On April 14, Newberry residents will take to the voting polls to decide who will serve new two-year terms in City Commission Seats 1, 2 and 3.  

Stay-at-home mom Brandy Oldman will challenge Seat 1 incumbent and retired property appraiser Rick Coleman. Oldman was elected to serve on the Newberry Elementary School advisory council in 2024 and currently serves on the district advisory council for the Alachua County School District. 

Mark Clark, Seat 2 incumbent and retired U.S. Marine, will run against David Wallace, a maintenance tech for Oak Hammock at the University of Florida and a Newberry youth sports coach. 

Newberry Planning and Zoning Board Member Naim Joseph Erched and local ophthalmic technician JD Mercado will challenge current commissioner and retired nurse Monty Farnsworth for Seat 3.  

With over 22 years as a commissioner, Farnsworth is Newberry’s longest-serving elected official. Clark and Farnsworth have announced this year’s campaign as their last, win or lose.  

The following questions were emailed to each candidate and their answers are printed with minor edits for style.  

Seat 1: Rick Coleman (incumbent), Brandy Oldman 

• Where can voters go to learn more about you? 

Coleman: My front porch, my Facebook page: Ricky Coleman, Newberry City Commission Group 1 

Oldman: Facebook at Brandy Oldman for Newberry City Commission group 1 

• What prompted you to run for re-election or election? 

Coleman: The city of Newberry is at a critical time in our history. We have three vital projects for our future that will be happening in the next three years: our regional wastewater treatment plant, the second feed for our electric grid and the two-way pairs in partnership with FDOT. These projects require seasoned leadership and absolute focus to see them through successfully. 

Oldman: To be completely honest, it was the takeover of our local public elementary school. That took away the public option of an A-rated school with the Pre-K, ESE and VPK programs, and then the commission approved a line of credit of $2.2 million for that new school, which in effect made Newberry have fewer options for schools and higher taxes, all for fewer services and less options. Since then, I’ve become a lot more aware of issues within the city that concern me as a working-class person, such as utility rates going higher and at a point of surpassing even [Gainesville Regional Utilities]. Our fire assessments went up 50% last year alone. Newberry has become more and more expensive to live here. I love my town and want to stop the rate hikes! 

• What vote are you proudest of the commission making in the past year? 

Coleman: This last year would be difficult to select just one vote. The unanimous vote to proceed with the construction of the regional wastewater was a historic moment, but the unanimous vote to welcome Harvest Singularity, our first agri-tech business, was equally historic. I’ll call it a tie. 

Oldman: Ag-tech. 

• What decisions do you think need to be made to address citizen hopes and concerns about development and growth coming to Newberry? 

Coleman: The decisions that are in front of us are the very reason I decided to run again. There are crucial decisions about the regional wastewater treatment plant, the second electric feed for the community and the two-way pairs project with the state. On top of that, we have decisions on a second fire station, when and where. We need to continue monitoring Newberry’s eventual need for our own police department. We need to work on a mobility study to ensure our residents have multiple access points in and out of our community. All of these and more will be in front of the commission in the upcoming year. Our residents are hoping we make good decisions, based on objective analysis of the data and financial projections. They are certainly concerned that we will get distracted with political pandering and not focus on the core mission. I will not get distracted. 

Oldman: Growth in itself isn’t a bad thing; we need it to thrive. But unchecked growth is a huge issue. I would advocate for impact fees and spacing developments out over more time so our infrastructure can catch up.  

• Open comment: 

Coleman: My name is Rick Coleman. I am asking for your vote on April 14. 

