With the city of Gainesville’s March 17 election drawing nearer, the North Central Florida Central Labor Council has announced its endorsements for the City Commission seats that are up for grabs.
The Central Labor Council voted this week to endorse candidate Harvey Budd in the At-Large Seat 1 race and backed two candidates for the District 1 position, according to a news release.
The organization co-endorsed Commissioner Yvonne Hinson-Rawls, who is up for re-election this year, and Scherwin Henry, a former commissioner, in the district race.
The Central Labor Council represents more than 10,000 working families here in Alachua County and hosted screenings with the candidates at the end of January before making its endorsements.
The biggest issues of concern to the organization are securing pay progression for employees who work for Gainesville’s Regional Transit System and “closing the loopholes” in the city’s living wage ordinance, according to the news release. The Central Labor Council plans to work with the candidates it endorsed toward achieving those aims.