Commissioner Ed Braddy has been on the Gainesville City Commission for six years now, but he says it feels like a thousand.
That's because Braddy, who views his position as an everyday job, has never been a fan of big government.
"I didn't come in as someone who's enamored with governmental power and seeks its growth and expansion," Braddy said.
As Gainesville's only conservative city commissioner, Braddy will step down from his District 2 seat on May 12.
Braddy, who works in the Academic Foundations department at SFCC, first became involved in politics working on campaigns, such as David Bludworth's for state attorney general in 1998. Though Bludworth, an unheard-of candidate, lost the election, it was impressive that he even won the Republican primary, Braddy said.
"That's when I learned upsets can happen," Braddy said. "You can be a part of change."
Braddy considers his own 2002 election an upset, when he ran against an incumbent at a time when he said the city was anti-business and morale was low.
"I would like to think it was my striking good looks and talent and charisma," he said, "but I think a lot of voters wanted to give another guy a shot at the seat."
Though his views have often made him a lone dissenting vote, Braddy said there are other ways to get things accomplished. For example, when the commission first proposed the Southwest Downtown Parking Garage - a proposal Braddy called "the Taj Mahal of parking garages" - he said he prevented them from voting until citizens came forward suggesting it could be built for less.
"Sometimes you can slow down the commission by raising a viewpoint they hadn't considered," he said.
Eventually the project was renegotiated with a different company for $5 million less than the original proposal.
"If nothing else, I am a fiscal hawk," Braddy said.
He's also used more creative tactics to sway other commissioners.
When he first joined the commission in 2002, he felt the city's Development Review Board, which regulates existing land use, was in need of amendments.
When others didn't agree, Braddy upped the ante and called for getting rid of the board altogether.
Suddenly, he said, the commissioners were ready to make amendments.
Despite his frequent dissenting views, Braddy said he doesn't think the commission will change much when Lauren Poe takes over his seat.
Either the same decisions will be made with fewer dissenting votes, he said, or more moderate commissioners will speak up to fill his place.
"If you're already surrounded by like-minded thinkers, the only way to distinguish yourself is to move away," he said.
During his time on the commission, Braddy said he's tried to make himself available to his constituents and doesn't mind being approached in Publix or at the dry cleaner's about issues.
"That's my job," he said. "You're supposed to ask. Don't apologize for bothering me."
Though he chose not to run for the commission again, he plans to continue advocating individual rights as executive director of the Gainesville branch of the American Dreams Coalition, a conservative political group that works to inform local governments about affordable housing and easy access to cars and transportation.
There are already enough officials out there who want to increase the size of government, he said.
"I'm very proud of being a conservative," he said. "I don't think there's anything wrong with holding that viewpoint."
