YES for Local Public Utilities and YES on At Large Districts

Sept 9th from 11:30 pm – 1:00 pm
with Susan Bottcher and Robert “Hutch” Hutchinson
Please register by Monday, Sept 2nd.

September’s luncheon will be split into two presentations. This November voters in Gainesville and Alachua County will see two local referenda on their ballots. One for Gainesville voters asks whether they want to amend the city charter to abolish the governor appointed GRU Authority Board. The other referenda asks all county voters whether they want to amend the county charter to return to the At Large Districts model of voting for county commissioners. This presentation will give FFSF attendees background on both issues, the impacts and what would change if they pass.

YES on At Large Districts (voted on countywide)

The intention of our presentation is to educate voters about how the county charter was changed in 2022 to the newly implemented Single Member Districts model of voting for county commissioners and why returning to the At Large Districts model of voting for co. comm. provide better representation.

This presentation should run about 15 minutes.

Learn more about this initiative here

YES on Local Public Utilities (voted on just in Gainesville)

This presentation is to revisit the decade-long fight we’ve had to protect our local public utility from being taken over by an un-elected, unaccountable Authority board, appointed by the governor. We will explain where GRU’s governance now stands, why we advocate for amending the city charter that would dissolve the Authority board and return it to governance by the elected city commission.

This presentation should also run about 15 min.

Learn more about this initiative here

Speaker Bios

Susan Bottcher was raised in Ft. Lauderdale and moved to Gainesville in 1975 to attend the University of Florida. Susan became active in politics in 2004, joining the Alachua County Democratic Executive Committee and served as chair of the ACDEC Campaign Planning Committee and as State Committeewoman 2008-2012. She worked in varying capacities on political campaigns for progressive candidates for city and county commission, school board and state and congressional campaigns. In 2008, she was elected as a delegate for then Senator Barack Obama to the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Co.

In 2009, Susan joined the effort to defeat a local anti-transgender “bathroom ordinance” in Gainesville. This was her introduction to Equality Florida and the important work this organization does throughout the state. The following year she volunteered on the campaign that helped elect Gainesville’s first openly gay mayor.

Since then she has served on the Gainesville Chapter of the EQFL Steering Committee that plans the annual Gala. She also joined the EQFL PAC 2009-2010, but resigned to run for the Gainesville City Commission.

She was elected to the city commission and served one term until May 2014. At that time, she joined the State Advisory Council for Ruth’s List of Florida and in late 2015 asked to serve on the RLF Executive Board. Susan is also a life member of the NAACP and a card carrying member of the ACLU.

As a straight ally, Susan knows her support and advocacy helps to amplify the issues and voices of her family members, friends and neighbors in the LGBTQ community.

Robert “Hutch” Hutchinson

FORMAT

 

• Institute of Culinary Arts at Eastside High School
• 11:30 – Lunch
• 12:00 – Presentation begins
• Registration deadline – Mon, Sept 2nd

 

REGISTRATION

Registration is now closed.

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