Gainesville City Commission, District 4

This is a nonpartisan race, open to all voters in the district

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Two candidates are seeking the votes for Gainesville City Commission, District 4, on the August ballot.

News4Jax sent a questionnaire to each candidate asking about their background and their views on several issues. Scroll down to read the responses of those seeking your vote -- in their own words.

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Note: Responses are sorted alphabetically and are presented exactly as submitted, with no editing by News4Jax staff.

  CANDIDATES

Bryan Eastman

Occupation: Business Owner

Age: 33

Your family: Wife and child

Education: Bachelors

Political experience: None

What do you see as the top three issues you’ll likely face while holding this office?

  • The top issues we’ll be facing is rising cost of living for working families. The cost of GRU and rising rental prices are hurting local families and we need to be doing more to lower those costs. We are also facing rapid development pressure on our environment, and need to be protecting and preserving our green space for future generations. Finally we need to be more directly helping those experiencing homelessness. As vice-chair of GRACE Marketplace I’ve seen our homeless population increase with rising rent prices and the loss of public/affordable housing. We need to be more directly creating beds to get people off the street and into a safe place.

How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?

  • If you believe what I believe - that we need a more sustainable, equitable, and vibrant Gainesville, you can see my track record of fighting for these for years. I ran initiatives to expand broadband internet options, invest in parks and pedestrian infrastructure, in homeless services, of helping pass a “zero waste” ordinance. I am also the only candidate with experience administering government programs through my years at CareerSource North Central Florida, managing multi-million dollar programs that helped unemployed people get back on their feet.

What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?

  • That we made real headway toward solving problems that really matter to the lives of our residents. That we took real, concrete steps to lower GRU bills for working families, that we lowered carbon emissions, made streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists, and finished projects that truly improved the quality of life for your residents.

Campaign website: BryanEastman.com

Campaign’s social media site(s): facebook.com/Bryan4GNV


Christian Newman

Occupation: Wildlife Biologist

Age: 53

Your family: Married, 3 children

Education: MS, MBA

Political experience: None

What do you see as the top three issues you’ll likely face while holding this office?

  • I believe we should focus our collective efforts on three core themes 1) Resiliency- Protect our neighborhoods, invest in public and electric grid infrastructure, and create affordable low income and workforce housing 2) Opportunity- Increase business and job opportunities for local residents, drive investment in east Gainesville, and support community youth programs 3) Inclusivity- Implement real public participation to include impacted stakeholders for major decisions and listen to citizens and experts.

How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?

  • I grew up in Gainesville and understand the community. I was teacher in Gainesville, I have started and run businesses in Gainesville. I have been on the City Plan Board. I work for non-profit research organization focused on supporting transitioning the electric power sector to clean energy.

What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?

  • Making common sense evidenced based decisions that include listening to citizens and experts.

Campaign website: newmanforgainesville.com

Campaign’s social media site(s): @ChristianNewman2022