by Susan Bottcher
Here we go. Again.
Once more we are fighting to protect home rule: We want GRU, our local public utility, to be governed by the people it serves.
Your November ballot will be long and towards the bottom will be several local referenda. Among them, for Gainesville voters, will be titled “Local Public Utilities.” We urge you to vote YES. Why do we need to vote for YES on Local Public Utilities? Read on for a bit of background.
This is fifth time the Republicans in Tallahassee, at the direction of Sen. Keith Perry and Rep. Chuck Clemons have meddled with GRU.
It all began in 2014 with their first bill, then again in the 2015 legislative session. Both those bills failed in committee. Then in 2016 one bill, HB1355, made it through the committees but was vetoed by then-Governor Rick Scott.
Not satisfied with three strikes, Clemons tried again in 2017 with HB759. He was in luck. That bill was signed into law, which resulted in a referendum being placed on the 2018 Gainesville ballot. This referendum asked to amend the city charter and change how GRU is governed. It asked Gainesville voters whether they wanted an unelected, unaccountable GRU Authority to control GRU. Clemons lost once again as the community came out strongly in opposition. HB759 was defeated by a whopping 20 point-margin (60 percent to 40 percent)!
We thought this would settle the issue once and for all. The people had spoken, and their collective voices were loud and clear: Leave our local public utility alone!
But here we are again. Not one to take repeated “No’s” for an answer, Clemons resorted to an arcane method of circumventing the normal procedures that require the normal, democratic referendum model in 2023. Specifically, he used a “local” bill to amend our city charter without asking us pesky voters!
Clemons knew if he put another referendum on the ballot, the voters in Gainesville would hand him another decisive defeat. So, he resorted to the “local” bill, HB1645, which passed and was signed into law by DeSantis. These actions automatically amended our charter and circumvented a local vote.
There was strong opposition from city leaders, community organizations, and citizens every step of the way. We wrote emails, called Clemons and his committee members, and traveled to Tallahassee on multiple occasions to testify against what they were doing.
But they did it anyway. They passed HB1645, the governor signed it, and in less than a year GRU was under the control of a five-member board appointed by DeSantis. They created a system for utility governance that does not exist anywhere else in the USA. They made it all up with a sloppily written law and it’s not working in your best interest.
The grassroots group, Gainesville Residents United, Inc. was formed to fight back. They raised money to hire attorneys and multiple lawsuits were filed.
Right out of the gate, DeSantis totally fumbled the required public notice and appointment requirements that were dictated by the law. This is the first example of why it’s a bad idea to have Tallahassee controlling a municipal utility!
GRUnited Inc. filed a suit and the judge agreed with their claims. This resulted in the entire DeSantis-appointed Authority having to resign. Those positions had to be readvertised, and new appointments had to be made.
A new Authority was appointed, with two former members being reappointed. The chaos continued. Lousy agenda management, items being discussed and voted on that were not publicly noticed (as is required by sunshine laws) and an obvious disregard and outright distain for the public has been on full display.
Case in point: In a discussion on the Government Services Contribution (GSC), formerly called the General Fund Transfer, the Authority debated how much to cut from what the utility contributes to the City in lieu of paying taxes. When staff reminded them that the cuts directly impact how the city is able to deliver services to the public, Member James Haslam shared his opinion. He said that since he didn’t need to worry about being elected that he “couldn’t care less” how it impacts people.
So, there you have it. They don’t care. Why should they? Like Authority member Halsam said, you did not elect them. You can’t un-elect them. They are not accountable to you. They answer only to DeSantis.
At a subsequent meeting, they summarily and without notice, fired GRU General Manager (GM), Tony Cunningham. Authority member and disgraced former GM Ed Bielarksi then resigned as a board member so he could be appointed as the new General Manager, and permanent one to boot! They bypassed a national search, as is the custom with a high-level management position in a utility. Meanwhile, they are back to having only four members on the board, and there’s no sign that DeSantis even knows he needs to appoint a replacement to that vacant seat.
The Authority’s disdain for citizens is not going to fade. Their disregard for how a public entity like GRU is supposed to be governed is not going to change. The chaos is not going to abate.
That is, unless We The People change it.
You have the power to make that change. You can help restore local control by voting YES on the Gainesville charter amendment titled “Local Public Utilities.”
You can also help the campaign get the word out by making a contribution online to Let The Voters Decide at www.keepgnvlocal.com or by sending a check to 235 S. Main Street # 206, Gainesville 32601. Your contribution will help with mailers, social media ads, and yard signs.
Help be a part of abolishing the DeSantis-appointed GRU Authority. Help hand Clemons his fifth defeat. Help restore home rule for GRU. Vote YES for Local Public Utilities and please donate today.
Susan Bottcher is a community activist and has played a role in Gainesville, county, state, and national politics for over two decades, including a term as a city commissioner, work on the Alachua County Democratic Executive Committee, and being elected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 2008.