Press Release
By Chip Ross
10/22/24
I received two separate paid “elections communication” mailers from a PAC named Holding Developers Accountable, located in Gainesville, Florida. The membership of this organization and the funding source were not disclosed. Why the unidentifiable “Holding Developers Accountable” is interested in our local election was not explained.
The mailers accused City Commission candidate Genece Minshew as being “A rubber stamp for developers”, “Having a disastrous record on development” and being “ A rubber stamp for developers again and again”.
Candidate Minshew previously was a member and subsequently the Chairperson of the City Planning Advisory Board [PAB]. During her tenure she voted for ten items that the mailer refers to by “bill number” only. The mailer provides no details of what was voted on.
One of the items was to approve a plat for Habitat for Humanity to build affordable housing. The item was recommended by staff, unanimously approved by the PAB, and subsequently unanimously approved by the City Commission. I voted to approve. This occurred before the other current City Commissioners were elected.
One of the items was to revoke a Planned Unit Development [PUD] for the waterfront that was adopted in the 1980’s and never built. The revocation was done to allow construction of the waterfront park and the seawall / river walk and prevent further commercial development on a section of the waterfront. The item was recommended by the City Attorney and City staff, unanimously approved by the PAB, and subsequently unanimously approved by the City Commission. I voted to approve as did Commissioners Antun, Ayscue, Sturges and Bean.
Two of the items were to approve plats for Crane Island. After years of litigation the court’s approved a settlement that included those plats. The
Court ordered passage was recommended by the City Attorney and City staff, unanimously approved by the PAB and subsequently approved by Commissioners Antun, Ayscue, Sturges and Bean.
One of the items was approval of a subdivision plat. The plat met all the legal requirements necessary for approval. Passage was recommended by the City Attorney and City staff, unanimously approved by the PAB and subsequently approved by Commissioners Antun, Ayscue, Sturges and Bean.
The remaining five items were annexations to the City to obtain sewer and water services. The approval allowed septic systems to be replaced with City sewer connections. Most of the projects were single homes. Passage was recommended by the City Attorney and City staff, unanimously approved by the PAB and subsequently approved by Commissioners Antun, Ayscue, Sturges and Bean. I also voted to approve several of these requests.
Candidate Minshew supported my opposition to the Tringali property case and opposition to building a bioethanol plant in the City. Commissioners Ayscue, Bean and Sturgess voted to approve or support those measures.
I hope the added information clarifies what occurred and gives the voters additional information to evaluate the accusations made by a political action committee located in Gainesville with no apparent ties to the City.
Chip Ross, City Commissioner
