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Table of Content
Full Candidate Responses
Candidate Response

David Arreola
Gainesville City Mayor page 3

Gabriel Hillel
Gainesville City Mayor page 4

Gary Gordon
Gainesville City Mayor page 5

Harvey Ward
Gainesville City Mayor page 6

James Ingel
Gainesville City Commission: District 2 page 7

Ed Book
Gainesville City Commission: District 2 page 8

Michael Raburn
Gainesville City Commission: District 2 page 11

Casey Willits
Gainesville City Commission: District 3 page 14

Dejeon Lamar Cain

Gainesville City Commission: District 3 page 15

Mary Alford
County Commission: District 1 page 16

Marihelen H. Wheeler
County Commissioners: District 2 page 17

Ken Cornell
County Commissioner: District 4 page 19

Tina Certain
School Board: District 1 page 20
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Diyonne L. McGraw
School Board: District 2 page 21

Mildred Russell
School Board: District 2 page 24

Kay Abbitt
School Board: District 5 page 25

School Board Candidate Questionnaire (just the questions) page 26

City Commission/County Commision/Mayoral Candidate Questionnaire page 27

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David Arreola
Gainesville City Mayor
1. We must ensure all of our immigrant neighbor’s needs are considered in public policy formation.
Language inclusion and access to all city of Gainesville services is extremely important. I also
want Gainesville to fund immigrant community engagement so we may have direct lines of
communication with our foreign born neighbors. As mayor I want the city to pursue an office of
immigration to assist families moving to Gainesville with setting up their everyday needs (i.e.
where they can buy groceries, set up financial banking, etc.).

2. We must continue to celebrate our immigrant communities with events, recognitions, and
proclamations. We must also engage more with our immigrant business community so that we
can help their business grow. We want the $22 Million tax base contribution to increase which is
why it is so important to fund the GINI language access program because it will allow more
immigrant neighbors to access economic opportunity.

3. GINI is creating the foundation of a powerful immigrant coalition to raise needs to the local
governments so we can address them. I intend to fully fund in perpetuity language access
programs including people with hearing disabilities. As a policy we will focus on city services such
as housing and utilities access. Nobody should struggle to have adequate housing or utility
services because of a language barrier.

4. In 2020 I participated in a bilingual english camp; spanish vaccine information panel with
community leaders and Dr. Michael Lauzardo. I understand how important public health
messaging is particularly for the immigrant community. I would continue to work collaboratively
with the Alachua County Health Dept, UF Health, and the Alachua County Health Care Safety
Net collaborative, to ensure we are reaching out immigrant communities with access to health
care resources in Gainesville.

5. Yes, in 2017 I was the first commissioner to bring this idea after the HRC and Madres Sin
Fronteras brought the idea to my office. I have been a champion of the Community ID program
from the beginning and will always be. I have my own ID and as mayor I will continue to normalize
asking other local governments and businesses to utilize and accept this form of ID.

6. I will ask my staff to provide me with regular updates so that I can empower this liaison in their
work. I would ask my management to set up a liaison role that spends lots of time in the
community, sharing resources information, and bringing back resource requests from the
immigrant community. I also want this liaison to help grow awareness and acceptance of the
Community ID program. Eventually this position will fit into a future office of immigrantion where
they will have additional staff to handle resource requests and community engagement with our
immigrant neighbors.
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Gabriel Hillel
Gainesville City Mayor
1. I am a first generation gringo child of Jewish parents who fled Christian Europe. I have no idea
why anyone but the Alachua County Democratic Executive Committee (ACDEC) and their loyal
members think I or the City has any obligation to keep immigrants “civically engaged.” I would
support a policy of making sure that whatever services are provided to those like me who are
severely hard of hearing or deaf are provided to immigrants for whom English is a language
barrier.

2. They should be given the same recognition other taxpayers get.

3. Like court reporters, translators should be provided on call at public expense.

4. Except for the noted language barrier, the treatment should be no different. We should be as
conscious of that impediment as we are with those in the black community whose members may
require code switching to be fully understood.

5. Draft a policy and circulate a memo to all relevant staff.

6. This last question says it all. I would ask the incumbents Harvey Ward and David Arreola what
exactly they did to respond. The record of the incumbents and what they did is more important by
far than the answers you want from all of us equally. Is it true, Ethan, that Harvey needs strings
to manipulate you, or is it done in the style of the Muppets?
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Gary Gordon
Gainesville City Mayor
1. 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.

2. I’m not sure what you’re looking for here.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. The City doesn’t run the County, so the best the City can do is to request the County to
recognize this i..d. This question is better directed to the County government.

