There is a striking difference in the candidates running for Gainesville’s District 4 City Commission seat this year.

The incumbent is a young progressive voice in the community who has pushed through innovative ideas and proposals that have received praise — and sometimes criticism.

His opponent is a retired military veteran who believes the city needs to be more methodical and fiscally responsible in the projects it pushes forward.

On March 19, voters will decide who they want to represent District 4, a region that covers part of downtown, the University of Florida and southwest Gainesville.

The incumbent

Commissioner Adrian Hayes-Santos has served on the Gainesville City Commission since 2016 after he defeated Jim Konish by the largest percentage margin in city election history.

He was born in Vancouver, Canada, but has lived in Gainesville since he was 5 years old. He graduated from UF in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in finance and a minor in urban planning. In 2010, he earned his master’s degree in international business.

Hayes-Santos, 34, has pushed policies the last three years that benefit the environment.

He led the city’s charge to ban retailers from giving out plastic bags and Styrofoam containers and is pushing Gainesville to become a “zero waste” city by 2040 through increased recycling and composting programs, which he says will protect future generations. He also wants Gainesville to use 100 percent renewable energy by 2045. Currently, Gainesville uses about 30 percent on a monthly basis through the biomass plant and solar power.

“Growing up in Gainesville, I’ve always had ideas of where we should go as a city,” he said. “I’m not one to sit around and be happy with the status quo. I’m one to push progressive policies that benefit everyone.”

Hayes-Santos said he also wants to decriminalize marijuana in Gainesville and create a policy under which Gainesville police won’t arrest or ticket users for possession of small amounts of cannabis.

“The war on drugs has failed,” he said. “I don’t think you should even get a ticket for having a small amount of cannabis.”

Instead, Hayes-Santos said the focus should be on getting people mental health treatment and job opportunities.

If he wins re-election, Hayes-Santos said also he wants to continue work in making Gainesville “the most connected” city by expanding broadband and internet access to city residents, something he's worked on since taking office.

Some of Hayes-Santos’ endorsements include five of the six other city commissioners, four of five county commissioners, Equality Florida, the Sierra Club, the local firefighters' union and the local human rights and labor councils.

“I think the city is addressing many of our national and local issues,” he said. “We are making steps to address affordable housing. We have raised wages for city employees. We are continuing to work on creating a world-class parks system. ... There’s always areas we need to improvement, but I think we’re moving in a good direction.”

The challenger

Robert Mounts said he didn’t expect to run for office but felt obligated after he saw Hayes-Santos had no challenger on the final day of qualifying.

Mounts, 77, is a retired lawyer who served 25 years in the Air Force, ranking as high at lieutenant colonel. He was born and raised in Gainesville and has five children.

Like his opponent, Mounts graduated from UF, earning a political science degree in 1964 and a law degree in 1966.

He was a member of the Florida Bar for nearly 50 years, though much of his military law work related to international relations for the U.S. Forces Korea. Mounts did work relating to the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), overseeing negotiations, criminal justice and environmental committees.

More recently, in October 2018, Mounts was named chair of the College Park University Heights district for the Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency.

“I’ve had 45 years of public service,” Mounts said. “I still have the passion.”

Mounts said he’s grown tired of the city pushing plans like GNV Rise, a controversial housing development plan, GRU rate increases and zoning and land-use changes without concerns about their public impact. He is also concerned that the city may raise property taxes for homeowners this year.

He said he wants to create a climate at City Hall where the public gets to speak before hours of deliberation by commissioners who have already taken a stand.

The biggest issues facing the city are GRU and its increasing debt, he said, which could hinder the city's upcoming budget and future plans, like affordable housing, something Mounts agrees is desperately needed.

“All the lovely things that the mayor wants to do, and my opponent would like do, are in jeopardy,” he said. “Some commissioners say they want to do bold things, but you need to have the funds to start it. The problem is, now, we’re not going to be able to fund very much."