Elections 2013: Charles Alvarez

NAME: Charles Alvarez<br /> <br /> OCCUPATION: Associate Broker, Prudential Georgia Realty<br /> <br /> Candidate for Mayor of Gainesville<br /> <br /> 1) Why are you running for this office? <br /> <br /> I have been following our local politics and issues for the past eight years and I believe I can bring Gainesville the right leadership now, when leadership is needed the most.<br /> <br /> 2) Is this first time you have run for political office? (If "no," please explain.) Yes<br /> <br /> 3) What qualifications for the office do you bring to the campaign? <br /> <br /> I have managed businesses with multi-million dollar budgets in the apparel industry, one of which had over 375 employees. I have also been a small business owner with sewing plants in Florida and in Guatemala. I served as commissioner for a youth sports basketball league in Florida with over 550 kids in my program. Currently I have been serving the community as a Real Estate agent in the Gainesville area for the past 8 years.<br /> <br /> 4) What do you see as the biggest concern/issue facing the city of Gainesville? And, please explain your answer.<br /> <br /> Gainesville's biggest problems are a result of its success as a city. The growth we have seen, and the growth we anticipate, both indicate that our infrastructure needs to be planned very carefully so we can provide for more employers and more residents. <br /> <br /> 5) Are there any specific goals you have in mind that you would like to accomplish if you are elected? And, please explain your answer. <br /> <br /> I would like to create a special educational alliance with the participation of local government, private institutions, and local churches to teach English to our growing Hispanic and Asian communities. A better educated community provides a stronger work force that will make Gainesville more attractive to industry and commerce, thereby increasing job opportunities. <br /> <br /> 6) Do you favor the city's continued used of the "islands" annexation policy it has been using in recent years? And, please explain your answer. <br /> <br /> I believe annexation is needed in part to move Gainesville into the future, but I do not agree with the policy it has used. I also believe that the city should have annexed all islands in one coordinated effort, with more focus on informing the community and the citizens directly affected of the actions being taken. Future development in Gainesville depends on infrastructure and city services being readily available in all parts of the city, this is why annexing islands is so important. <br /> <br /> 7) Do you favor eliminating left turns on Green Street? And, please explain your answer. <br /> <br /> Yes I am in favor. This is one of the easiest and fastest ways to create a better traffic flow. Eliminating left turns on Green Street won't solve all the congestion problems, but it will be a good start. <br /> <br /> 8) A number of other suggestions and questions have been raised during a series of meetings this year dealing with the transportation issues facing the city. Short-term and long-term, what are the answers in your opinion? <br /> <br /> One solution in the short-term might involve creating a truck route outside of the downtown area connecting highways 60, 129 and 53. A good long-term solution might include a bypass outside the city limits that would allow for the expected growth and expansion of our infrastructure moving forward toward the 2040 projections.<br /> <br /> 9) A suit involving the city and Hall County over sales tax revenues was recently settled. Overall, how would you assess the relationship between the city and the county? <br /> <br /> There is plenty of room for improvement, and I believe our partnership is vital to the future of both the city and county. It's not easy, the issue of money has broken families and the best of friendships, but there is still evidence of cooperation in certain projects being undertaken. Because of their interdependence, our city and county representatives might serve us better by more clearly defining the role of each in new projects to avoid these situations in the future. <br /> <br /> 10) Do you favor changing the city's at-large voting system to a by-district system? And, please explain your answer. <br /> <br /> I do favor changes in the at-large voting system to a by-district system. I believe that the district system offers more accountability to its constituents and will better serve the needs of its district or ward. As Gainesville continues to grow by thousands of new residents in each ward, it will become ever more important for council members to be intimately familiar with the wards they represent. <br /> <br /> 11) What should the city be doing to ensure that its long-term water needs are met? <br /> <br /> Gainesville needs to take any surprise out of the water equation by ensuring that we have enough alternatives to handle dry years and a lot of growth. By making realistic predictions for water usage, planning for new water tanks, looking into possible new reservoirs and exploring partnerships with neighboring counties, Gainesville can ensure that even in drought there will be water to go around.<br />