during afternoon meeting

During an afternoon Special City Commission meeting at City Hall, Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut, who ran unopposed, was sworn in on Zoom by Judge Rawls. Chestnut thanked voters “for allowing me to serve you one more time. You afforded me the highest honor awarded to a public servant, and that is to be re-elected without opposition. Over the next four years, I look forward to working with my fellow Commissioners, charter officers, and staff to deliver extraordinary services to address the issues of the day, with a special emphasis on the Eighth Avenue and Waldo Road corridor, more affectionately known as Citizens Field.”

Committee appointments

Mayor Ward announced his appointments to City Commission subcommittees, shown in the table below:

Airport Authority appointment

The Commission unanimously selected Brandi Renton for an opening on the Gainesville/Alachua County Regional Airport Authority. 

Rep. Hinson reveals new local bill on GRU governance

While the votes were being counted, Ward recognized State Representative Yvonne Hinson and asked her if she wanted to say anything. She said she was there for the swearing-in and asked whether “we have the date set for our hearing yet,” apparently referring to arguments in a lawsuit filed by the GRU Authority to challenge the City’s referendum on GRU governance; the referendum passed with 73% approval, but a judge has enjoined the City from taking control of the utility until the case is resolved on the merits.

However, Ward responded, “For the legislative delegation? That’s Thursday, right?” Hinson responded, “It is Wednesday, January 9, and there is a big local delegation vote on 1645… I have sent it to all your emails.” Hinson said, “Hope I see all of you there; citizens who voted 71% to return GRU to the City need to be at that delegation meeting to let the delegates know how they feel about GRU going back to the City Commission.”

Editor’s note: the local legislative delegation meeting is Thursday, January 9. Despite requests to multiple entities, we have been unable to get a copy of the bill yet. 

Ward said the referendum passed with 73% support, and Commissioner Ed Book asked whether the meeting was Wednesday the 8th or Thursday the 9th; everyone agreed it was on the 9th.

Eastman: Bill would “overrule entirely the votes of 73% of the voters of the city of Gainesville”

During Member Comment, Commissioner Bryan Eastman also said he hoped people would “get out there on Thursday.” He said he was just learning about HB 1645, but his understanding was that it would “overrule entirely the votes of 73% of the voters of the city of Gainesville… It also looks like it gives [the GRU Authority] new expansive powers that would allow them even more loopholes,… many loopholes they already use to try to use the City of Gainesville as a slush fund throughout the year, where they would take $1.5 million, force random charges onto us. Currently, we’re paying for their entire legal department, for rental of county roads, for all sorts of expenses that have been put into various loopholes… I’m just learning about it now, but I really hope that the legislature and our local delegation will allow the local community to come together, figure this out, let the court case move through, and allow this to happen. This adds a new wrench into a system that we were already trying to work through, and I’m very disappointed to see that this is the direction that we’re going in.”

Streaming of January 23 retreat

Commissioner Ed Book and Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker asked that the City Commission retreat on January 23 be streamed; Ward said he believed it would be streamed on Facebook, similar to the video that was streamed from the Thomas Center that morning. Book said he hoped it would be streamed “not just via Facebook.”