The Gainesville Immigrant Neighbor Inclusion (GINI) initiative was created by the City of Gainesville and community organizations to address the barriers and challenges preventing Gainesville from becoming a more welcoming and inclusive community for its foreign-born neighbors. The following Questionnaires were based on discussions GINI has had with the immigrant community and Steering Committee members.
All candidates listed were sent GINI Questionnaires for the 2022 Primary and again for the 2022 General Election. Those who responded to the first questionnaire and passed to the next round received a “Follow-up” to their initial responses. These follow-ups appear after the initial question as an expansion or addition to their original answer.
Click on the Position you want information about and then click the Candidate's names to see their responses to the questionnaire.
Elected / General Election Candidates / Defeated in Primary REP = Republican / DEM = Democrat / NOP = No Party Preference
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Understanding that immigrants make up over 10% of our city’s population and nearly 25% of its total population growth, what policies do you see as necessary to ensure immigrants are safe and civically engaged?
Several. The ability to have a clear path to citizenship should they wish it. Assistance to apply for citizenship & reduced barriers such as multi-lingual instructions, government & volunteer paperwork completion help, & an assigned staff member to guide through the process. Locally, at Santa Fe College, ensure education & career training tracks are known to all. SF is already welcoming & diverse & has a large international student population (pre-pandemic was several hundred & your handout provided with this questionnaire lists the population at UF & SF as 5,001 0- very impactful) that provides direct division & staff support to this student population. Potentially use the student base to reach out to our diverse immigrant populations. Make sure that immigrants know they are entitled to education and career opportunities and connect them to these opportunities. Seek out funding streams & grant dollars that provide direct support to our most vulnerable & those in poverty so they can have affordable housing/living, access to public transit, & reasonable utilities (there is a grant program now that may provide dollars in this regard.). Civically engaged – the current test for citizenship engages certain “patriotic” principles & information & this should be maintained (my mother in law went through this a long long time ago & it made her more endeared & passionate about her new status. Locally, makes sure that City newsletters, event information, & online sources of activities promoted by the City are offered & disseminated to populations in their native languages. Use City marketing dollars for alternative non-english speaking media for higher awareness & engagement. A great example of this currently is using Tu Fiesta radio for cultural events & information outreach. Safety - Within areas with high immigrant populations, cultural expectations of police are often very different so proactive community policing in these neighborhoods should take place & should involve frequent non-confrontational/conflict interactions. When possible, assigned officers should be those who speak or share demographic characteristics of the the particular languages/dialects used. Initiatives that involve awareness of policing in the US & how reporting will reduce victimization within their communities. This is especially true for partner & domestic violence since women are often victimized in higher percentages win other countries without the ability to report nor be valued. Every semester, I am part of orientation specifically for this population & meet with them in person so they feel comfortable with, around, and reporting to police & they know we are their friend & ally. Make sure no one is food insecure & if determined, provide information & then access to the many food banks locally.
Follow-up: As Commissioner, how do you plan to initiate or support programming that provides multilingual outreach or assists residents with citizenship applications? What would the budget for this look like?
Locally, at Santa Fe College, ensure education & career training tracks are known to all. SF is already welcoming & diverse & has a large international student population (pre- pandemic was several hundred & your handout provided with this questionnaire lists the population at UF & SF as 5,001 0- very impactful) that provides direct division & staff support to this student population. Potentially use the student base to reach out to our diverse immigrant populations. Make sure that immigrants know they are entitled to education and career opportunities and connect them to these opportunities. Budgeting for most outreach I assume would be from educational institutions (even public schools) but I do have enough expertise at this point nor information to know what a budget like that would look like. I would be happy to review any budgeting and could use the insight of GINI in this regard.
Given that immigrants paid over $22 million in state and local taxes, how do you believe we should recognize the contribution by this integral community?
Some of this information is captured above but is worthy of some duplication. Use the City information network in various media forums to publicize to increase awareness of this value. Have pictographics displaying the ways / efforts / successes that these monies have led to. Celebrate diversity in multi-cultural events which highlight various populations. To some extent, this is done by private organizations (example: Indian Cultural Association) and partnerships and sponsorships could boost the awareness & reach of these events.
