Nathan Skop knows how hard it is to park in Gainesville - especially downtown.
"We give [shoppers] every excuse not to come downtown," he said.
To help the city fix this and other issues, he's running for the At-Large 1 seat of the Gainesville City Commission. He signed up as a candidate Oct. 31.
He's one of six candidates. He is the seventh to join the At-Large 1 race, but candidate Harold Saive withdrew Nov. 2.
Skop, a 44-year-old lawyer, said he's heard from resident after resident who have told him they're unhappy with the current commission. He said he wants to bring an alternative mindset to City Hall.
His main concerns if elected will be fiscal responsibility, openness in government and a focus on public safety, he said.
He said he wants to extend public comment at commission meetings and said he doesn't believe all of the current commissioners listen to their constituents.
"I find it reprehensible to limit public comment," he said. "It seems to represent a form of censorship."
Skop said he disagrees with the city's contract with a biomass plant, which was approved by the city in 2009, calling it a fiscally irresponsible deal for city residents. He's had experience with several facets of alternative energy, including wind, solar and nuclear power, but he said this project doesn't make financial sense.
"When you ignore the economics in the zeal to be green, bad things happen," he said.
And he said he'd be in favor of removing parking meters from University Avenue and downtown in order to create more free parking spaces.
He said it could give residents an incentive to go to downtown businesses to spend money and grow the local economy.
Born in Charlotte, N.C., he moved to Sanford when he was about six months old.
He moved to Gainesville to earn his B.S. in aerospace engineering from UF and graduated in 1991. He earned an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1996.
He moved to Groton, Conn., to help build nuclear submarines for the U.S. Navy.
He then moved to Seattle and Palm Beach Gardens before coming back to Gainesville in 2003.
Skop graduated from the UF Levin College of Law in 2006 and works for a private law practice.
He was appointed by former Gov. Charlie Christ to serve on the Florida Public Service Commission for four years. His term ended Jan. 1.
During that time, he said, he fought against two large increases in utility companies' rates, which would have raised customers' utility bills, that he believed were unjustified.
He said he believes that's the reason he isn't there today.
"I think we know what happens in Tallahassee when you have a chance to stand up to a very powerful company," he said.
He said he'll draw on his experience and education in engineering, business and law to make informed decisions.
He said he'd be in favor of streamlining the process to set up a business in the city. The paperwork for land development is especially daunting.
"Some of the members of the community have described that document as being thicker than the King James Bible," he said.
But most of all, he said, he wants to help the city make decisions that make good business sense.
"If we were more diligent in managing our limited resources," he said, "we would be able to deliver on our promises."
Nathan Skop is primarily concerned with fiscal responsibility, openness in government and a focus on public safety.
