- Do you support paying a living wage for all City workers including part-time, temporary, seasonal, and contracted workers? (The ACLC defines a living wage as 125% of the Federal Poverty Level – currently $15.08 an hour)
Yes.
- The Gainesville Living Wage Ordinance for contractors has so many loopholes that it applies to almost no contracts the City currently has. To address this issue, the City of Gainesville started to look into updating the Ordinance in December 2015, but no action has been taken until December 2018 when a six-month study was started. What will you do to ensure the timely and effective changes needed to the Gainesville’s Living Wage Ordinance?
I will continue to push my colleagues and our staff to close loopholes by writing more stringent language. I want to make sure we write an ordinance that provides for adequate reporting of the wages each contractor pays to their employees to guarantee they are following our ordinance.
- What other ideas do you have to help improve wages and benefits for workers throughout our community?
I supported budgeting $3MM for wage increases for all city employees. We are exploring restructuring our employer healthcare benefits, we are in the process of adding paid family leave for all city positions, and we will continue to increase our minimum wage until we get to $15. We will continue to set the example for other governments and institutions. In my personal capacity as Commissioner I will continue to support unionization (i.e. I supported the SF Adjuncts vote), the fight for $15 campaign, and ending prison labor (I also was the Commissioner to move that).
- What do you envision as the role of large local employers in Gainesville in helping to improve wages, benefit workers, and reduce inequalities? How have/would you encourage these large local employers to address these issues?
In my personal capacity as Commissioner I will continue to advocate for the major employers in Gainesville increase their minimum wage, increase other wages to reach midpoint averages, and address disparities such as: gender wage gaps, issues in diversity, etc.
- Do you support providing paid administrative leave for part-time, temporary, seasonal, and contracted City workers in the event of emergency work closures (e.g., hours missed due to a natural disaster)?
Yes.
- If you are an employer: Do you pay all your workers a living wage? If you do not: How are you making an effort to do so?
N/A
- Do you support a “Renters Bill of Rights’” which would: Offer an alternative to costly courts to settle disputes over security deposits and damages. Protect renters from high utility bills by enacting policies that require landlords to make basic investments in energy and water efficiency. Require universal licensing and safety/health inspections of all rental property. Offer protections against discrimination based on source of income and citizenship status. Ensure greater disclosure of renters’ rights and responsibilities.
Yes, and I have the voting record to prove it.
- What are some additional policies the City of Gainesville can enact to improve access to quality, safe affordable housing in our community?
Incentivize affordable housing by requiring certain allocations of affordable housing within major housing projects. Also increasing code enforcement to go after property owners who do not upkeep their rental homes.
- Do you support a local hiring preference that includes the use of certified apprenticeship programs for taxpayer funded projects?
Yes.
- Do you support offering free RTS bus passes for K-12 students and/or making RTS free for all Gainesville residents at the point of service? How can the City of Gainesville improve public transportation for people who rely on it and don’t work for UF?
Yes, if this is what the people want.
- What is your position on SB168, which is the law that requires local governments to comply with ICE and detain people without a warrant?
This law represents the continued erosion of the American Republic and should be challenged. I continue to hope the Commission will join my lead in wanting to challenge this law as a City.
- What would you do to advance healthcare outcomes in black and brown communities as well as racial equity overall in our community? What steps can the City of Gainesville take to address unequal access to quality food?
I will continue to support projects like the Community Resource Paramedics to focus on inequality. I am also interested in exploring ideas for additional municipal health care options through partnerships with hospitals and providers.
I will continue to advocate for more sustainable food grocers in East Gainesville in partnership with UF and Working Food.
- What will you do to ensure UF is a better corporate citizen in Gainesville (e.g., payments in lieu of taxes, moving more services to GRU, etc.)?
I will continue to advocate for a health UF-Gainesville partnership by focusing our policy goals on reducing inequities. So far we have seen progress in the areas of health, transit, public safety. I want us to follow these up with more investment from UF-Gainesville including additional funding for Food Security. I have always advocated for UF using more GRU services but the PSC has not expressed interest in changing UF’s jurisdiction from Duke Energy.
- How will you work with UF to ensure better access to affordable, quality housing in Gainesville?
I will advocate for affordable housing commitments (i.e. certain % of units are affordable) from developers in their major projects. If UF brings forward housing projects I will advocate for similar commitments from UF.