Alachua County’s 2024 ballot has little in common with the previous one in 2022, but the question of how to elect the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) has returned—and along with it, mailers for both sides and accusations of falsehoods.
One difference to note: Rodney Long has shifted from in favor of at-large districts to in favor of single-member districts.
Long, the first African American to serve on both the Gainesville City Commission and the BOCC, has served under both district structures. He opposed the referendum in 2022, but mailers, many from Republican PACs, sent out before the election used his name and past quotes to support the referendum and single-member districts.
Now, Long and the local Republican Party both want to see single-member districts remain following the previous vote.
The African American Accountability Alliance (4As) decided to recommend keeping single-member districts and voting ‘no’ on the upcoming referendum. Long serves as president of 4As and said the decision arrived via a vote of members. Attending a meeting in Hawthorne in October, Long said he heard people feel like the county hadn’t focused on the area. A sentiment that could lead many to voting for the single-member districts in 2022 and even on Tuesday.
Long said he thinks single-member districts afford more accountability and allows more people to run for office.
But Long said his reasons for opposing the county’s referendum differ from the Alachua County Republican Party. He said he has nothing against the at-large system currently in place.
“I’m not saying that that’s a broken form of government, and I’m not even saying that it’s racist,” Long said in an interview. “I don’t agree with that statement at all.”
The main reason for his shift, Long said, was the possibility to elect multiple African Americans to the BOCC. He argues single-member districts afford a better opportunity for this than the at-large system.
The goal differs from local Republicans’ desire to add one of their members to what is often an all-Democrat board.
In a motion for a temporary injunction to block Alachua County’s referendum, plaintiffs said only two Republicans had ever won election to the board.
As a Democrat, that’s not Long’s concern. He said the leadup to 2022 didn’t give enough time to look at Alachua County’s districts and how it might impact the African American vote.
“At the time, I and others, we did not get the opportunity to actually peel back the data that was used,” Long said. “African Americans, they live all across Alachua County, and there was no way, at the time not really looking at the data, that you can draw a district that would ensure that you would have a minority majority access district.”
The voter data overlayed with the BOCC district boundaries showed that the “legacy seat” of District 5, occupied by Commissioner Chuck Chestnut, would remain intact while also creating a minority majority district in District 4.
“It affords African Americans the best opportunity to elect more than one African American to the county commission,” Long said. “So when we look at the data now, using the reapportionment district, there is a possibility that, from an African American perspective, you could have two or maybe even three African Americans elected going forward.”
The Alachua County chapter of the NAACP has taken the opposite stance, keeping its position the same from 2022.
Long said he can’t speak for the group. Though a lifelong member, he’s not active in the local chapter. Multiple requests to speak with Evelyn Foxx, president of the local NAACP chapter, were unsuccessful.
Recent mailers have highlighted a 2018 resolution by the national NAACP in opposition to at-large districts. These mailers drew flak from Yes At-Large Districts Campaign. The campaign and the Alachua County NAACP issued a joint statement condemning the mailers and saying the local NAACP chapter supported single-member districts. Foxx didn’t respond to Mainstreet’s request to interview about why the Alachua County NAACP differs from the national stance.
Some of the mailers also used past quotes by Chestnut that seem to support single-member districts. The past quotes are from Chestnut referencing single-member districts for Gainesville but are included in a mailer about single-member districts for Alachua County.
Chestnut is on the record as opposing single-member districts for Alachua County and supporting the effort to go back to at-large districts. In 2022, supporters of single-member districts also used Chestnut’s past statements in mailers, despite his opposition.
Many local African American leaders have supported at-large districts, including Chestnut, state Rep. Yvonne Hayes Hinson, D-Gainesville, school board member Tina Certain and Foxx.
“Would you rather have five Commissioners that are accountable to you? Or one? That’s why the Alachua County NAACP is supporting YES on At-Large Districts,” Foxx said in the release. “We pray you won’t believe the deceptive statements in these mailers.”
BOCC members pointed to the mailers and mudslinging before the 2022 vote as a reason to put the referendum back on the ballot in 2024, saying some of their constituents did not realize what they were voting for and regretted the outcome.
In a ruling last month, a Florida judge called the referendum “unlawful” because the BOCC did not follow the proper process. Alachua County plans to appeal the decision to gain permission to enforce the vote, if the at-large measure passes.
