Chris Weaver wants voters to know that even though he hasn’t lived in Gainesville long, he is still qualified to represent them.
For two years, he worked in Tallahassee budgeting and financing in the mayor’s office while working on his master’s degree at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University.
More recently, he has spent the past eight months working for Alachua County in budget and finance.
At the top of his agenda is reducing Gainesville Regional Utilities rates. He wants to help control water and electricity prices, especially because students don’t have much control or say when it comes to increased rates.
Out of the five candidates, Weaver said he has reached out the most to students. He knocked on every sorority house’s door in his district and requested feedback on his platform. The 28-year-old attended student organization meetings and sorority and fraternity meetings to engage with students and inform them about his campaign.
“I have to find that middle ground of what students want to hear,” he said. “It’s more so finding something that unifies the students.”
He said the city’s expenses, such as parking fees and towing fines, add costs on top of a student’s tuition.
He said it was disheartening when he tried to interact with students but often found they weren’t involved in City Commission elections.
“I’ve had a hard time explaining to the students why what happens in District 1 is important to them,” he said.
He was also a UF student senator for graduate students until he left in Fall 2014.
One UF student senator who helped Weaver campaign for a couple of months was Nacuya Lewis. She met him through Senate.
“He was self motivated,” the 20-year-old UF public relations and political science junior said. “Not only for the Gainesville community but for the UF community.”
Weaver is finishing his Ph.D. in public administration and public property at UF.
Weaver served in the U.S. Army as an Airborne Infantryman with the 82nd Airborne Division — 1st Battalion 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment until he was honorably discharged in 2010.
He said even if he doesn’t win, at least his name will be known to voters who see him on the ballot.
“In the future I might think about running in another district or an At-Large,” he said.
[A version of this story ran on page 3 on 3/12/2015]
J. Wayne Reitz Union
655 Reitz Union Drive, UF Campus, Gainesville, FL 32611
Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
315 Hull Road, UF Campus, Gainesville, FL 32611
Florida Museum of Natural History
3215 Hull Road, UF Campus, Gainesville, FL 32611
SFC Center for Innovation & Economic Development
530 W. University Ave., Gainesville, FL 32601
Thelma Boltin Activity Center
516 NE Second Ave., Gainesville, FL 32601
Doyle Conner Building
1911 SW 34th St., Gainesville, FL 32614
Paramount Plaza Hotel
2900 SW 13th St., Gainesville, FL 32608
Early voting is through Saturday at:
Cone Park Library
Millhopper Branch Library
Supervisor of Elections Office
Chris Weaver is a District 1 city commissioner candidate.