Oldman: I’m all about families and finances and would advocate to make our utilities more affordable for working-class families. I would advocate for a splash pad which fosters a sense of community and is all-inclusive for everybody, even people with disabilities, as opposed to a more expensive pool, which is generally not as accessible for people with disabilities. Also, we have a lot of baseball families here that play at Champions Park and I would like to be able to have Newberry residents get in for free. All that would take is showing an ID with a Newberry address on it. I think that would ease the burden on our working-class families as it’s easily $50 to enter a baseball game to watch your child play, where you already paid to play. Our Parks and Recreation department, while wonderful, needs more lighting and fields at [Easton-Newberry Sports Complex]. Listen, I’m “just a mom,” but I think that uniquely qualifies myself for a job that is about people! 

Seat 2: Mark Clark (incumbent), David Wallace 

• Where can voters learn more about you? 

Clark: Mark Clark for Newberry City Commission Group 2 on Facebook. 

Wallace: I have a candidate Facebook page David “Wally” Wallace Group 2 Campaign, but you learn more about someone on their personal page so that would be David Wallace. 

• What prompted you to run for elected office? 

Clark: Many citizens and people in the community are asking me to do it again, that as far as they thought, I was doing a good job and doing what was needed for the city. So, I was asked by multiple people and multiple city people to continue, and so I did. 

Wallace: It was always a goal to continue serving the city after I hopefully retired from the city. I have always served in one way or another [in] Newberry and representing the citizens from the dais just seemed like a final goal. 

• What are the two most important issues facing Newberry and how should the City Commission address them? 

Clark: We‘ve got two things going on; we want to get some of the infrastructure in that we’ve promised, and now it’s coming to fruition. We’ve got what we call the second feed coming in, which will help Newberry have power. If there’s a main failure on the main line, we’ll at least have another source of electricity for the town. So that’s a good thing. We’ve got the twin pairs coming in. We hope the Department of Transportation gets that started by the end of this year. That’s the second thing. And for me personally, it’s really just seeing if we can get some Land Development Regulations changed and keep some of the home rule stuff. That’s what’s hurting us is really not having home rule be able to make every decision because the state or the county sometimes overrules us. 

Wallace: The continued growth and how we adapt and adjust to that growth. The other biggest issue will be the charter [school]. There will be a lot of pressure to show improvement over being a district-run school. I and others believe in this community, but as a community we have to deliver. 

As for the growth, while it’s not a popular belief amongst some or many, the commission actually has handled things about as well as they can. There are things involved with growth that are outside the commission’s control because parts involve both the county and the state and some involve decisions previous commissions approved that this commission has inherited. As for the school, that is primarily on the newly-formed school board and the parents of the children in attendance. As far as the city goes, they need to make sure they provide the promised support in-kind and keep a watchful eye, but not meddle. 

• What decisions do you believe need to be made this year to address citizens’ hopes and concerns about development and growth coming to Newberry? 

Clark: We live here too. I understand the growth, but everybody wanted commercial for years and years prior to me ever getting here. And now that the house tops have been planted, some of them, 10 or 15 years [ago], they’re all coming up, and some of the new ones are not, but there’s a few new ones. But we’ve got the house tops now. We can try to slow the house tops down and let the commercial come in, which brings jobs and a better tax base and stuff like that for our city, but we’ve got to grow at least incrementally, or we’ll just go away. 

Wallace: Once we have cleared the already approved developments, then my personal feelings are we need to maybe slow it way down and catch up. The growth will continue and this will always upset some. But if we can slow it down a little bit, then maybe it won’t feel like it’s all overnight and some grace period will help ease the tension. It likely won’t, but we can hope. 

Seat 3: Monty Farnsworth (incumbent), Naim Joseph Erched, J.D. Mercado 

• Where can voters go to learn more about you?  

Farnsworth: Commissioner Monty Farnsworth on Facebook. 

Erched: Voters can learn more through my campaign Facebook page [Naim Joseph Erched for Newberry Commissioner Group 3], where I share updates and community topics, and by attending local events where I enjoy meeting residents and hearing directly from neighbors about the issues that matter most to them. 

Mercado: You can find me on the official J.D. Mercado campaign page on Facebook. 

• What prompted you to run for election or re-election?  

