“All politics are local.” This time-tested adage never has been truer. On Tuesday, the runoff elections for Districts 2 and 3 will take place. Running in District 2, which encompasses the northwest section of the city, is incumbent Lauren Poe. Running in District 3 is Susan Bottcher. District 3 spans the southwestern sector of the city from the western half of campus all the way to I-75.
I am making a point to encourage all citizens who live in these respective districts to take the time out of their busy schedules to vote for these candidates. Early voting lasts until Saturday. Though local elections often fly under the radar, the importance of a single vote is amplified several fold as shown by the 2010 mayoral race last year when Craig Lowe won by 42 votes.
In the heavily student populated District 3, Bottcher has earned many notable endorsements, from former mayor Pegeen Hanrahan to gay rights groups to African American alliances. Bottcher has won widespread support among the many diverse groups that call our city home.
Even though many of us view Gainesville as only a temporary home, local issues such as rapid transit, environmental protection and greater innovation matter to us despite whether we stay here for only four years or permanently. Bottcher is on the correct side of all these issues. As someone who lives on the heavily congested SW 20th Avenue, I am glad she strongly supports the proposals for Bus Rapid Transit, a system that would create special bus-only lanes along major corridors to both improve the times between buses and reduce traffic congestion.
Regarding the environment, Bottcher is an advocate for environmental protections because she recognizes (as many businesses have started to) that investing in our environment is a coherent method for helping to ensure long-term economic viability and to alleviate the potential threat of resource mismanagement and scarcity. She wants to see Gainesville grow as a leader in an innovation economy that focuses on cutting-edge technologies and on bringing in the types of jobs that will encourage students — one of the community’s greatest assets — to stay.
Even though Bottcher’s opponent claims to focus on job growth, he supported a 2009 attempt to remove gender identity and orientation from the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance. Her opponent responds to the real issues of this community with hollow, predictable anti-government talking points, even in a climate where business, educational and government groups are experiencing and acknowledging the benefits of collaboration.
District 2 incumbent Lauren Poe has a proven track record, including advocating for the cleanup of the Cabot Koppers Superfund site and increased funding by $2.5 million for local road improvements. Poe is also a strong proponent of Innovation Gainesville, realizing that the rich talent of the community, with proper investment, will lead to an even stronger and more prosperous Gainesville.
A recent Gallup study showed that residents of Gainesville are the eighth most satisfied in the entire country. Additionally, we have the lowest unemployment rate of all 23 metropolitan areas in the state. By all measures, the city of Gainesville is on the right track, and I encourage all readers to keep us moving progressively by voting for Poe and Bottcher on April 12th.
Chad Mohammed is a second-year chemical engineering student. His column appears on Thursdays.
