While turnout was low for Tuesday night’s Gainesville City Commission elections, voters have another chance to cast their ballots during two run-off elections next month.
Commissioner Yvonne Hinson-Rawls and Charles Edward Goston Sr. of District 1 will face off in a runoff election April 14. Hinson-Rawls received 37.18 percent of votes while Goston received 26.53 percent, according to the Supervisor of Elections website.
At-Large Seat 1 candidates Harvey M. Budd and Jay Curtis will also go against each other in a runoff election the same day. Budd received 33.31 percent, and Curtis came away with 32.31 percent.
Jay Curtis, a city commission at-large seat candidate, speaks to a crowd of supporters at 101 Downtown on Tuesday. "I couldn't be more pleased that we get to do this another four weeks," he said. Curtis received 32.31 percent of the vote and will be in a runoff election against Harvey Budd, who received 33.31 percent of the vote.
The results showed 9,355 out of 74,621 registered voters — or 12.54 percent — showed up to vote, which was lower than last year’s turnout of just under 11,000.
“Well, I have to go through a runoff now to determine who the real winner is,” Hinson-Rawls said following the results. “So that feels like an albatross hanging around my neck.”
But Hinson-Rawls said she is ready to continue her campaign.
“I’ve got to get some rest and clear my head and see what God is going to lead me to do with this next phase,” she said.
Commissioner Yvonne Hinson-Rawls smiles as she speaks with family and supporters in her home Tuesday night. The results of the election have Hinson-Rawls, who received 37.18 percent of the vote, facing Charles Goston, Sr., who received 26.53 percent, in a runoff election.
Budd said he hopes to draw votes from supporters of Adrian Hayes-Santos, who he said has similar political views.
“It was an amazing experience,” said Hayes-Santos, who received 300 fewer votes than Curtis.
Curtis said he’s at peace regardless of how it all ends.
“I’m a better person for doing this,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot about Gainesville, a lot about this process.”
But just before 8 p.m., when Hayes-Santos, who earned 29.11 percent of the vote, called to congratulate him on making the runoff, Curtis said he felt elated and excited.
Curtis predicted the runoff between himself and Budd, and he said he was energized heading into the runoff election.
“We’re off to another stage here,” Curtis told a crowd of about 40 supporters inside 101 Downtown. “We have to do everything we’ve done, but harder.”
He congratulated his opponents for a clean race, including Donald Shepherd Sr., who stopped outside the restaurant to pledge his support to Curtis.
“This is the kind of man that needs to win, not Harvey Budd,” he told Curtis with tears in his eyes.
Budd spent the day campaigning outside the Trinity United Methodist Church at 4000 NW 53rd Ave., or voter precinct 45.
But his positivity was weighed down by the poor turnout.
“We work so hard, and it’s disappointing when you don’t get a lot of people voting,” Budd said.
“We are the Champions,” by Queen played at Vellos Historic Brickstreet Grill as Budd walked in with his wife. He was met with hugs and high fives from his supporters while his wife Ilene Silverman jumping with excitement by his side.
After the results, Silverman squealed, “We did it,” before breaking into a dance outside the Supervisor of Elections Office. Before results came out, she prayed and paced in front of the screen with election numbers.
“I feel elated,” Silverman said. “My husband came out on top.”
Ben Meyers, who was running for the At-Large seat until withdrawing in December 2014, was at Vellos in support of Budd.
“I stacked my resume to his, and I thought, ‘How can I possibly stack up?’” Meyers said. “This guy is so qualified, it would be a travesty not to elect him.”
Charles Goston, Sr., a candidate for City Commission District 1, hugs Annie Orlando, a supporter of his campaign, Tuesday night outside Piesanos Stone Fired Pizza on West University Avenue after hearing that he will be in the runoff election. Goston, who received 26.53 percent of the vote, will face Commissioner Yvonne Hinson-Rawls, who received 37.18 percent of the vote.
Goston said he is confident about the runoff against Hinson-Rawls.
“I am very confident that the people will have an opportunity to make a really good decision because that third person won’t be there,” he said.
Goston said the other candidates spent more money on their campaigns than he did, but he had better name recognition.
“When you’re fighting against a machine that don’t want to see change,” Goston said, “it means that you’ve got to fight harder. You’ve got to fight longer.”
[A version of this story ran on page 1 - 4 on 3/18/2015]
Harvey Budd and his wife Ilene Silverman react to the city commission election results at the Supervisor of Elections office on Tuesday. Budd, who received 33.31 percent of the vote, will run off for the at-large seat against Jay Curtis, who received 32.31 percent of the vote.