Follow-up: As Commissioner, how will you use your position to increase dialogue between City departments and local organizations/private business in support of increasing awareness around immigrant issues?
City Commissioner’s role in all matters is to increase dialogue, collaboration, and visioning on how to improve our City. They work through the City manager to accomplish this. For immigrant issues, a good commissioner should do the same thing and I would. This is understanding impacts to our immigrant population, determining services that the City can or should provide (without duplicity between the City, County, UF, & SF and other organizations.) City Commissioners role model and set the tone for the way we treat others. I would do this and have lived my life that way. It is a key piece of my campaign – service and civility.
With over 10,000 Limited English Proficient immigrants in our community and another 10,000 with a hearing disability, how would you help ensure everyone has equitable access to city services such as housing and utilities?
Use existing multi-lingual & signing resources already in existence at both the University of Florida and Santa Fe College as a volunteer network to assist with connections. Set up a mentoring / one on one assignment program for those willing so that those who have limited english proficiency & or hearing disabilities have a trusted “advisor” to reach out to & advocate for on their behalf. Ensure that these populations are aware of existing resources in the educational field & free resources for those who want to take ESOL classes. Engage the four (4) existing City Commission advisory boards in their respective roles to advocate, educate, and monitor access for housing & utility services & make sure that immigrant populations know how to access them. These Boards have various responsibilities but all potentially overlap in providing expert guidance & advocacy for immigrants or those with hearing or other disabilities. They are the Cultural Affairs, Human Rights, Affordable Housing, & Student Community Relations Boards & Committees. For utilities in particular, GRU has just unveiled some programs designed to provide energy efficient audits &/or funding streams through landlords for those in poverty or in need. In some cases, immigrants may also find themselves vulnerable & in need & thus will be able to access some resources that may lower their energy consumption &/or increase energy efficiency in their living spaces.
Follow-up: How do you envision the “mentoring program” looking? Where will we pull trusted advisors, hired by the city? Will this be funded by the city or volunteering from SF and UF?
Most of this comes from the Part I questionnaire which answered to the best of my ability. Set up a mentoring / one on one assignment program for those willing so that those who have limited english proficiency & or hearing disabilities have a trusted “advisor” to reach out to & advocate for on their behalf. These would be City or more likely educational institution trained volunteers who have completed some basic liability and mentoring training. Use existing multi-lingual & signing resources already in existence at both the University of Florida and Santa Fe College as a volunteer network to assist with connections. Ensure that these populations are aware of existing resources in the educational field & free resources for those who want to take ESOL classes. Engage the four (4) existing City Commission advisory boards in their respective roles to advocate, educate, and monitor access for housing & utility services & make sure that immigrant populations know how to access them. Perhaps these Boards could establish formal and informal contacts by having meetings that are located in places easily accessed by populations needing their expertise most. These Boards have various responsibilities but all potentially overlap in providing expert guidance & advocacy for immigrants or those with hearing or other disabilities. They are the Cultural Affairs, Human Rights, Affordable Housing, & Student Community Relations Boards & Committees. Use existing programs already funded by utilities in particular. GRU has just unveiled some programs designed to provide energy efficient audits &/or funding streams through landlords for those in poverty or in need. In some cases, immigrants may also find themselves vulnerable & in need & thus will be able to access some resources that may lower their energy consumption &/or increase energy efficiency in their living spaces. Most mentoring programs are in fact mostly volunteer based.
Immigrants made up close to 10% of essential workers in both health care and food services at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019. How would you help ensure that outreach efforts regarding public health and resources by the City reach immigrant communities?