6. Ideally better communication will be achieved with this.

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Harvey Ward
Gainesville City Mayor
1. While not complete, certainly the language access programs that we have already begun at
the City of Gainesville are an important first effort. Making documents and signage not only
available but standard in more than just English is an ongoing effort, but we must move past that
to be certain we provide a welcoming experience for as many city contact points as possible.

2. The City of Gainesville should work to more actively engage immigrant groups by not only
making participation in advisory boards and other opportunities possible, but by reaching out to
ensure that they are represented in the greater mix of applicants for such opportunities.

3. As we make efforts to seek and improve accessibility, those efforts must be consistently re-
evaluated for effectiveness, and we should seek input from the constituent groups we seek to
serve.

4. Traditionally these sorts of services were the purview of the state or the county, but we learned
during the adjustments to the pandemic that the city also has a role. We know that without
effective outreach to the entire community - including groups that have often been left in the
shadows - public health cannot be effectively protected. As we have developed the Community
Resource Paramedicine program to deliver medical services such as covid testing and
vaccination, we have learned that it will be more effective with a team of certified interpreters
within the service (as we already have at GPD).

5. Perhaps the best way to help normalize the Community ID is to become directly involved. My
family and I sought out Community IDs several years ago and continue to use them. The city of
Gainesville has consistently pushed for all departments of the city to recognize the Community
ID, but we can directly advocate for Alachua County and the school system to do the same.

6. At the city I will continue to support funding for the immigrant liaison position. We are unlikely
to achieve the results described above without it being someone’s job to keep the programs
moving forward. At some point I hope these programs will become second-nature for our
organization, but we are a long way from that point. Even then we will continue to have a need
for a coordinating position.
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James Ingel
Gainesville City Commission: District 2
1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.
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Ed Book
Gainesville City Commission: District 2
1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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
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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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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
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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.
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Michael Raburn
Gainesville City Commission: District 2
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.

2. 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
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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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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
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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.

6. 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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Casey Willits
Gainesville City Commision District 3
1. 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?

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.
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Dejeon Lamar Cain

Gainesville City Commision District 3
1. 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%.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.
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Mary Alford
County Commission: District 1
1. 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.

2. I’m not sure what you’re looking for here.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. Ideally better communication will be achieved with this.

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Marihelen H. Wheeler
County Commissions District 2
1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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
 Page 18

community. The ID program should be a regular part of any discussion where people are trying
to gather information or setting up residency.

6. 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.
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Ken Cornell
County Commisions District 4
1. We should continue to be open and create welcoming policies to help engage our immigrant
community!

2. By fostering policies that encourage public health, safety, and welfare to our immigrant
community.

3. By investing in additional interpretive language policies and proceduers to facilitate

engagement in local government.

4. By funding these outreach efforts out of local general fund $ on an ongoing basis.

5. Encourage all County employees to obtain Community ID Cards.

6. By funding this position and emplying additional outreach policies and procedures.
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Tina Certain
School Board District 1
1. I support policies that ensure all students receive a free and appropriate public education.
Efforts need to be made to ensure that non-English speaking students receive support so that
they can understand instruction and participate in the school community.

2. During my first term I supported the effort to establish a position so that the district could hire
an interpreter and contract with translation services agency.

3. I have recommended translation of documents and messaging into other languages. I will
continue to support such efforts.

4. I have read about the program. I think it serves a good purpose for community members that
are not able to get a state issued identification card. I reached out to the zoning office to see if
this identification was accepted by the District when children were enrolled but I haven’t received
the answer. I will support its acceptance.

5. I support policies that ensure all students receive a free and appropriate public education.
Efforts need to be made to ensure that non-English speaking students receive support so that
they can understand instruction and participate in the school community and have access to
resources and support to attend school.
 Page 21

Diyonne L. McGraw
School Board District 2
1. As a candidate who has always advocated for the rights of minorities and those who are often
disenfranchised, I firmly believe there must not only be policies in place to protect immigrants
from harm, but also people in place to apply the established policies and subsequent
consequences equitably. There must be policies that require the engagement of all stakeholder
groups, excluding no one through the inadequate translation of materials, informal communication
systems that limit access to those who are not deeply involved in PTA/PTO/School Advisory
Council or other often elite groups of influencers, or programmatic barriers such as planning and
making decisions without a representative population of people during the traditional workday.
Additionally, there should be policies that ensure an audit of immigrant support programs annually
to ensure the impact is eliminating the disparities and the limiting or eliminating of funding to
programs that are not meeting the data supported needs of immigrants within the community.
Finally, there must be sanctions and other costly consequences for businesses, schools, staff,
and individuals who place immigrants in dangerous situations, exclude them for active
participation in civic or social organizations and activities, limit access to information due to
inadequate interpreters or materials in native/preferred languages, and to anyone who publicly,
privately, or otherwise implements or perpetuates institutional practices and systems that
inherently, as a common practice, fail to provide adequate support without bias or discriminatory
undertones.

