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?
Our public safety efforts need to address the public safety needs of all citizens without discrimination. Fighting discrimination is still a challenge and will require making sure city employees are properly trained to ensure everyone is treated equally. If elected I intend to pursue restoring the citizen advisory committee system that used to exist when I previously served, and that system creates an opportunity for a variety of people to serve the city; certainly immigrants along with everyone else will be invited.
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’m not sure what you’re looking for here.
Follow-up: As Commissioner, how will you use your position to increase cooperation between County departments and local organizations/private business to promote better outreach to the immigrant community?
Since Alachua County and the City of Gainesville now have immigrant liaison positions, we need to work to have immigrant representation and awareness for as many community organizations and businesses as possible. One way to do that is to create something like an Alachua County Immigrant Liaison Council and ask each community organization (Sierra Club, NAACP, Chamber of Commerce, Scouts, Planned Parenthood, Builder’s Association, United Way, etc.), each government organization (City and County Commissions, School Board, University of Florida, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, Judicial System, etc.), each large employer (Shands UF, Exact Tech, VA, Publix, etc.) and religions organizations to designate representatives that have access to management to yearly/quarterly meetings to coordinate efforts and create awareness of immigrant issues.
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?
People will have to be hired, to the extent they aren’t already, to speak various languages; some pamphlets etc. might have to be published in more than just English. The UF may be of some assistance depending on what programs they have. Regarding hearing disability, the city has the responsibility to supply hearing assistance devices (I think they already do this); but I don’t think there is a current function of sign language or closed captioning and that will have to be investigated, especially for public meetings.
Follow-up: Please expand on your idea of creating a volunteer database to improve communication and engagement with the immigrant community. How could the County advertise these opportunities and where do you envision volunteers coming from (Santa Fe, local orgs, etc.)?
It was this idea of a volunteer database that led me to the idea of an Alachua County Immigrant Liaison Council (please see my response to Q1). When we have people across the county connected to the largest institutions, then each of those people could create a list of volunteers and the type of services or help they may be able to offer. Then we can reach across the breadth of our community to find volunteers for the needs of the community – whether it is legal services or housing or translation or employment or food security or anything else that may be critical. Additionally, subcommittees could be formed to address specific community needs in those areas.
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?
In my experience, reaching the population at large or any segment of the population is and always has been a challenge that this city and other cities rarely meet. How do you communicate with everyone? Mail? Email? TV and radio advertising? Twitter? Facebook? Notices in utility bills? It’s not just a challenge in terms of reaching immigrant communities, it’s an overall challenge. I’d appreciate any ideas you have.
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 City doesn’t run the County, so the best the City can do is to request the County to recognize this ID. This question is better directed to the County government.
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?
Ideally better communication will be achieved with this.
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?
Frankly, municipal budgets are tight. However, we need to put our money where our mouth is when we say we are a welcoming community. My hope is that the ARPA funds will be spent carefully to be able to document quantifiable or documentable evidence of the effectiveness of these positions. Then those positions can be funded. Ideally, if the immigrant liaison council is successful and fully integrated in a useful way across the community, then the budget required for these positions could be reduced.
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?
By supporting funding where I can, buy pushing our representatives (both elected and appointed) in Tallahassee and DC) to lobby for/against legislation, by listening to community representatives, and by working to accommodate immigrant needs in government services where we can – emergency management, law enforcement, community resources, health department, etc.
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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?
As an activist advocating for Immigration Reform since 2013, I have worked with Chispas at UF and Interfaith Alliance for Immigrant Justice (IAIJ) in Alachua and Marion Counties and have helped to organize many forums to address and advocate for DACA students and immigrant workers and their families. I would welcome the political advocacy of our College students and hope that those DACA students and their classmates would take leadership for the communities they represent and work with local government to educate and help develop those policies needed to help integrate folks into the community. Close communication between local public schools and policing/legal agencies needs to be a priority as those needs are discussed. Welcoming Cities are not a state priority, but it is in Gainesville and should be in Alachua County. Outreach programs through local religious organizations need to be encouraged to take part in the integration of immigrants through language classes and offers for advocacy or sponsorship.