Use faith based and non-profit organizational networks which have broad and diverse populations for grass roots outreach with the City as partners perhaps providing venues, space, staff, and information resources to leverage impact. Disseminate information to these workers on existing food banks, locations, and how to obtain items. Ensure that the eastside clinic & UF mobile outreach vans are knowledgeable about where the needs exist. For food services & addressing the food insecure, make sure that information is provided directly to workers in both the health care & food services industry using those industries for dissemination streams at virtually no cost. Use the new City gardening grant to locate fresh vegetable gardens, where possible, in areas with those in need & ensure our immigrant populations are aware. Partner with those industries noted who may provide space for both gardens or events that bring health & resources directly to them on site (for example: a hotel hospitality conference or training event for workers). Note: I was on the Rotary Board which helped fund the latest UF mobile outreach van & am very proud of this success. I wrote a grant about 1 1⁄2 years ago through Rotary which also is leading to a refurbished Santa Fe College food bank called Saints Food Share & refurbished low cost but high-quality thrift shop for anyone called Saints Share Wear. I am very proud of these unique & successful efforts & they, at least in part, benefit some of the community members you reference in this questionnaire.
Are you familiar with the Human Rights Coalition’s Community ID? How would you help to normalize the acceptance of this identification across County services?
Have this Community ID offered in City community events & other community events on City properties as part of regular services offered which will boost awareness, boost acceptance, & increase actual use of the ID. In my role in the police department at Santa Fe College, I was approached about this some time ago. As with other area law enforcement agencies, we agreed then to use as a valid form of ID for any purpose allowed by law. Amongst area law enforcement, this is normalized which should help. I am already fully in support. We also do NOT check immigration status for routine law enforcement contacts.
Both the City of Gainesville and Alachua County Commission recently voted to create an immigrant liaison position to help facilitate communication with and connect the immigrant community to municipal government. How will you support this position at the city-level and what do you hope to see achieved by this role?
By role modeling the behavior I want to see. In other words, be welcoming, inclusive, and respectful, courteous, kind, & compassionate to any I interact with. Also would make it known through the liaison and the City Manager that staff interaction across all departments should do the same. If there are paths to employment, we want to encourage these & highlight our hiring efforts & successes to the community & internally amongst City staff. The report you attached indicates a statistic that 16.9% of business owners in the City are immigrant. Use these owners as the seeds for connecting our immigrant community to municipal government through the liaison. This has the potential for multiple tentacles that could benefit our immigrant population.
Follow-up: Initial funding for the Immigrant Liaison position and language access initiatives will be covered by the ARPA Grant. What will funding/budgeting for these programs look like after the grant expires?
It depends upon how long the grants are funded. The goal should be to seek out recurring annual grants. It is essential that the City apply annually, audit regularly, and ensure compliance to maximize chances for long term sustainable funding streams. (I have managed and obtained many grants and understand application processes.)
Based on the nature of the grant, partnerships with the public schools, SF, and UF may provide the collaborative funding needed. This is an area that cultural and non-profit organization assistance would be needed and developed over time so that the program is sustainable.
Follow-up: With the recent rhetoric and actions taken against the immigrant community both nationally and by our state, how will you use your position to ensure our entire community is safe and included?
This question overlaps with many in Part 1 and at least some of the answer to question 2 above. Within areas with high immigrant populations, cultural expectations of police are often very different so proactive community policing in these neighborhoods should take place & should involve frequent non-confrontational/conflict interactions. When possible, assigned officers should be those who speak or share demographic characteristics of the the particular languages/dialects used. Initiatives that involve awareness of policing in the US & how reporting will reduce victimization within their communities. This is especially true for partner & domestic violence since women are often victimized in higher percentages win other countries without the ability to report nor be valued.
I am part of orientation at Santa Fe College each semester specifically for this population & meet with them in person so they feel comfortable with, around, and reporting to police & they know we are their friend & ally.
Fairly enforcing laws that impact immigrants and being understanding of their specific needs and cultural barriers related to their life safety will help bridge this gap. And for other aspects of life safety, make sure no one is food insecure & if determined, provide information & then access to the many food banks locally. Attempt to educate on public transit routes, affordable and adequate housing, and other programs and services and who they can reach out to for problems (mentor program) can also improve overall life safety.
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Understanding that immigrants make up over 10% of our city’s population and nearly 25% of its total population growth, what policies do you see as necessary to ensure immigrants are safe and civically engaged?
The core issue in making sure that immigrants are safe and civically engaged is making sure that they are able to communicate with the city. This means emergency services like GPD have certified interpreters. It means Programs like the language line at GRU are expanded across the rest of city services, and that city staff and immigrant communities know how to access these services. We also need to work toward building the type of trust that makes immigrants feel comfortable about reaching out to the city without fear of their immigration status being called into question.
