On the surface, Tuesday’s election was quiet; but the outspoken volunteers behind the District 1 Gainesville city commission race made their voices heard.
Beverly King spent the day campaigning for incumbent Commissioner Gigi Simmons at Springhill Missionary Baptist Church.
“Gigi is a person of her word, she has really helped out in our community, the Porters community," King said.
Right across the street, Jason Davis campaigned for Simmons’ opponent, Desmon Duncan-Walker.
“I care about our community, what is going on with it. I'm supporting my cousin Desmon Duncan-Walker because she cares about our community," he said.
At Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, Simmons' mother was out campaigning.
The polls closed at 7 p.m. Before the result, Simmons and Duncan-Walker both said they felt good about their campaigns. Simmons said she felt confident she would win a second term, despite the fact that an incumbent had not won the District 1 seat since 2009. Unofficial results showed her coming up short to Duncan-Walker, according to results posted shortly after 8 p.m. Johnson won reelection over her challenger, Gabriel Hillel.
Duncan-Walker said she was grateful for the process of running and thanked everyone who voted in the election.