2. We can recognize this tremendous contribution by highlighting the impact of the contributions
of immigrants. This can happen by stating very plainly on various platforms and through various
channels how much of what gets done in the community is through the tax related contributions
of immigrants who are tax paying citizens. Besides blatantly and unapologetically bringing
attention to the impact the immigrant dollar has on the many programs and services enjoyed in
our community, it is also important to discuss the access or barriers immigrants encounter when
trying to access the very services or programs they help fund. Another way to bring attention to
and dismiss or dispel assumptions about immigrants is to engage them through problem -
identification and problem-solving committees, create safe opportunities to be heard and to
celebrate the value of those contributions, and facilitate the inclusion of immigrants by actively
and intentionally seeking out and inviting in all diverse ideas, perspectives, and solutions. We
open doors and invite in the people and partner with them to tell their story and support their
interests. We recognize the contributions by making them public, dispelling with facts and data
the perception of some who feel immigrants drain the economy with little financial footing in the
community and by sharing the impact, and celebrating the accomplishments made because of
the work or financial impact immigrants make on the community.

3. As a school board member, ensuring everyone has access to county services starts with
ensuring everyone is valued by the decision makers and that there are checks and balances in
place to remove barriers and facilitate equitable practices. One way is to ensure immigrants in
our community have an advocate or support system to intervene and connect them with services
when barriers grounded prejudice arise. Additionally, there could be training for immigrants on
 Page 22

how to navigate inequitable systems and a demand to provide all information in the readers native
language or in braille when conducting business. There is also a need to build a community of
people who can and will earn and respect the trust of immigrants in our community by open,
honest, safe dialogue and advocacy. Also, demanding ADA and other accommodations and
modifications for those who need additional support due to a disability and connecting actions to
laws by employing legal sanctions can make a difference as well. These things would help build
stronger relationships and ensure immigrants feel safe to share information and seek help from
people they trust. We build trust when we are genuine and truly an advocate who has their best
interests at heart. Finally, we can ensure our schools are equitably resourced, information is
readily available in many languages or methods, and support services are shared and easily
accessible. When instances of discrimination, exclusion, or a devaluing of minority interest occurs,
punitive corrective actions must happen swiftly and consistently until organizations realize the
traditional exclusion of immigrants and minorities is an unacceptable practice that is being
consistently monitored and reported to agencies that support equitable practices, access, and
opportunities for all.

4. This happens only when there is a free flow of information and access is not limited by
discriminatory institutional practices. I serve on many community boards and in several
civic/social organizations with many of the “heavy-hitters” and decisionmakers in our community.
Many of the people I serve with have the ability and responsibility to address issues and facilitate
change. I would certainly use my voice and access to bring to the attention of those who can
make decisions the disparities and publicly push for changes needed when the information is
available. Additionally, I would find ways by building relationships and to access the immigrant
community in ways that build trust and lead to the formation of partnerships where everyone is
valued, heard, and engaged. Sometimes, this may mean speaking up on behalf of others,
representing their position in my comments, sharing priorities, and making connections to expand
access, and opening doors that elevate the voice of those who are often overlooked. Finally, I can
ask questions that lead to self-examination, rethinking practices, and expanding access to quality
services for our most vulnerable populations.

5. I am familiar with the HRC’s Community ID. I was asked a question about the value of this ID
just a few weeks ago when I shared my thoughts about equity with a local community
organization’s leadership. According to comments I heard during that session, people are hesitant
to accept the ID because it is “not state issued” and “gives illegal people a fake way to pass as a
citizen.” I explained that the card is designed to help ensure everyone has access to quality
services often limited when immigrants, other residents, and even local home-grown citizens do
not have the documents required to receive a state issued identification card. These individuals
also include people recently released from jail, migrants in certain areas for seasonal work or in
response to a natural disaster, and even the elderly. Everyone needs a reliable, recognized, form
of identification to make most any business or personal transaction today. The value is obvious
but not well known. To improve that, I could again utilize my various circles, partnerships within
the business community, and my platform to increase awareness and advocate for the acceptable
use of these IDs. Fortunately, I have been grounded in this community for a long time and have
found favor with many local, state, and national organizations and businesses. I think the more
 Page 23

people hear about it, understand the purpose of it, and make connections to the various uses by
all populations, it will become more understood and more accepted.