Given that immigrants paid over $22 million in state and local taxes, how do you believe we should recognize the contribution by this integral community?
The obvious answer to me on this question is that we spend some of those resources that are created by our immigrant neighbors on making sure they have access to all of the city that everyone else does. Examples of things we could do are: Establish community ambassadors through Immigrant Liaison so that we establish trust and a working relationship with the varied immigrant communities in Gainesville. Work with existing immigrant advocacy groups to produce materials in needed languages so that everyone knows what services the city offers. With advance notice we could provide interpreters for LEP immigrants to participate in general or one on one meetings with city commission or staff. Create a bonus or reward system for city staff that have multiple language certifications.
With over 10,000 Limited English Proficient immigrants in our community and another 10,000 with a hearing disability, how would you help ensure everyone has equitable access to city services such as housing and utilities?
By working towards having necessary forms available in multiple languages, and staff that is either certified interpretors or able to use tools like the language line to communicate with those needing services including those with a hearing disability or those who struggle with literacy. Part of the immigrant liaison position can include tracking what languages, services, and paperwork are most commonly needed. That way we can have more commonly needed forms ready, and keep a translating service available so that we can get less common forms made with some advance notice. By having staff that is familiar with and able to use the translating tools that we do have access to we can have more comfortable staff and members of the public.
Immigrants made up close to 10% of essential workers in both health care and food services at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019. How would you help ensure that outreach efforts regarding public health and resources by the City reach immigrant communities?
I am a big fan of the Community Resource Paramedicine program. I think it can continue to be expanded and could work very well in conjunction with immigrant ambassadors and outreach groups to bring healthcare resources out into underserved communities. I would also like to see us encourage the county Health department to work with the immigrant liaisons.
Are you familiar with the Human Rights Coalition’s Community ID? How would you help to normalize the acceptance of this identification across County services?
This is a great program that helps a wide variety of groups. Having another option to get an ID is extremely important for many groups of our neighbors that struggle to get a state ID, Immigrants, the trans community, the homeless, the elderly that don’t have old documents. I think the best way to normalize these IDs is twofold. First work on getting more places to accept them including county and school board services. Second to get more people, especially those who can get more traditional IDs, to use them so that their use isn’t seen as a red flag.
Both the City of Gainesville and Alachua County Commission recently voted to create an immigrant liaison position to help facilitate communication with and connect the immigrant community to municipal government. How will you support this position at the city-level and what do you hope to see achieved by this role?
I will support this position by seeing that it is properly funded and prioritized. What I hope to see achieved is that our immigrant population in Gainesville feels valued and is able to participate fully in our city.
Understanding that immigrants make up over 10% of our city’s population and nearly 25% of its total population growth, what policies do you see as necessary to ensure immigrants are safe and civically engaged?
Understanding that immigrants make up over 10% of our county’s population and nearly 25% of its total population growth, what policies do you see as necessary to ensure immigrants are safe and civically engaged? First of all, I think it is necessary to do everything possible at the city level to make Gainesville a sanctuary city. I know the State of Florida (and the federal government) have limited our ability to achieve this in some ways, but there are still measures that can be taken. The City Commission can direct the City Manager and Chief of Police not to police immigration and not to cooperate with ICE or CBP. Our justice system operates on a high degree of police and prosecutor discretion. We can leverage that to make Gainesville as safe as possible and keep all immigrants from being hassled. Also in terms of discretion, the city can make sure we are enforcing no-discrimination policies for rental housing and work opportunities. Making sure everyone, including all immigrants, have a safe place to live and work opportunities is the core work of the City Commission. But even then, the larger problem is our serious lack of affordable housing. This significantly affects our immigrant population. There are two things the City Commission needs to do to address this. First, we need to stop tearing down our existing affordable housing stock, much of which has been lost to high-rise, luxury student housing. The City has allowed this to happen. We need to go the other way and protect our existing housing. Second, the City needs to work with – and contribute to – affordable housing developers like Gainesville Housing Authority, Ability Housing, and others who are working to increase the amount of affordable family housing in Gainesville. Those developers rely on a small amount of government funding to make their projects viable. Currently, state and county money goes to that – but not City funds. The City Commission must put its money where its mouth is on affordable family housing. This will help immigrant families have safe places to live. Beyond these basics, the city needs to do more to promote civic engagement among our immigrant population. The city’s website can be rendered in several languages, but meetings and forms are most often English-only. We need to make sure all city and GRU generated communications and forms are available in all the languages our residents need them in. Meetings need to have at least Spanish and American Sign Language translations, as well as a translator available when Spanish speaking residents want to speak in meetings. And there are a number of boards and committees that have openings for volunteers. We need an outreach program to our immigrant population to specifically invite their voices to the table.
