- Ten candidates qualified for the August 2026 Gainesville city elections, with one incumbent running unopposed.
- Harvey Ward is seeking a second term as Gainesville mayor against challenger Evan Moon in a two-candidate race.
- District 2 has three candidates running to replace Commissioner Ed Book, who is stepping down after one term.
The qualifying period for Gainesville city elections ended Friday at noon, with 10 candidates earning a spot on the August ballot.
But incumbent Commissioner Bryan Eastman ran unopposed and will roll straight into a second term without needing to appear on the ballot.
Here’s how the candidates lined up for the other races. Mainstreet will release a full Meet the Candidates questionnaire later in the summer.
Gainesville Mayor
Incumbent Harvey Ward is seeking his second term after two terms as a city commissioner, and Evan Moon launched a campaign as well.
The two-candidate race is a stark difference from the nine runners in 2022.
District 2
Commissioner Ed Book will step down after his first term, and three candidates have stepped up for the position.
Former Gainesville Sun editor and reporter Nathan Crabbe announced his campaign in May. He worked at The Gainesville Sun for more than 17 years, including over a decade as an opinion writer and editor. Since leaving the paper, he’s worked as editor of The Invading Sea, a website that covers environmental issues.
Nelida Pellot is also running and has worked in housing and community advocacy, according to her campaign website. She’s from South Florida and said she came to Gainesville after a fire destroyed her home. Now campaigning for the commission, her online statement said she aims to help others facing hardships.
Wyatt Zintiz also filed to run for the seat. He’s a life-long Gainesville resident, Marine combat veteran and small-business owner of Gruntscaper LLC, a landscape company. He also worked for the city’s Public Works Department for five years.
District 3
Incumbent Casey Willits has two challengers for his seat.
DeJeon Cain qualified to run and previously campaigned against Willits in 2022 for the seat. Cain lost by 375 votes in that election.
James Gardner joined the pair. According to a press release, he’s a former U.S. Coast Guard service member and worked at the Gainesville/Ocala Marine Institute.
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Eastman is the worst of the group and no one ran against him. SAD for the City.
An unappealing slate of candidates.
Local elected positions should have term limits and provide only modest compensation. These roles were intended to be public service, not lifelong careers. When the same people remain in office for years or decades, new ideas and fresh perspectives can be lost.
Technology, community needs, and economic conditions change rapidly, and regular turnover can bring new solutions, greater accountability, and a government that better reflects the people it serves.
Public office should be about serving the community, not building a political career. Elected officials should avoid even the appearance of using their position to promote personal financial interests or private business ventures. The public deserves leaders whose primary focus is serving taxpayers and making their community better.
Providing elected officials only with “modest compensation” effectively eliminates those whose incomes are already “modest,” in other words, the poor. Imposing term limits often erases a knowledge of institutional history.
If all elective offices are term limited, then every election cycle we would have a crop of newbies stumbling through the process of learning to govern.
As for Gainesville elected officials who may be guilty of “building a political career,” who would those be? Over the last 20 years, maybe Kat Kammack, Nikki Fried, Bill Nelson, Cynthia Chestnut, Harvey Ward, Lauren Poe, Pegeen Hanrahan. Relatively few, and of those, most most focused on “serving taxpayers and making their community better.”
I certainly agree with you that “Elected officials should avoid even the appearance of using their position to promote personal financial interests or private business ventures.” But that is not the model that we get at the highest level of government for the nation. Sadly.
Good luck, Nathan! You’re such a reasonable and intelligent person, I am pulling for your success in becoming a Gainesville City Commissioner.