Seth Johnson
Gainesville City Commissioner David Arreola has announced he will run for mayor in the election next August.
The announcement, made Wednesday on social media, ran through some of Arreola’s history in Gainesville and as the District 3 commissioner. Arreola is a Buchholz High School graduate and has spent most of his working life in Gainesville.
“Our challenges are not bigger than our solutions, but they will require leadership that won’t back down to face them,” Arreola said. “That is why today I am announcing my candidacy to be your next mayor of Gainesville. I know together we can tackle our challenges and make all of Gainesville thrive.”
Arreola joined the commission in 2017 and currently serves as mayor pro tempore. Since his start, Arreola highlighted several projects the commission has accomplished, including an update to the living wage ordinance and a Tenants’ Bill of Rights, creating the co-responders program at GPD and placing Gainesville first in Florida for renewable energy.
In the accompanying video, Arreola said he’s had to stand up for Gainesville against both state and federal officials, particularly on issues related to the pandemic.
“Local government is the government closest to people, and I think that we’re more than capable of governing ourselves,” Arreola said.
Arreola also mentioned standing against fossil fuel infrastructure even if other commissioners vote for it.
Last month, Arreola opposed GRU’s request to apply for UF’s bidding process to build a new gas plant. He was the only commissioner to vote against GRU’s bid.
Lauren Poe, the city’s current mayor, hit his term limit this past election, preventing him from running again. Poe has served as Gainesville’s mayor since 2016.