In Alachua County, eight county and city-level offices face competitive primary or general elections this fall.
Our newsroom reached out to all 20 candidates in those contested races and asked if they would help us inform voters about the issues they care about, what motivated them to run and which agenda items they seek to pass if elected.
Florida's primary election is Aug. 20.
The deadline to change your voter registration for the general election is Oct. 7.
The general election is Nov. 5.
Scroll below to learn more about some of the candidates running for Gainesville City Commission At Large Seat A.

James Ingle
What are the three most pressing problems happening in your district or jurisdiction?
Gainesville is a great place to live, but it’s a hard place to earn a living. Whether you divide it up into the three, or five, or ten biggest problems mostly we are talking about symptoms of the main issue, which is the financial hardship too many people face in our town. To break that down into three main focal points I’d say our issues would be
• Better jobs and financial security
• Development that works for the people of Gainesville
• Addressing homelessness
In many ways these are national problems that most cities across the country are facing, and many of the things that we can do to address these problems overlap.
Your suggested solution for top problem:
A lot of jobs in Gainesville are in the service or retail sector. These can be good jobs, but more often than not, don’t offer a path to a solid career, have little or no benefits, and don’t pay well. People need other options. Continuing to build our medical manufacturing sector up, expanding local apprenticeship programs, and using city-built projects to grow local businesses and workforce can all help give job seekers here more options. The city of Gainesville is also one of the largest employers in the area. Making sure that we are setting a good example by paying fair wages and decent benefits to our own workforce can help put upward pressure on other employers to do the right thing.
Your suggested solution for problem two:
While there has been a LOT of development in Gainesville in the past few years it has mostly been one type of development and that’s large, luxury, student housing. We have a lot of students and we need a lot of student housing, but that’s not all we need. If a large out of town developer wants to come here and build we need to hold them responsible to the city. That means high enough impact fees that they are paying for all the extra services we are going to have to provide. If big developers don’t pay for the extra firefighters, wastewater treatment, and transit that their development costs the city, then those costs get passed onto us. The type of development we are seeing here is very profitable, and developers in general like to make money. But the most profitable kind of development doesn’t mean the kind of development that is best for our community. Adding requirements for affordable housing, making sure that they pay their fair share, and giving incentives for building the type of housing we need can start to make housing more affordable.
Your suggested solution for problem three:
A Gainesville that has better jobs and more affordable housing will also have less homelessness, but that by itself probably won’t solve the whole problem. We have some great programs that are working towards ending homelessness, but that’s a heavy lift. Grace has done a great job of not just being a shelter, but doing the work to get people into permanent housing. They have also done the important work of outreach, as well as providing meals and healthcare to homeless and working poor in our city. But, they don’t have the resources or programs to deal with the mental illness, addiction, and other issues faced by the most chronically homeless part of our population. To really address the problem, we are going to have to have some form of supervised housing, addiction treatment, and mental health services. To really address the problem won’t be cheap and we will need to find grants, federal or state funds, or some other help with being able to afford it.
Where do you stand on the GRU Authority ballot measure?
I am extremely of the voters being able to make this decision instead of Tallahassee. The GRU Authority has been a clown show since it's inception and I sincerely ope the voters do away with it in November.
What are the environmental issues you believe the city should address?
Protecting the greenways that we have in Gainesville, helping Gainesvillians with energy efficiency programs, and preparing for the coming energy demands of electric vehicles.
Since declaring gun violence a public health crisis, how do you feel the city has managed gun violence? What steps would you take as city commissioner to further prevent gun violence?
The state has tied the hands of local governments by banning cities and counties from taking a lot of common sense solutions. There are still things we can do but really impactful reforms are going to have to take place at higher levels of Government. I think our most effective options locally should focus on proactive and preventative measures n general and education on gun safety.

Fareed "Reed" Johnson
What are the three most pressing problems happening in your district or jurisdiction?
Increased crime, housing shortage, and GRU debt.
Your suggested solution for top problem:
We have to, first, provide young people with a voice in their community. I suggest the creation of a youth advisory board. Second, we have to invite those who have successfully exited the criminal justice system to the table. Their feedback is important to know how to address root causes of crime.
Your suggested solution for problem two:
We have to work with the private sector to develop housing, especially single-family homes. The private sector has the ability to offer programs such as rent-to-own options. Many individuals would like the opportunity to own their homes; however, we currently have very limited options for ownership. Partnering with the private sector would increase our housing inventory and allow individuals time to buy.
Your suggested solution for problem three:
We must work with the GRU Authority to address this issue. The GRU Authority has my support as long as they keep GRU customers and employees first. The City Commission must allow GRU to address its debt levels while we improve the tax roll by adding more housing and balancing the municipal budget.
Where do you stand on the GRU Authority ballot measure?
Due to the fact that municipalities cannot overturn state law, I don't see the referendum making it onto the ballot.
What are the environmental issues you believe the city should address?
Homelessness places a strain on the environment through accidental fires, litter, and human waste.
Since declaring gun violence a public health crisis, how do you feel the city has managed gun violence? What steps would you take as city commissioner to further prevent gun violence?
I will engage the community and organizations to create jobs, education, and training that will improve lives and expand opportunities for growth.