Given that immigrants paid over $22 million in state and local taxes, how do you believe we should recognize the contribution by this integral community?
Immigrants work hard. I’ve known this firsthand since I was a kid working with my grandpa in the fields and with my dad who is a general contractor. I worked alongside many hard-working immigrants, people who have made this country work for a long, long time. I think the best way to practically recognize this hard work is to make sure our immigrants have good work available, opportunities for career advancement, and what practical help the city can provide. In general, this means Gainesville needs to grow its economy. We are too dependent on UF and have a serious lack of work opportunities. We lose businesses to Ocala and Alachua because Gainesville is a difficult place to be successful in business. This suppresses immigrant entrepreneurs or drives them to other places (ones less immigrant friendly) and shrinks our local tax base. Right now, the city budget is too dependent on the GRU transfer, which is a regressive tax that suppresses our economy. The City Commission needs to be committed to weaning ourselves off of GRU profits, lowering utility costs for families and businesses. This will help everyone be more successful and better honor the hard earn contributions our immigrant community makes to our town. Perhaps the biggest practical help the City can give in this regard is in providing a much more robust transit system, one that ensures people can commute reasonably between affordable family housing and work opportunities. RTS receives a good deal of funding from UF, but right now the City is content to use mostly that money. This means the bus system works okay for anyone traveling to UF, but not so much for anyone else. By combining the UF contribution with more of its own funding, the City of Gainesville can have a bus system that far exceeds what a town of our size could otherwise have. Furthermore, the bus system should be free or low cost to everyone. It is already free to all UF students and staff, all Santa Fe College students and staff, all employees of UF Health, GRU, and the City. Everyone else pays $1.50 per ride or $35 per month. We could lower the monthly pass to $10 (which is still $2.50 more than employers of 100 or more employees pay for passes). But more than the cost of passes, most people don’t take the bus because it takes far too long to get anywhere. We need more routes, more stops, more buses running simultaneous routes. Making our public transit system actually work for everyone would be a significant benefit to our immigrant community.
With over 10,000 Limited English Proficient immigrants in our community and another 10,000 with a hearing disability, how would you help ensure everyone has equitable access to city services such as housing and utilities?
All City services (including GRU) must be available readily in English and Spanish, whether online, by email, in print, or in person. We also need to make sure ASL is offered at all City Commission meetings, and all video recordings have accurate closed captioning. The City must also be proactive in providing translation services to other languages as needed. City funds should also be earmarked to support local ESL efforts. All of this should be managed by a designated Communications Access Manager (in addition to the immigrant liaison position) position inside the Office of Equity and Inclusion. And we must be committed not only to translating outgoing communications, but also ensure that everyone who wants to give input and participate in the democratic process can have their contributions translated into English. The City Commission needs to do much better at democratic listening and this means making sure all voices are able to be heard.
Immigrants made up close to 10% of essential workers in both health care and food services at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019. How would you help ensure that outreach efforts regarding public health and resources by the City reach immigrant communities?
Here again, making sure the lines of communication are not blocked by translation issues helps. Public notices posted inside buses and other community spaces in multiple languages can help. Most of all, Commissioners must develop relationships with leaders of our various immigrant groups and be proactive in asking if these communications are getting through. The onus should not be on the immigrant community – it is literally the job of the City Commissioners to be reaching out and asking these questions and listening closely and responding as needed. That requires existing relationships, and developing those is the responsibility of Commissioners too.
