UF building construction junior Alfredo Espinosa announced his candidacy today for the District 4 City Commissioner seat.
Espinosa, 20, will run against W.E. “Mac” McEachern and Gainesville Commissioner Randy Wells.
District 4 consists of most of UF’s campus and areas north of West University Avenue.
Espinosa said UF encompasses a large part of the district.
“I’m running to give the University of Florida a voice at the table,” he said.
His platform includes tackling crime, looking into high utility rates, cutting down traffic, helping the homeless and making the area a business-friendly environment.
“My goal is to make it very easy to thrive in this environment,” Espinosa said.
He said that as a student, he is living in “the core of our district,” adding that he would apply that perspective to the commission.
Wells, the incumbent, won the commission seat in 2010 when he beat Penny Wheat — a former Alachua County commissioner — in a runoff election.
According to Alligator archives, Wells said he would work to improve the relationship between the city and small businesses in his 2013 campaign.
McEachern, who is a former city commissioner, said he wants to bridge the gap between residents and the city, according to Alligator archives.
The election will be in March.
Contact Samantha Shavell at sshavell@alligator.org.