Follow-up: As Commissioner, how will you use your position to increase dialogue between County departments and local organizations/private business to promote better outreach to the immigrant community?
I have been involved in a large network of community activists countywide and can easily access and connect them within the county and outside. I have been involved with immigration reform movements for 8 years and have contacts throughout the state dealing with DACA issues and migrant farm workers and their children.
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?
Gainesville has divided itself culturally into Black and White Communities. Little attention is given to the diversity of the community past these two. I believe our local news agencies might be interested in the idea of expanding their news coverage past these two cultures. I would like to believe that by reporting on the successes and celebrations of the various communities living here, the exposure and information coming from those communities would go a long way to educating and opening up this kind of information. Some of our publications, such as The Iguana could expand its circulation by including posts from a variety of cultural groups in the community. Exposure is the answer to ignorance about this kind of information and could provide a casual introduction.
Follow-up: As Commissioner, how would you use your position to work with local media and support efforts to broaden the scope of discussion on our community?
I make it a point to be on good relations with our media. I have them readily available to call and respond quickly to their calls. I have ongoing connections to the Gainesville Sun as well as the Columbia County newspersonnel and feel very comfortable gathering information as well as reporting it.
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?
Alachua County Commissioners are committed to the needs of all citizens with disabilities. We have placed staff to address cultural inequities and we have a staff and department committed to the needs of the disabled. Since we have access to professionals with a wide range of linguistic abilities in our community, we should gather those names and engage them for help in determining where the needs for the services are and then finance the solutions required. Church communities are crucial for helping determine who these folks are in our community so that we can reach out to them as needed.
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?
We are fortunate to have outreach programs through the County Health Dept. and UF and Santa Fe programs. We have others like The Rural Womens Health Project, Acorn Clinic, Madres Sin, Fronteras and others that quietly work in our community. We must know who these people are and connect them to our staff departments who the County has established to address health issues and issues of trust.
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 and have tried to get my ID. Unfortunately when I went, I did not have the proper documents and ended up giving my $10 to a young lady who had her documents, but no money. It worked out fine, but I still need my ID. I have already spoken to our Sheriff to push for the County police to be ready to recognize and accept this ID as proof of residency in our community. The ID program should be a regular part of any discussion where people are trying to gather information or setting up residency.
Follow-up: How do you plan to work with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office to further expand the acceptance of the Human Rights Coalition’s Community ID?
I will gladly remind him at our every conversation if he has not already done so. It is imperative that he educate his deputies as to the needs of this community. I am friends with the Sheriff and am comfortable with these conversations.
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 would vote for the establishment and funding of this position. We can promote this position as an international embassy/ambassador so that anyone can feel safe to ask for help and not feel threatened by the lack of confidentiality and safety. That staff person should have free access to our legal counsel to help protect that confidentiality when necessary in order to provide safe haven.
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 am working with a fellow commissioner now to insure that this funding is initially covered. For ongoing costs, the County is not keen on ongoing operating costs, however, once the program is up and running successfully, grant and funding opportunities can be shared with GINI to continue its operation.
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?
As a former teacher of many immigrant children, I know full well the social and economic needs of the immigrant family. We have climate refugees and political refugees worldwide and our community is well equipped to accept and integrate families. I will be vocal and active in making certain that there is an infrastructure in place to accommodate new families moving into our area and work to establish a safe and accepting environment.
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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?
We should continue to be open and create welcoming policies to help engage our immigrant community!
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?
By fostering policies that encourage public health, safety, and welfare 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?
By investing in additional interpretive language policies and proceduers to facilitate engagement in local government.
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?
By funding these outreach efforts out of local general fund $ on an ongoing basis.
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?
Encourage all County employees to obtain Community ID Cards.
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 funding this position and implying additional outreach policies and procedures.
