With two Democrats who have held local office, incumbent Craig Lowe and former City Commissioner Scherwin Henry, in the six candidate field for Gainesville mayor, the county’s Democratic Executive Committee has not, as an organization, issued an endorsement.
New DEC Chair Robert Prather, who volunteered for Lowe’s 2010 campaign, has said he will not take sides in the race.
But several prominent members of the DEC, including current and former city commissioners, have backed Lowe and contributed to his campaign.
Last Saturday, former DEC Chair Jon Reiskind and his wife, Julia, hosted a fundraiser for Lowe. The list of co-hosts for the event included five incumbent city commissioners- Yvonne Hinson-Rawls, Randy Wells, Thomas Hawkins, Lauren Poe and Susan Bottcher- who are also members of the DEC. Current county commissioners and DEC members Mike Byerly and Robert “Hutch” Hutchinson were also listed as co-hosts.
Reiskind and Lowe said that, of the listed co-hosts who hold office, Bottcher, Poe and Hutchinson attended.
If a campaign event has multiple members of the same board in attendance, any back and forth discussion between them on policy issues would make the event subject to the Sunshine Law, according to Attorney General advisory opinions.
Asked if incumbents had such conversations, Lowe said they did not.
“No, we didn’t discuss policy,” Lowe said.