The League of Women Voters hosted a candidate forum on Saturday for the three candidates running for Alachua City Commission Seat 3.
Incumbent Dayna Williams is running for reelection against first-time candidates Bill Menadier and Jackson Youmas for the seat on April 14.
First elected in 2018, Danya Willaims has served on the city commission for eight years and is running for another three-year term. Williams, who has lived in Alachua since 2007, also served as the vice mayor in 2019-20 and 2023-24. Her full-time job is working on government contracts for Waste Pro.
Each candidate was given three minutes to deliver an opening statement during which they could address viewers watching via livestream and an in-person audience.
During the hour-long forum, the candidates were asked to answer six questions on why they believe they are the best fit for changes that need to be made.
When asked about why they believe they possess strong leadership, Menadier spoke to his core of being a proud business owner with a passion for inspiring those with whom he communicates.
“My experience as a business owner in hiring employees and team members builds that ability to communicate effectively,” Menadier said. “You have to be able to inspire those who you communicate with…and have the ability to have hard conversations.”
Menadier, who currently serves on the City of Alachua Planning and Zoning Board, owns an engineering company. He served as a head engineer for Walton County before moving to Alachua with his daughters. Trust and transparency is what he said he can guarantee if elected as part of the Alachua Commission, Menadier said.
Menadier said he believes face to face is the best way to spread the word in recent years when the voter turnout in Gainesville has been significantly low, he said.
“Not everyone has Facebook or watches the news.” Menadier said. “When I see people, I tell them vote and try to get the word out there.”
One of the trickier topics discussed was the residential density and traffic congestion on U.S. 441 which recently saw construction work.
Jackson Youmas, a first-time candidate, moved to Alachua with his wife and daughter and has worked in the health care industry as a CVS manager for several decades. As a candidate, Youmas said he believes the soul of Alachua is on the line and that he cares deeply for those who have not been heard.
Youmas said he strongly disagrees with the way the county managed the construction to repair U.S. 441. “This is me being honest and transparent, I do not like what just happened on 441,” Youmas said.
U.S. 441 “no notice, no signs, just got torn up in the middle of the night, and they started building," said Youmas. "…you can’t even drive without literally about to tear up your car because of how the road was left undone.”
Youmas also shared a personal story about an experience he had while driving on U.S. 441 and seeing a young boy who waited for 20 minutes trying to cross the road. He finally got out of his car after a woman also stopped in front of him, and helped the boy cross the road by holding up traffic.
He stressed the significance of the danger that these unfinished roads have on those who are elderly and not the best drivers.
Williams also shared that she has not been pleased with the county’s answers when asked about further progress on 441.
“We have to go outside our limits and look at the bordering roads that surround Alachua…I don’t think [the efforts the county has made] is good enough, and I am not satisfied with the county’s answers,” Williams said. “They are not working fast enough.”
Near the end of the forum, Williams alluded to being open to moving the election to November rather than April to get more people to vote in Alachua County.
“I would not make a decision on it myself, but would be open to hearing what the community
has to say,” Williams said. “It doesn’t matter who you vote for, but we want people to vote.”
Several issues were discussed in Saturday’s meeting in which residents of Archer, Alachua and Newberry will have a say during city elections scheduled for April 14.
Moderating the event at the Alachua Branch Library was Candy Birch, one of the leaders for the League of Women Voters and a member for more than 20 years.
Birch said the beautiful thing about the League of Women Voters is that it has over 100 years of experience getting people to register and vote.
“The League is non-partisan, but it will work tirelessly to research and understand issues that affect voters,” she said.
Founded in 1920, the League of Women Voters' mission is to empower and defend democracy through advocacy, education and litigation at the local and state levels.