Anywhere else most peeps would favor single member, too. He’s simply exercising common sense, a founding principle of the nation.
Check the financial records closely. Rodney was “persuaded”
City has both single district and at large representatives, why not county?
The city of Gville has a hybrid model of seven commissioners: Four are elected by SMD and three are At large. This gives any voter the chance of electing a majority (up to four of the seven) who represent their voice and their values. Again, more representation is better for democracy. If someone wishes to initiate a hybrid model for the county commission, they are free to get that ball rolling.
Until there’s a transparent and understandable process with agreed upon standards for drawing the districts, any assumptions about what they’d accomplish is simply wishful thinking. Districts are almost always drawn to favor one party, region, race, demographic or other grouping over others. You can assume you will be in a “winning ” group. You might hope for fairness (however defined), but without a process you can’t make an informed decision.
The redistricting process is transparent and conducted every 10 years after the Census is taken. State house and senate districts, US Congressional districts and city and county districts are all redrawn based on population. Its done in the sunshine, as required by law, at public meetings. There are rules and regulations guiding how districts – whether its for county commission or city districts – are drawn. The last time county comm. districts were redrawn was after the 2020 Census and implemented 2021 or 22.
History note: After the 2010 Census, when the voters also passed two FL constitutional amendments to outlaw gerrymandering, the FL legislature redrew districts in violation of the new laws. It took until 2015 for the courts to untangle what they’d done and forced them to correctly redraw the districts. Fun fact: the political operatives behind that scandal are based right here in Alachua County. Google Stafford Jones, Pat Bainter and 2015 redistricting scandal to learn more!
Susan, it was only a scandal in as much as the League of Women Voters tried to make it one.
In the final analysis, the courts ruled that ONE (1) district was out of variance by .5%. That district was drawn that way to make sure that the Congressional district next to it retained the ability for the black population to continue to be able elect the person of their choice. That was Corrine Brown’s district, by the way. Didn’t she end up in jail?
Hmmm. Why does this sound familiar.
So, for all of your huff about a scandal, in the final analysis, there really wasn’t one.
Se. Keith Perry and the local GOP were behind the 2022 SMD campaign and promoted the lies about Black representation. They are behind the NO on ALD campaign now.
Sen. Perry filed the lawsuit to try to stop your vote on ALD from being counted. When Perry was in court and asked, under oath, by the judge why he wanted to stop ALD he replied, “..at-large districts make it near impossible for republican candidates to win .” Proof that it has nothing to do with racial equity and everything to do with partisan politics.
Not to put too fine a point on it, this is all hugely ironic since Perry is hand-in-glove with the legislation to ban the teaching of Black history and Critical Race Theory in our public schools and universities.
So, what about Republicans getting elected to the county commission? Historically, Republicans and conservative Democrats have served on the BOCC. However, of late the GOP has become so extreme in its policies that even your average Republicans and conservative Democrats are put off. When the GOP can go back to its true conservative roots and reject the banning of books, the denial of science and climate change (yes, DeSantis banned those words from use by any state agency or dept), vilifying the LGBTQ community, empowering the government to tell women what health care decisions they are allowed to make for themselves, denying the results of a fair and legitimate presidential election, and making guns more important than the health and safety of children, then maybe we’d see more of a partisan balance on the BOCC.
Its puzzling that anyone assumes that SMD will create a Black district. This ignores the fact that there are Black elected officials in every city in the county:
Micanopy – Mayor
Archer – Commissioner
Alachua – Commissioner
High Springs – Commissioner
Newberry – Commissioner
Hawthorne – Mayor
Waldo – Commissioner
Gainesville (SMD) Commissioner
Gainesville (ALD) Commissioner
There is an abundance of political talent in these communities and we should hope/expect that one day they will chose to run for higher office. If so, they will win based on their experience and track record of service.
The assertion that only under SMD can a Black candidate get elected ignores the past and current elected officials elected countywide who are Black: Property Appraiser, Suprv. of Elections, 8th Judicial Circuit judge, Sheriff, and yes, County Commissioners.
The other side of the argument is simple: Do you want only 1/5 representation on the BOCC or would you rather have the potential of up to 5/5 representation of your voice and your values?
In 2026, a black democrat will beat Ken Cornell in a primary. There is your new black district, right there.
Imagine what could happen if Robert Woody wins district 2. First time, in the history of Alachua County, we could have a majority black commission.