Alachua election April 10

ALACHUA – Three candidates are vying for one seat in the April 10 City of Alachua election.

Shirley Green Brown, Patricia Lee and Billy Rogers are all seeking election to a seat on the commission currently held by Commissioner Orien Hills.

After serving five consecutive terms totaling 15 years, Commissioner Hills decided not to seek re-election to his seat.  Commissioner Gary Hardacre ran unopposed for his seat on the commission.

Brown, Lee and Rogers will square off in the citywide election scheduled for April 10.  If no candidate receives 50 percent plus one vote, the election would go to a runoff between the top two candidates.

Brown is a speech and language pathologist with the School Board of Alachua County.  Lee is the executive director of CDC of Leesburg & Vicinity, a community development corporation.  Rogers runs Way2Be Music International, a music production services company.

The Hal Brady Recreation Complex, the Cleather Hancock, Sr. Community Center and Plantation Oaks at Turkey Creek will serve as polling stations for the April election.  Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.  According to the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections, there are 5,732 registered voters in the City of Alachua.

Editor’s note: The following is a brief biography and answers to questions asked of each candidate.  Candidates were asked to keep responses to 50 words or less.

Shirley Green Brown

How long have you lived in the City of Alachua? Since the 1970's

Who is your current employer, for how long and what is your position? School Board of Alachua County, 31 years, Speech & Language Pathologist

What is your education? B.S. degree in Speech Pathology, Post-graduate studies at the University of Florida and Florida State University

What is your community involvement? I volunteered with the Recreation's skating program, coached basketball teams, scorekeeper for t-ball, baseball, basketball, Pop Warner football, worked the concession stand and supported all programs at the  Recreation center.  I served as a participating member on Irby, Alachua, Mebane and Santa Fe High School Advisory councils as a staff member/parent and tutor students in the area. I am the President of the Alachua Woman's Club, former President and member of the Friends of the Library and St. Luke AME Church.

General questions:

1. Why are you the best qualified to be the next commissioner for the City of Alachua?

I am highly qualified for this office.  My expertise in education as well as my strong leadership skills, integrity, commitment, dedication to the community, respect for others, dependability and amiable personality will enhance the strength of the commission while working cohesively with the other members of the board.

2. What do you believe is the number one issue facing the City of Alachua?

The number one issue is our future growth and how it will impact our community.

3. If elected, what would be your goals or what would you like to see accomplished?

If elected, I will work tirelessly to meet these goals: Improve programs for our youth, increase sporting events for our recreational department, encourage more job opportunities, budget revisions, explore funding for better roads/streets and continue to support the revitalization of the Good Life Community. 

 Patricia Lee

How long have you lived in the City of Alachua? I was born and raised in Alachua and have been back living within city limits or its immediate borders for the past 18 years.

Who is your current employer, for how long and what is your position? I am currently building business and strategic plans for a non-profit organization that will be a new model for community and economic development.

What is your education? I have an MBA with a concentration in accounting from Southern-Methodist University, a B.S. in Business Education from Bethune-Cookman University, and Valedictorian of A.L. Mebane High School.

What is your community involvement? I am a member of Greater New Hope MBC Mission Society, an active Rotarian, member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and Alachua Woman's Club and Greater New Hope MBC.  Also a member of many organizations in the city(s) where most of my work is performed.

General questions:

1. Why are you the best qualified to be the next commissioner for the City of Alachua?

I am best qualified to be the next commissioner for the City of Alachua for the following reasons: Experience working in city government, diverse businesses and non-profits, coupled with my formal and informal education provides the knowledge, experience and exposure to hit the ground running when elected. 
2. What do you believe is the number one issue facing the City of Alachua?

Number One Issue:  I don't rank issues because my number one issue may not be someone else's; nor is my issue more important than another’s. I am proactive solutions oriented believing it better to address a thing before it become a problem.  We must be forward thinkers that employ multi-faceted solutions before situations become number one issues for any element of our community.

3. If elected, what would be your goals or what would you like to see accomplished?

If elected I would like to see the following:
Business friendly government that understands businesses needs, neighborhood community centers with educational components, job creation through recreational, cultural and small business development, more public-private partnering for less reliance on tax dollars, more alternative funding sources for less reliance on tax dollars.

 Billy Rogers

Editor’s note:  As of press time, Alachua County Today had not received a response from Mr. Rogers.  If and when a response is provided, this story will be updated at AlachuaCountyToday.com to reflect the new information.