Gainesville Mayoral Election Today

Five candidates are on the ballot for today's nonpartisan election for Gainesville's mayor. The mayor is also officially one of the seven city commissioners. One of those commissioners, Craig Lowe, has been in office for several years and is now trying his hand at the top post. Lowe, considered to be the favorite, has come under some criticism from opponents on different counts, particularly for wasteful spending as well as a controversial transgender anti-discrimination ordinance passed (that he sponsored and I supported) a couple of years ago.

Of the three other principal candidates (the fifth candidate, Ozzy Angulo, has spent very little and is not considered to be a serious contender), two are conservatives and one is a moderate. The moderate, Monica Leadon Cooper, is campaigning to rein in financial waste as well as keep in place (and further) Gainesville's pro-environment laws and to plan growth cautiously.

The conservatives are represented by Don Marsh and Richard Selwach, both previously in losing campaigns for the commission. Selwach's main issue seems to be the repeal of the transgender ordinance, which he claims allows male sexual predators into women's restrooms under the legal cover of claiming to be transgender. Personally, I think his case is pretty lame as there has been nothing of this sort falling out from either the Gainesville ordinance or from other towns that passed similar laws over the past few years. I do resent the fact that Commissioner Lowe initially reacted to the ordinance's critics by openly labeling them as "bigots" instead of respectfully working with them to assuage their concerns. This smacks of a condescending elitism on the part of Lowe, a "we're going to do what is good for you because WE SAID SO" attitude that runs contrary to the spirit of public service that should characterize elected officeholders (this was also one of the main reasons I turned sharply against former president George W. Bush just a few months after he took office in 2001). It's too bad, because I generally like Craig Lowe's political leanings. That's why I'm supporting Cooper, his "closest" opponent and who seems to "get" the idea of a commissioner serving the people, not the reverse.

Anyway, Selwach seems to be obsessed with the transgender issue and strikes me as someone who would promote unrestrained and unregulated growth. As would Don Marsh, a self-proclaimed avid supporter of the wacko Tea Party movement.

Craig Lowe will probably either win outright or face one of the others in a runoff at a later date. Should Monica Leadon Cooper be that runoff opponent, I think she has an excellent chance of toppling career politician and (in my opinion) elitist Lowe. If she doesn't win, though, I'll be very happy to settle for Lowe over either of the two wingnuts.

Well, out to the polling station I go!

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Later that night...

My candidate, Monica Leadon Cooper, could only muster a third place finish with about 25% of the vote. The runoff, to be held on April 13, will be between lead vote-getter Craig Lowe (at 40%) and second place Don Marsh (at 29%). So I guess I'll be forced to vote for the elitist know-it-all Lowe in the runoff. Because I'm sure as hell not going with a teabagger!