Welcome, community! If you did not read the Action Alert from 4/22/24, please do so now. It will give you the background on the public utilities (GRU) referendum that the LWV of Alachua County supports wholeheartedly.

Your Action is Needed: 05/23/24

As Commissioner Bryan Eastman said during a special city commission meeting, today was historical for Gainesville. The topic was whether Gainesville voters should decide the governance of our public utility, as was the case for over 100 years, since the inception of GRU. In 2023, the Florida legislature and governor took that role away from us and inserted state rule into our city charter. Since October 2023, our utility, owned by our city, has been ruled by governor-appointed board members. It turns out they were unqualified. They did not meet basic residency requirements. A new five-member board will take the oath of office today (May 23, 2024). One member owns a scooter company. One member coaches lacrosse. Do they sound qualified to run our utility to you?

But today the city commission voted unanimously to allow the voters to decide. They voted in favor of an ordinance that will allow a ballot referendum on November 5, 2024, on which voters can choose whether to have our utility governed by governor appointees or by local officials.

The League stands firmly on the side of home rule for GRU. The state does not belong in our city charter or governance of our city. League leadership will be devising a public campaign to inform the public about the options and to encourage a “yes” vote on the referendum.

I know that many of you have been writing to the city commissioners, because Commissioner Ed Book said that at the meeting. Your messages mattered!

Here are the asks for today’s Action Alert:

1. Write to the commissioners and thank them for voting for the ordinance. That’s it. It’s that simple. You can thank them for returning democracy and home rule to Gainesville. Thank them for a thoughtful decision after meaningful questions. Thank them for serving our community, etc. Here’s the address that goes to all commissioners and the mayor: CityComm [at] cityofgainesville.org
2. Please have your calendar marked for every Tuesday to check for an Action Alert. Some weeks they won’t change. Some weeks they will. There are lots of important issues on the upcoming elections and this is how we can be an informed, engaged community.