6. I always encourage and support the addition of positions that expose, recognize, and address
inequities while empowering the victims of such practices with the knowledge, skills, access, and
protections needed to eliminate discriminatory barriers and uproot discriminatory institutional
practices no matter how subtle or unexposed. The issue I have is hiring people who do not have
the background and track record to make a true impact because of relationships and hiring people
who want to do the hard work but are limited by those who fear exposure, are not truly interested
in resolving issues, or who don’t understand the time and money it takes to revamp antiquated
systems. Those who speak loudly about equity but really don’t want to see the change occur or
those who don’t see discrimination as a current problem or priority make the impossible for this
work to happen. The school board hired an equity person to write an equity plan for
implementation. The plan was weak, at best, and when criticized because of the shallow thinking
supporting the plan, it was placed on the proverbial back burner. Unfortunately, those hired to do
the work and had the capacity to do it were quickly ostracized and limited in their efforts by the
consumption of menial, unrelated, tasks. This happened until all these quality folks, with years of
research and practice behind them, left the district leaving us in more of a crisis than ever. I would
support this position by making people aware it exists and providing support and cover for the
person charged with doing the work when needed to make a monumental impact. I would hope
to see a series of authentic practice and program evaluations throughout the city and the
empowering of community immigrants and minorities through programs and opportunities to have
a voice and impact change. Additionally, I would love to see, as a result of this position and the
services it provides, institutional biases and hidden discriminatory practices uncovered and
dismantled so it is clear that our community has a more inclusive way of work and anything short
of equitable support and engagement is unacceptable.
 Page 24

Mildred Russell
School Board District 2
Good afternoon, Mr. de Needell. I looked over the questions, and my response is that we have
good Board Policy that includes immigrants in its education plan and delivery as well as in our
services. I will continue to support those policies. My role as a School Board member is to
improve student outcomes. I will continue to support and increase our efforts to provide all of
our students with a world class education.
 Page 25

Kay Abbitt
School Board: District 5
1. Schools should be welcoming to all students. It is difficult to be in a new country with a different
language, customs, expectations, and rules. Spending the majority of your day in a school which
is different from what you are used to or having children who are spending their day away from
you can be stressful. Schools must work to build relationships with their immigrant families.
Administration and teacher can make welcome calls and check in with students and parents on a
regular basis to see how they are doing and if there are issues navigating the system. Engaging
families is important. It is also important to determine which communication method the parent
feels most comfortable with – email, phone, etc. Schools can also hook families up with
community services – including English classes – to help with the transition.
- Support
- Schools must work to build relationships with their immigrant families: welcome calls and
check in with students and parents on a regular basis. Schools can also hook families up
with community services – including English classes. Communication method the parent
is comfortable with – email, phone, etc.

2. When parents enroll students, it is indicated on registration forms if another language is spoken
in the home. The district does a pretty good job of identifying the students and hooking them up
with the services they need to be successful in school. ESOL students are identified in Skyward
(the district data base system), so all schools have access to the information regarding immigrant
students placed in their schools.

3. I am not entirely sure what outreach efforts the district has in place regarding this. I think at the
very least the district should have people within the district that could be called upon to translate.

4. I am familiar with the Community ID. Having the flexibility to use this in place of a driver’s license
when registering students for school should be district policy – if it is not already.

5. School districts should provide support for language barriers by providing interpreters as
needed, communicating via preferable choice, making families feel welcome, and connecting with
parents regularly to ensure that they are understanding what is happening with regards to their
child’s education. Administration and teachers working to establish relationships goes a long way
towards making immigrant parents feel comfortable asking questions or getting clarification on
issues.
 Page 26

School Board Candidate Questionnaire

1. 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,
whether parents or students, are safe and fully included?

2. 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 Alachua
County School services?

3. How would you help ensure that any outreach efforts by the Alachua County Schools reach
immigrant parents in their preferred language?

4. Are you familiar with the Human Rights Coalition’s Community ID? How would you help to
normalize the acceptance of this identification by Alachua County Schools?

5. With nearly 20% of K-12 students in our community being either foreign-born or the children of
immigrants, how would you support our immigrant neighbors overcome barriers to education
(language, transportation, technology, etc.)?
 Page 27

City Commission/County Commision/Mayoral Candidate Questionnaire

1. 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?

2. 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?

3. 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?

4. 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?

5. 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?

6. 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?