Our local government’s spending and taxation has gotten completely out of hand and we as citizens are the ones who suffer. As District 2 Commissioner I will fight to lower property taxes, reduce government waste, and return local government to its essential mission.
While property and other local taxes serve an important purpose by funding essential services, our city government has gone too far. The endless fee and tax increases have to stop and our government must learn to do more with less in these difficult times just like its citizens are doing already.
Gainesville Regional Utilities has sadly become a political football after the mismanagement of elected officials who left office long ago. Current leadership has been left to pick up the pieces of their poor decision making, and the State has decided to interfere in local politics through the creation and imposition of its Authority. The whole thing is a mess and the people of Gainesville are the ones suffering while performative elections are held and court battles drag on. The only winners are attorneys and career politicians. Above all, the people of Gainesville want the best service at the lowest rate possible no matter who ends up running the utility.
Local government spending is out of control. Charter Officers have inflated salaries. Commissioners use taxpayer money to fund pet projects. Bailouts are given to private businesses. All while local charitable organizations have no choice but to shut down their operations. The grift and hypocrisy must stop immediately, and the Commission should cease its reckless spending spree.
For all the taxes and fees that our local government squeezes out of us, we certainly don’t get our money’s worth! Roads are crumbling and full of potholes. Million-dollar park spaces are poorly maintained and filled with trash. The people in charge of maintaining our beautiful city have undoubtedly failed in their mission, and it’s time for them to go.
Whether it is the new red light cameras the Commission had installed or all of the FLOCK cameras sprouting up around town, there is entirely too much surveillance of the Gainesville public. These devices are often justified through references to maintaining safety and security, but they often cause more problems than they ever solve. The Commission needs to take bold action now and regulate these cameras before our beloved town turns into a surveillance state.
Increased homelessness is a national problem, but its solutions start at the local level. The recent closure of local nonprofit institutions l ike our Planned Parenthood clinic and the St. Francis House means that resources for the unhoused will be even more constrained. Gainesville’s Commission needs to step up and do its best to fill the gap left by these institutions after it failed to properly support them in the first place.