The city of Gainesville and its leaders have a full plate in 2026 with decision points coming on the more than $50 million Waldo Road and NE Eighth Avenue redevelopment, court decisions concerning Gainesville Regional Utilities and a probable search for a permanent city manager.

For three of Gainesville’s elected leaders, an upcoming election will need to be managed on top of their weekly commission duties. Mayor Harvey Ward and commissioners Bryan Eastman, Casey Willits and Ed Book will finish their terms this year.

It’s the first term for each in their respective roles. Ward hit his term limit as a commissioner before successfully running for mayor in 2022, and each of the commissioners is serving their first terms.

However, Book told Mainstreet that he will not run for reelection. He said the city is in a different place than when he ran and that he was happy to have been a part. The current commission has reset the city, he said, and Gainesville is headed in a good direction.

Book said when he first ran for office, he told residents that four years is a good term length. He said he’ll get to step down after governing as he said he would.

Ward said it’s been a cohesive and cordial group able to tackle big projects.

“I enjoy working with this group of people,” Ward told Mainstreet. “Everybody brings something very different to the dais, and I like that. I mean, we’re all very civil with each other, and we bring different strengths to the work.”

The major change in the commission landscape in 2022 also brought major reversals from the previous commission, with immediate votes to repeal several recently established ordinances.

Ward and Willits have both filed to run, and Eastman told Mainstreet that he also plans to defend his seat.

Ward said the campaigns can change the dais. He said everyone reacts differently to the pressures of campaign season, and sometimes it can show through.

He also said nearly any decision made until August, the city election, or November, city runoff elections, will be viewed and criticized in light of the campaigning.

James Lesesne Jr. has also registered for the mayoral race. In 2022, a packed, 10-candidate mayoral race made for a busy campaign season. Ward said he expects no less this year, even with only two candidates to start.

“There are always a lot of folks who are interested in running for mayor,” Ward said. “It gives people an opportunity to talk about the things that are important to them. “

Ward said his first term as mayor went by quickly, and he’s enjoyed the work—though not some of the unexpected challenges encountered. But he said every good job he’s had has kept him up at night a little, and he said being mayor is the best job he’s had.

In the coming year, Ward said the city commission outlined many of the same priorities that they’ve focused on for the past few years—pedestrian and cyclist safety, gun violence prevention and economic development.

The City Commission discussed these priorities at a retreat held last week. The retreat is a new annual event, and Ward said he thinks it’s helped commissioners speak freely without a specific agenda item and align on strategic areas.

Interim UF President Donald Landry was the keynote speaker for the retreat. Ward anticipates a strong relationship with UF and said he looks forward to working with Landry.

Regardless of whether Landry earns the post permanently, Ward said stability, both at UF and within the city government, is needed to allow anchor institutions to pull in the same direction.

“Even if you don’t see eye to eye on everything, stability is useful because it allows the community to see the institutions working together, and if there’s a revolving door at either side, it makes it harder for us to be on the same page,” Ward said.

Besides the UF-Gainesville connection, Ward wants to revitalize the former Friendship Seven, a collaboration between the major local institutions (Alachua County, Gainesville, Alachua County Public Schools, University of Florida, UF Health, Santa Fe College, Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce and Community Foundation of North Central Florida).

Ward spearheaded an initial meeting in December, and while one media report said the group would pivot to GNV Next as a name, Ward said the naming, while discussed, never reached a decision.

But he said the group needs a new name, especially since there are eight major institutions. He also said he wants the cohort to exist outside of elected offices.

“I kind of picked up the baton as a political leader because nobody else was,” Ward said. “But the real work is going to be done by staff, executive staff, and layers below that if it works. If we depend on elected leaders to do it, it probably won’t. I would like to create something more durable.”

According to the Alachua Chronicle, each of the institutions sent an official to the meeting except for Alachua County. County Manager Michele Lieberman sent a letter last week clarifying the mission of the Friendship Seven and, if a new group were to form in its image, how it should happen.

Ward said economic development would likely be the largest focus area for the group. He said Gainesville and Alachua County have economic development largely from each of the eight institutions doing its own work, but pulling together could supercharge the efforts, he said.

“We would be an absolute monster at economic development if all eight of our institutions pulled in the same direction, or even a similar direction, with a clear purpose on economic development,” Ward said. “The things that our community can offer overshadow any other midsize city I’m aware of.”

Ward said Gainesville is looking to follow through on its economic development and building promises. In the process, he said the city is improving trust in government, which he said is at an extreme low.

Ward compiled a list of projects starting or finishing in 2026 and released it on Facebook. The list includes Boulware Springs rehabilitation, an RTS transfer station at the Eastside Health and Economic Development Initiative site, the Streetery, Eighth Avenue and Waldo Road redevelopment and the police department’s property and evidence building.

On top of these, Gainesville plans to finish its renovation of City Hall Plaza in the first quarter of 2026.

“You don’t only build buildings when you build buildings or when you renovate buildings, you build people’s faith that their local government can deliver for them,” Ward said.