Are you familiar with the Human Rights Coalition’s Community ID? How would you help to normalize the acceptance of this identification across County services?
Yes, I am familiar. As the Board Chair for GRACE Marketplace, I am very grateful for the HRC Community ID program. It has made a huge difference for so many people, the difference between getting services or not. As I understand it, this ID is already accepted as valid for all City services. That should remain the case. Beyond that, I have encountered individuals who have not been able to provide adequate proof of identity, address, or age. These are difficult cases without easy solutions, which is exactly why it would be a good place for a City Commissioner to leverage the power of the city to help in those hard cases. This one is close to my heart and I will be glad to do all I can to further this work of the HRC.
Both the City of Gainesville and Alachua County Commission recently voted to create an immigrant liaison position to help facilitate communication with and connect the immigrant community to municipal government. How will you support this position at the city-level and what do you hope to see achieved by this role?
I think we need more than the one liaison position. The City needs an employee focused solely on the translation component, not only outgoing communications and forms and such, but also making sure that non-English speakers can speak at City meetings, can call their Commissioners, can even serve on advisory boards. The language line services may be adequate for other languages, but we need more than that for at least Spanish, Mandarin, and ASL. Those need local, human translators. Perhaps volunteers, students, and interns can be recruited to help with this. Coordinating all of that will be a full-time job itself. The liaison position needs to be devoted to cultivating positive relationships with the immigrant communities, to working with GINI, and to connecting members of the immigrant community with their city leaders.
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Understanding that immigrants make up over 10% of our city’s population and nearly 25% of its total population growth, what policies do you see as necessary to ensure immigrants are safe and civically engaged?
Safe civic engagement is important for all citizens and those who feel marginalized require intentional efforts to promote their active participation. As a city that is made up of many types of communities we should actively encourage a melting pot approach. I have currently chair the EEO board and in that role, I work to ensure diversity, equity and inclusion in all aspects of City government. I am committed to all of our communities and the 10% who are immigrants are just as important as the other 90%.
Follow-up: Please speak to your work building diversity, equity, and inclusion while sitting on the EEO; how would you broaden that approach to the rest of the city?
I have a proven track record of working with the local and state government to enhance the livelihood of our citizens and promote the consideration of concepts and ideas across all cultures. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is at the heart of the work that I do while serving in the Capacity of President of the Human Rights Board for our City. Over the years we have made tremendous gains towards our efforts for equal and equitable treatment of our diverse population but there is still much work to be done. The GINI initiative provides us with the opportunity to broaden our efforts to accommodate immigrants that have not previously been included in the decisions made by our local government. As Commissioner, I will continue to work with the Office of Equity and Inclusion to incorporate equal consideration and measurable impacts to our increasing immigrant population when drafting new policies and procedures.
Given that immigrants paid over $22 million in state and local taxes, how do you believe we should recognize the contribution by this integral community?
Recognizing the significant financial contributions that are made to our community by immigrants can best be achieved by education. Those who are not immigrants need to know that what these fellow community members are doing to support and maintain our way of life.
Follow-up: Follow-up: In what ways would you initiate or support efforts to educate the general population on the financial contributions of Gainesville’s immigrant population?
It is important that the commission and the public fully understand, and are aware of, the diverse population that make up our great city. It is equally important that we all understand the positive impact and contributions made to the city on their behalf. I believe that city staff should be directed to provide or facilitate bi-annual briefings to the commission and the public on the financial contributions made by our immigrant population. Creating a healthy relationship cross-culturally is supported by educating the public of the positive impact that each cultural group provides to make our city a great place to live and thrive. Immigrant households earned over $317 million dollars in 2019 and $22 million dollars went to state and local government. Their financial contributions have allowed us to enhance the quality of life for all citizens in several areas and continue to support those efforts.
With over 10,000 Limited English Proficient immigrants in our community and another 10,000 with a hearing disability, how would you help ensure everyone has equitable access to city services such as housing and utilities?
All city services and resources should be accessible in EVERY way to ALL of our citizens, including those who do not speak English as their first language and those who have hearing deficiencies. Efforts can be made through staffing and other translation and accessibility devices and services. This will guarantee that no one feels burdened or excluded when accessing our City’s services.
