GRU employee wins vacant Archer City Commission seat

Archer City Hall.
Archer City Hall.
Photo by Lillian Hamman

Archer’s empty City Commission Seat 1 has been filled after resident Karen Fiore was the only candidate to qualify for the position.  

The commission seat opened in September following former Commissioner Joan White’s resignation. White did not give a reason for her departure, which followed an incident of $14,500 of theft from the city by White’s nephew and former city accountant, Justin Southard, as well as an altercation allegedly involving interim City Manager Deanna Alltop. 

Fiore will be sworn in Nov. 10 and her sole qualification cancels the need for the special election that had been planned for Nov. 18. 

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Karen Fiore calls for budget transparency as she joins the Archer City Commission.
Courtesy City of Archer Karen Fiore calls for budget transparency as she joins the Archer City Commission.

In an email to Mainstreet, Fiore said she will serve on the commission through the remainder of White’s term ending in 2026. After that, she said she doesn’t know how much longer she’ll serve as she’s unsure how many years are left for the financially struggling city. 

Fiore, who works as the rates and budget manager for Gainesville Regional Utilities, is a familiar face in City Hall as a frequent commenter at commission meetings.  

The upstate New York native graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and moved to Florida around 1998 to be closer to her now husband. They’ve lived in Archer for over 20 years with their two daughters and son-in-law.  

About a year and a half ago, Fiore said she started attending City Commission meetings due to concerns she had about the proposed concrete batch plant. This ignited an interest in city affairs that would eventually prompt her to run for office. 

“Once I started to see the mess the city was in, I became very vocal pointing out many issues,” she said. “It is very clear that the current commission and staff need help. With my business background, I hope to be able to help the city.” 

Although this will be Fiore’s first elected or public service position, she said she has a good understanding  of the dynamics after working with many boards for more than 20 years. 

Archer City Commissioner Joan White recently resigned and shined light on city's loose financial security protocols. Photo by Lillian Hamman
Photo by Lillian Hamman Archer City Commissioner Joan White recently resigned and shined light on city’s loose financial security protocols.

Fiore said the top issue Archer faces is finances. Although cuts adopted in the 2025-26 budget are a start for addressing them, she said they’re not enough to get out of the deficit, which stood at $980,680 in March.  

Fiore said the commission needs to encourage more ways to save, such as outsourcing activities, and be stricter on spending and revenues like not allowing properties to be rented for free.  

“They need all the funds they can get. Every penny needs to be accounted for,” she said. “Commissioners should demand more transparency on the expenses going out the door and work hard with staff to adhere to the 2025-26 budget cuts as adopted.” 

Even though it’s difficult to find the right budget solution because the city hasn’t provided any type of cost analysis, Fiore said the 2025-26 budget includes a part time city manager. She said a strong leader with both government and financial background is exactly what the city needs. 

Fiore said Archer is also a full year behind on its audit and has not provided any financial reports for 2023-24 or 2024-25. She said these issues should be corrected as soon as possible, and the city needs to create and adhere to procedures that allow it to function better. 

“I hope to bring some financial, accounting and procedural guidance to the city,” she said. “I also want to see more transparency and respect given to the citizens. Those are things I hope to address.” 

Fiore said anyone who wants to get to know her more can speak with her at Archer City Hall.  

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Loy-USAF,Ret

Mrs. Fiuore is in a good position in that she was not part of the past problems that have plagued this town. She can get a trul;y independent auditor to do a complete review and establish a baseline for future adjustments. The “good ‘ol boy approach” for decades has not worked. A suggestion: when I had a small business many years ago I tapped into an organization of retired businessmen / women known as SCORE. I got a plehora of advise and it cost me nothing at all. Perhsaps SCORE could provide some much needed added expertise for the newest commish as they have a lot of really sharp folks wanting to help others. She has a big task ahead of her.