In his State of the City address on January 28, Gainesville Mayor Ed Braddy vowed to make Gainesville the most welcoming city in Florida in the development review process.
“I call upon my colleagues to make Gainesville the most businessfriendly city in the state — a complete reversal,” he said. “Shake the city out of its comfort zone.”
Speaking at the new Gainesville Police Department headquarters, Braddy said the progress made since he took office nearly two years ago isn’t enough.
“If we stand by the status quo, then we will have failed our partners and we will have denied opportunities for our citizens,” he said.
Those partners include the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce, the University of Florida, Santa Fe College, Alachua County schools, CareerSource NCFL and the Gainesville Housing Authority, Braddy said.
“The ability of government to facilitate economic opportunity and entrepreneurship, whether it’s a university-associated spin-off or a small business in East Gainesville, must serve as a foundation for our vision,” he said.
City Manager Russ Blackburn — not the city commission — bears the primary responsibility for changing the attitude of recalcitrant staff members, Braddy said, adding, “We don’t take a vote on attitude.”
On the other hand, the commission needs to set expectations of staff, Braddy said.
“The only barrier is our political will — the lack of initiative by those appointed to carry out our mission or the lack of attention — or worse, indifference,” he said.
Braddy noted progress in addressing another barrier to business development: GRU electric rates are at or near the highest in the state.
He credited interim GRU General Manager Kathy Viehe with moderating the electric rate increase that took effect in October. The new rate raised the monthly bill for a home using 1,000 kilowatt hours by $1.35, well below the $9.85 that had been projected earlier.
Each of the seven city commissioners, as well as Blackburn and Viehe, also spoke at the event.
They noted the city’s many accomplishments in the past year, including opening the Grace Marketplace homeless center and the completion of the RTS Bus Fleet Maintenance and Operations Facility.
Braddy congratulated the commission on working harmoniously.