Immigrants made up close to 10% of essential workers in both health care and food services at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019. How would you help ensure that outreach efforts regarding public health and resources by the City reach immigrant communities?
Working closely with organizations that are here to support our immigrant communities will be essential to reaching and accessing those services. Also, closer coordination with State and Federal government services such as the Department of Health and Alachua County Social Services will also help with this outreach.
Follow-up: As Commissioner, how do you plan on building communication and coordinating with local immigrant-serving organizations? How would you suggest encouraging closer coordination with State and Federal government services such as the Department of Health and Alachua County Social Services?
As Commissioner, it would be a priority to set strategic goals for building effective communications between our local and state government and the immigrant community. I will work closely with the city manager and the Office of Equity and Inclusion to establish a liaison that is dedicated towards those efforts. I understand that making sound decisions that are both equal and equitable hinges on information housed in several departments across government. This is an area that we have previously failed in and has inadvertently marginalized our immigrant and minority population. Housing, education, employment, finance, and medical impacts should be at the forefront of any decision that is made by our commission. It is imperative that effective communication and transference of data is conveyed timely and accurately.
Are you familiar with the Human Rights Coalition’s Community ID? How would you help to normalize the acceptance of this identification across County services?
I am familiar with and in support of this valuable alternative to traditional identification. It is important that all citizens feel safe, included and protected and this creative mechanism is an example of initiatives that help to make life for marginalized and disenfranchised communities better.
Both the City of Gainesville and Alachua County Commission recently voted to create an immigrant liaison position to help facilitate communication with and connect the immigrant community to municipal government. How will you support this position at the city-level and what do you hope to see achieved by this role?
I am grateful that both entities have seen fit to move forward with this valuable position. I will always support efforts that make our fair city more open and inclusive.
Follow-up: Initial funding for the Immigrant Liaison position and language access initiatives will be covered by the ARPA Grant. What will funding/budgeting for these programs look like after the grant expires?
I believe that funding has been misappropriated in several areas in the past, and the opportunity to correctly appropriate funding towards those efforts certainly exists. The office of Equity and Inclusion currently has funding that has been provided towards their equity and Inclusion efforts. As Commissioner, I will recommend that we direct the director of that office to work closely with the budget office to restructure current spending efforts that includes and support permanent funding of the Liaison position.
Additional funding recommendations that may be required should be provided to the commission for approval.
Follow-up: With the recent rhetoric and actions taken against the immigrant community both nationally and by our state, how will you use your position to ensure our entire community is safe and included?
Educate, Train, and Enforce! The immigrant population deserves that same level of consideration that is given to our community as a whole. I will tirelessly work with our staff to educate ALL citizens on the importance, value, and contributions made to our society by the immigrant community. In addition, I will work to establish laws and policies that will equally protect their rights. Adequate training will be provided to appropriate staff to build relationships and equip them with the knowledge to educate others. As Commissioner, I will hold those that are accountable for enforcing laws, polices, and procedures that help to protect our immigrant community and assist in their prosper.
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Understanding that immigrants make up over 10% of our city’s population and nearly 25% of its total population growth, what policies do you see as necessary to ensure immigrants are safe and civically engaged?
During the pandemic I was glad that the City did more communication in Spanish than I had ever seen. That’s just one language though. GPD Citizens Academy ought to be held in Spanish occasionally. I do recognize that the name itself is problematic…all residents deserve access to the experience provided, not just citizens. Perhaps we could use the more informal “ciudadanos” to describe people who live in Gainesville?
Follow-up: How would you ensure communication and opportunities from the City is done in multiple languages and actually reaches the different Limited English Proficient communities?
Fund cost efficient measures to translate any city services and document LEP communities. Gainesville Police Department has done some of this and I think other departments can and should.
Given that immigrants paid over $22 million in state and local taxes, how do you believe we should recognize the contribution by this integral community?
I don’t have any original ideas for this outside of the kinds of proclamations that have been done in the past, but I know that I make a very conscious effort to talk about “residents” of Gainesville, not “citizens”. With a high concentration of multi-family homes in my SW Gainesville district, I would represent a large number of foreign UF students. They are just as much a part of this community as citizens, and our city government should serve them equally.