Farnsworth: Having lived here my entire life and going to school here from kindergarten to 12th grade, I’ve got a vested interest in Newberry and am always looking out for the citizens. I’m not someone that just moved here and wants to change things to mirror where they moved from. I want to be sure that any growth is not a financial burden to current citizens.  

Erched: Serving on the Planning and Zoning Board over the past several years has given me a unique perspective on the decisions shaping Newberry’s future. Through that experience, and through conversations with neighbors and families in our community, I felt called to step forward and serve in a greater capacity. Newberry is a special place to live and raise a family, and I want to help ensure that as our city continues to evolve, we protect the character, safety and quality of life that make people proud to call Newberry home. 

Mercado: I was invited by the former mayor and current City Manager Jordan Marlowe at the grand opening of the new city hall. I believe he may have been speaking hypothetically, but I did qualify and now my name is in the hat. 

• What has changed the most about the city since you first campaigned? 

Farnsworth: Having lived in this city my entire life, I have seen a lot of changes. We’ve grown a lot. As developers continue to build houses here, I have insisted that they also set aside property for commercial property. This will help keep our taxes low for the citizens since the taxes and revenue from businesses generate a lot more income for the city.   

Erched: The pace of change has increased significantly. More families and businesses are discovering Newberry, which brings great opportunity but also requires careful planning to ensure infrastructure, roads, parks and public safety services keep up with the needs of our community. 

Mercado: I have noted the new stop lights and stop signs, the historical district signage, plus the groundbreaking of the new Wawa. 

• What are the two most important issues facing Newberry and how should the City Commission address them?  

Farnsworth: Growth and taxes. Growth will happen, but it needs to be controlled growth.  We don’t need someone in the office who will rubber-stamp every development that’s presented.   

Erched: One of the biggest issues is making sure our infrastructure keeps pace with the needs of a growing community. Another important priority is continuing to invest in parks and recreation, so families have safe places to gather, children have places to play and neighbors have spaces where they can enjoy time together.  

The commission should continue focusing on long-term planning and thoughtful decision-making. That means making sure infrastructure improvements are planned ahead of community needs, supporting strong public safety services, and continuing to expand parks and recreation opportunities for families. 

Mercado: Slowing the city’s growth and spending in the face of the possible loss of revenue due to the dissolution of property taxes. It is also important for the city to develop new lines of revenue in the face of the potential revenue shortage that could be faced by the dissolution of property taxes.    

I believe the commission should limit any expenditures until the outcome regarding property taxes is decided and focus on the repair and upkeep of the existing infrastructure.  I believe the commission should develop new lines of revenue to supplement or replace property taxes. The current commission seems focused on sports tourism revenue, which ultimately falls short since Newberry does not currently have hotels or shopping venues that could properly capture that revenue. At best, most of the revenue from tourism will most likely end up in Gainesville, where all the hotels and shopping currently are. 

• Open comment: 

Farnsworth: I have lived in Newberry my entire life. I went to school here from kindergarten to 12th grade. I’ve made a lot of friends over the years and continue to make more friends as they become part of our community. Newberry is my city, and I care about the citizens and doing the right thing for them. I fund my own campaign, and in all the years I have run for office, I have never taken money from developers or special interest groups. I always put the citizens first. They know me and trust me and have elected me to this office because of that. I would like the opportunity, as someone you can trust, to continue to represent you on the City Commission and would appreciate your support and vote on April 14th. 

Erched: No comment. 

Mercado: Not all the issues of Newberry are black and white. There is a place for new growth, but the older areas should be developed and improved upon as well. What I hear the most about Newberry is that the people that live there love it because “it’s a quiet town where you can still see the stars at night.” Measures should be taken to ensure peace and quiet as well as the skyline. A focus on the arts and festivals could add more diversity to the community, rather than just farming and sports tourism revenue. Newberry needs a main shopping hub, which, with the proposed water park and the potential of walking trails driven by the park system, would make the city a better place to live for families.