2022 Gainesville mayoral election
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  Ward: <30% 30–40% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Bielarski: <30% 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 70–80% Arreola: <30% 30–40% 40–50% Thomas: <30% No votes: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Florida |
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 Government |
The 2022 Gainesville, Florida mayoral election took place on November 8, 2022, following a primary election on August 23, 2022. Incumbent Mayor Lauren Poe was term-limited and could not seek a third consecutive term. A crowded field emerged to succeed him. City Commissioner Harvey Ward and Ed Bielarski, the former general manager of the Gainesville Regional Utilities, placed first and second in the primary election with 28 and 26 percent, respectively.[1] In the general election, Ward defeated Bielarski in a landslide, winning 58 percent of the vote to Bielarski's 42 percent.[2]
Following an amendment to the city charter, this was the first election to take place on a consolidated schedule with statewide elections and Ward was the first Mayor elected to a four-year term.[3]
Primary election
Candidates
- Harvey Ward, City Commissioner[4]
- Ed Bielarski, former Gainesville Regional Utilities general manager[5]
- David Arreola, City Commissioner[6]
- Gary Gordon, former Mayor[7]
- July Thomas, University of Florida astrophysics graduate student[8]
- Ansaun J. Fisher, owner of the Florida Allstars basketball team[8]
- Gabriel Hillel, disbarred civil rights attorney[8]
- Donald E. Shepherd, Sr., perennial candidate, former University of Florida groundskeeper[8]
- Adam Rosenthal, tech worker[8]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Harvey Ward | 5,889 | 27.94% | |
| Nonpartisan | Ed Bielarski | 5,570 | 26.43% | |
| Nonpartisan | David Arreola | 3,242 | 15.38% | |
| Nonpartisan | Gary Gordon | 3,044 | 14.44% | |
| Nonpartisan | July Thomas | 2,119 | 10.06% | |
| Nonpartisan | Ansaun J. Fisher | 449 | 2.13% | |
| Nonpartisan | Gabriel Hillel | 273 | 1.30% | |
| Nonpartisan | Donald E. Shepherd Sr. | 252 | 1.20% | |
| Nonpartisan | Adam Rosenthal | 236 | 1.12% | |
| Total votes | 21,074 | 100.00% | ||
Runoff election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Harvey Ward | 20,420 | 57.60% | |
| Nonpartisan | Ed Bielarski | 15,030 | 42.40% | |
| Total votes | 35,450 | 100.00% | ||
References
- ^ Caplan, Andrew (August 24, 2022). "Gainesville mayor: Ward, Bielarski top field of 9 candidates to succeed Lauren Poe". The Gainesville Sun. Gainesville, Florida. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ Harris, Javon L. (November 8, 2022). "Harvey Ward defeats Ed Bielarski for Gainesville mayor after a contentious battle". The Gainesville Sun. Gainesville, Florida. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ Hyson, Katie (November 9, 2022). "Harvey Ward wins Gainesville's 2022 election for mayor". WUFT-FM. Gainesville, Florida. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ Henderson, John (February 1, 2022). "Commissioner Harvey Ward files to run for Gainesville mayor". The Gainesville Sun. Gainesville, Florida. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ Henderson, John (January 31, 2022). "Fired GRU general manager Ed Bielarski files to run for Gainesville mayor". The Gainesville Sun. Gainesville, Florida. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ Henderson, John (December 16, 2021). "Gainesville Commissioner David Arreola actively campaigning to become city's next mayor". The Gainesville Sun. Gainesville, Florida. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ Amaya, Julianne (June 14, 2022). "Gary Gordon making his run for Gainesville Mayor". WGFL. Gainesville, Florida. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Henderson, John (June 17, 2022). "Crowded, diverse field of 9 hope to become Gainesville's next mayor". The Gainesville Sun. Gainesville, Florida. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ "2022 Primary and Gainesville Election - August 23, 2022 Alachua County Florida - Official Results" (PDF). Alachua County Supervisor of Elections. September 14, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ "Election Summary Report - General Election - Alachua County, FL - November 08, 2022" (PDF). Alachua County Supervisor of Elections. November 18, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2025.