Follow-up: Follow-up: Do you have a plan to assist those facing the housing crisis? How would you encourage partner organizations to expand their language portfolio?
I think we need to look at what documents must be provided in other languages to prospective tenants upon request. Partner organizations that receive city resources like funds or property should be held to a high standard to make an effort to reach more of our community.
With over 10,000 Limited English Proficient immigrants in our community and another 10,000 with a hearing disability, how would you help ensure everyone has equitable access to city services such as housing and utilities?
Our city is experiencing a housing shortage and crisis like most places in the United States. When housing demand is so much higher than the available stock, housing is bid up by those who can afford to pay more. Our city policies should encourage abundant housing, with many types of housing available in all parts of the city to all types of people. The partner organizations that the City works with should have staff that speak other languages or have the ability to easily contact translation services. GRU is a large enough operation that it should also have staff that speak different languages. That should be recruited for and promoted for as well.
Immigrants made up close to 10% of essential workers in both health care and food services at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019. How would you help ensure that outreach efforts regarding public health and resources by the City reach immigrant communities?
The City should work to communicate with organizations, churches, media, and businesses that are already embedded in immigrant communities…IN THEIR LANGUAGES. That may mean having more city workers who are bilingual or recruiting speakers from the immigrant communities to work on specific projects.
Are you familiar with the Human Rights Coalition’s Community ID? How would you help to normalize the acceptance of this identification across County services?
The Community ID project is a great example of cooperation between community groups and the City. I have knocked on a lot of doors in my life and registered a lot of voters. I have heard so many stories about why people don’t have or can’t access a state ID. The Community ID is a great step to help our neighbors access services and public accommodations if they don’t have a state ID. One way I will normalize it is that I will get one for myself and use it when it is appropriate to identify myself.
Both the City of Gainesville and Alachua County Commission recently voted to create an immigrant liaison position to help facilitate communication with and connect the immigrant community to municipal government. How will you support this position at the city-level and what do you hope to see achieved by this role?
Our City Manager must be a public servant who understands the challenges and duty of our City being a city for all people, not just some. How they value this position will determine how effective they are. When I worked at the service organization Make the Road New York with immigrant communities, I saw how people gained trust of the organizations, formed relationships, and then could be gathered to communicate to local governments. I think this liaison could help keep communication flowing to the City and vice versa.
Follow-up: Follow-up: Initial funding for the Immigrant Liaison position and language access initiatives will be covered by the ARPA Grant. What will funding/budgeting for these programs look like after the grant expires?
I think we will have sufficient amounts in the General Fund to support these programs. Phasing the funding into the General Fund so that when the grant ends the city is ready to take up the full cost would be smart. While some candidates support budgeted items like this, they then vote against the overall budget because they don’t like that it actually costs money in the end and has to come from somewhere. Frequently they get to vote “NO” but the budget still passes and they get their cake and eat it too. I don’t want to be that kind of commissioner.
Follow-up: With the recent rhetoric and actions taken against the immigrant community both nationally and by our state, how will you use your position to ensure our entire community is safe and included?
I think we have to combat the rhetoric that suggests only people who were born in Gainesville are fully worthy of what our city has to offer people. My opponent has attacked me at every opportunity because he thinks only someone who is born in Gainesville will care about the residents of Gainesville. He has adopted an “us vs them” rhetoric that pits long-term residents against new Gainesville residents. I think he is wrong. I think Gainesville has a long history of welcoming people who are looking for a place where they can thrive and live the Gainesville good life. I came to Gainesville 8 years ago because I needed a place to restart my life in an open and welcoming community. That is what I found here. While it is correct that refugees have the legal right to be in the United States and our community, we can’t just fight people on the technicalities of language. We instead should make it clear that immigrants are welcome and that the City of Gainesville isn’t going to do the dirty work of a regressive national government. In a housing shortage the rhetoric against new residents starts to get very ugly. I support achieving housing abundance so that residents don't have to bid against each other for increasingly expensive housing.
