Brown makes it official

Shirley Brown (right) officially became the newest member of the Alachua City Commission as she was sworn in at the beginning of the April 23 commission meeting.  Alachua City Manager Traci Cain (left) administered the oath of office to Brown, who won in the April 10 election for a seat on the commission.

Although Brown won the race by a 2-1 margin over her opponents, she was victorious by a razor thin margin, carrying 50.1 percent of the votes and avoiding a run-off election.  Brown garnered 237 of the 473 votes cast, while opponent Patricia Lee picked up 128 and opponent Billy Rogers received 108 votes.

Brown is replacing longtime Commissioner Orien Hills who opted not to seek re-election.