WUFT-TV/FM | WJUF-FM
1200 Weimer Hall | P.O. Box 118405
Gainesville, FL 32611
(352) 392-5551

A service of the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida.

© 2024 WUFT / Division of Media Properties
News and Public Media for North Central Florida
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

WUFT, Gainesville Sun to host debate for 2022 mayor race

Mayor candidates Harvey Ward, left, and Ed Bielarski have both agreed to participate in the debate, which is being sponsored by the Gainesville Sun and WUFT News.
Mayor candidates Harvey Ward, left, and Ed Bielarski have both agreed to participate in the debate, which is being sponsored by the Gainesville Sun and WUFT News.

Gainesville’s mayoral candidates will face off in a debate Oct. 25 on the University of Florida campus.

Mayor candidates Ed Bielarski and Harvey Ward have both agreed to participate in the debate, which is being sponsored by the Gainesville Sun and WUFT News. The event will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 25, from 7 to 8 p.m. at the University of Florida Levin College of Law.

It will be streamed live on WUFT.org, gainesville.com and broadcast on WUFT-FM 89.1. A video re-broadcast will appear on WUFT-TV Channel 5 on the following dates:


  • Oct. 28 at 8:30 p.m.
  • Nov. 1 at 8 p.m.
  • Nov. 5 at 7 p.m.

A limited number of seats will be available to the public and provided to the candidates. Reserve your free ticket to the event through Eventbrite.

The event will be moderated by Heather van Blokland, director of content and executive producer for WUFT-TV/FM.  Journalists from the Gainesville Sun and WUFT News will pose questions to the candidates. Voters will be able to submit questions to be asked of the candidates. Questions should be emailed to gainesvillevoice@gmail.com or submitted through Twitter by using the hashtag #GNVoice.

Bielarski, the former general manager of Gainesville Regional Utilities, and Ward, a Gainesville city commissioner, were the top two vote-getters among nine mayoral candidates running in the Aug. 23 primary election. They face each other in a runoff in the Nov. 8 general election, which will determine who will be elected to a four-year term as Gainesville’s mayor replacing Lauren Poe who reached his term limit.