Alachua County Commissioner Ken Cornell will ask voters for a fourth term on Aug. 18 as challenger Dewayne Baines seeks a first term.
Mainstreet Daily News provided each of the candidates for office with the same questions. We’ve run the answers below as received. The county’s District 4 questions and answers can be found here.
We will begin with a short biography of each candidate followed by the questions and answers. Baines did not respond to our questionnaire. You can find his Facebook campaign here.
District 4
Ken Cornell
- Occupation: Alachua County Commissioner / CPA / Real Estate Broker Associate
- Previous experience in elected office: I have served on the Alachua County Commission since November 2014. I’m currently serving my 12th year.
- Public service other than elected office: Since being elected, I have been active in both the National Association of Counties and the Florida Association of Counties where I have served in various leadership roles. I have also served on the board and as the Chair for the Alachua County Children’s Trust, Alachua County Library District and Career Source.
What do you hope to accomplish as part of the County Commission?
Cornell: I’m running to build on our progress – strengthening infrastructure, protecting our environment and ensuring every family has the opportunity to thrive in Alachua County. I hope to continue the progress we have made on repairing and repaving county roads and have supported the allocation of over $250 million over the next 10 years. I am also very focused on increasing the level of affordable housing throughout our Community.
What recent votes from the County Commission have you disagreed with, if any, and why?
Cornell: The most recent vote that I was strongly against was the desire to build and operate a meat processing plant. This project was ultimately cancelled.
How should Alachua County prepare for the November homestead tax exemption vote?
Cornell: Amendment 3 (HJR 1-F) will appear on the November ballot and needs 60% voter approval. It raises the homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. If it passes, Alachua County will lose meaningful recurring revenue – statewide estimates put the hit to counties at roughly $12-15 billion a year and over $80 million to Alachua County. I take that seriously as a CPA, not just a commissioner. Over the last decade I have supported reducing the county’s millage rate and have repeatedly voted for the roll-back rate rather than taking full advantage of rising property values. That’s the discipline this moment requires: if voters approve Amendment 3, the county cannot respond by finding new ways to raise rates elsewhere. My approach will be the same one I’ve used for ten years – ask staff to deliver services more efficiently before asking taxpayers for more.
What considerations should guide the county’s development policy in the coming years?
Cornell: The County has a very effective comprehensive plan that encourages development within the urban cluster while protecting the natural resources that make Alachua County special, from the lakes in the East to the Springs in the West. Growth must pay for itself and be done in such a way as to enhance both the built environment and the natural environment for the citizens that call Alachua County home.
Why are you the right person for this seat?
Cornell: I was born and raised in Alachua County, built my business here, and raised my family here. I’ve supported historic increases in road repair funding, and we have committed to over $250 million in road repairs under the current ten-year transportation improvement plan, and protected rural lands that make this county worth living in. As a CPA, I bring financial discipline to a board that controls a multi-hundred-million-dollar budget. I’m running for a fourth term because the work on infrastructure, affordable housing, and fiscal restraint isn’t finished, and it would be my honor to continue this work.