Cynthia Moore Chestnut is an American
Democratic politician who served on the
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gaine ...
City Commission from 1987 to 1989 and as a member of the
Florida House of Representatives
The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...
from 1990 to 2000, representing the 23rd District. After unsuccessfully running for the
Florida Senate in 2000, Chestnut was elected to the
Alachua County
Alachua County ( ) is a county in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 278,468. The county seat is Gainesville, the home of the University of Florida since 1906, when the campus ope ...
Commission in 2002, where she served until she lost re-election in 2010.
On January 25, 2022, Chestnut was again elected to the
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gaine ...
City Commission.
History
Chestnut was born in
Tallahassee
Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the population ...
and attended
Florida A&M University, receiving her
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in speech pathology in 1970, and
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...
, receiving her
master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. in speech pathology in 1971.
She later attended
Nova Southeastern University
Nova Southeastern University (NSU or, informally, Nova) is a private nonprofit research university with its main campus in Davie, Florida. The university consists of 14 total colleges, centers, and schools offering over 150 programs of study. ...
graduating with a doctorate in public administration in 1981.
Chestnut became the first black woman to be elected to the
Gainesville City Commission when she won in 1987. When she was appointed mayor in 1989 by the commission, she became the first black woman to serve as Mayor.
Florida House of Representatives
In 1990, incumbent State Representative Sid Martin opted against seeking re-election, and Chestnut ran to succeed him in the 23rd District, which included parts of
Alachua County
Alachua County ( ) is a county in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 278,468. The county seat is Gainesville, the home of the University of Florida since 1906, when the campus ope ...
and
Putnam County. Chestnut faced attorney Clay Phillips and insurance salesman Larry Harvey in the
Democratic primary.
Though Chestnut placed first the primary, winning 47% of the vote to Phillips's 41% and Harvey's 12%, because none of them received a majority, a runoff election was held the next month.
In the runoff election, Phillips handily outspent Chestnut and won endorsements from retiring State Representative Sid Martin, business groups, and the
Florida Police Benevolent Association The Florida Police Benevolent Association is a state-wide police union established in 1972, with a reported total membership of over 36,000.
The union is "politically proactive", engaged in labor negotiations, advocacy, legal defense, and politica ...
, while Chestnut was endorsed by teachers and nurses unions. Despite the closeness of the race in the initial primary, Chestnut beat Phillips by a margin of 57–43% in the runoff. In the general election, Chestnut faced
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
nominee Sinclair Eaton, who had run for the seat previously in 1986 and 1988.
Chestnut campaigned on her experience on the City Commission and emphasized her support for public education.
Chestnut defeated Eaton by a wide margin, winning 59% of the vote to his 41%. Though Eaton narrowly carried the Putnam County portion of the district, Chestnut carried the much larger Alachua County portion in a landslide.
In 1992, Chestnut's district was reconfigured following redistricting (it dropped the Putnam County portions and reached into
Ocala
Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County within the northern region of Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 63,591, making it the 54th most populated city in Florida.
Home to ...
in
Marion County). Although there was a district change, Chestnut won re-election unopposed that year. During her second term in the legislature, Chestnut served as the chairwoman of the House Education Committee, and used her chairmanship to require Florida schools to teach African-American history and to educate students about the
Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
.
Glass launched an aggressive, abusive campaign against Chestnut, calling her a "whore" who was "bought and paid for by the PACs" and advocating for the "violent overthrow of the government if things don't change."
Chestnut overwhelmingly defeated Glass, winning 71% of the vote to his 29%, and winning substantial margins in both Alachua and Marion Counties. She faced Glass again in 1996, beating him by an even slightly larger margin of 72–28% to win her fourth term. In 1998, Chestnut won her fifth and final term in the House unopposed.
2000 State Senate campaign
In 2000, State Senator
George Kirkpatrick was unable to seek re-election due to term limits. Chestnut ran to succeed him in the 5th District, which included parts of
Alachua County
Alachua County ( ) is a county in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 278,468. The county seat is Gainesville, the home of the University of Florida since 1906, when the campus ope ...
,
Bradford County,
Clay County Clay County is the name of 18 counties in the United States. Most are named for Henry Clay, U.S. Senator and statesman:
* Clay County, Alabama
* Clay County, Arkansas (named for John Clayton, and originally named Clayton County)
* Clay County, Flor ...
,
Columbia County,
Levy County
Levy County is a county located on the Gulf coast and in the northern part of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 42,915. Its county seat is Bronson.
History
Levy County was created in 1845, after the Seminol ...
,
Marion County,
Putnam County,
Suwannee County
Suwannee County is a county located in the north central portion of the state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,474, up from 41,551 in 2010. Its county seat is Live Oak. Suwannee County was a dry county until August 201 ...
, and
Union County. She faced State Attorney
Rod Smith in the Democratic primary. Chestnut focused her campaign on education, arguing that she would conduct a full review of the Florida educational system, from kindergarten to the graduate school level, if elected.
Smith attacked Chestnut for supporting the establishment of the
Florida International University College of Law
The Florida International University College of Law is the law school of Florida International University, located in Miami, Florida in the United States. The law school is accredited by the American Bar Association, and is the only public law sch ...
and the re-establishment of the
Florida A&M,
which was argued would take funding away from other law schools in the state, like the law school at the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
.
Ultimately, Smith's local popularity in the district, driven by his successful prosecution of serial killer
Danny Rolling and his support from the district's more conservative areas, proved insurmountable for Chestnut. She wound up losing to Smith by a wide margin, winning just 38% of the vote to Smith's 62%, and lost every county in the district except for the narrow
Marion County portion that overlapped with her legislative district.
Alachua County Commission
In 2002, Chestnut re-entered public life by announcing that she would challenge
Alachua County
Alachua County ( ) is a county in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 278,468. The county seat is Gainesville, the home of the University of Florida since 1906, when the campus ope ...
Commissioner Robert Hutchinson, who represented District 4, in the Democratic primary. Chestnut campaigned on her legislative and municipal experience, and focused on reducing the county's poverty rate,
reorganizing the county budget, developing a closer relationship with the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
to increase employment opportunities, and building a bridge between the business community and environmentalists. The ''
Gainesville Sun
''The Gainesville Sun'' () is a newspaper published daily in Gainesville, Florida, United States, covering the North-Central portion of the state. The paper is published by Lynni Henderson, the paper's Executive Editor is Douglas Ray and the edi ...
'', though effusive in its "enormous regard for Chestnut," endorsed Hutchinson, concluding that Chestnut "simply hasn't made the case for turning out an incumbent county commissioner who has a solid record of accomplishment to recommend him." Chestnut ended up narrowly defeating Hutchinson, winning 54% of the vote to his 46%. She advanced to the general election, where she faced
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
nominee Don Marsh and
Libertarian
Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...
nominee Darrell McCormick. Chestnut again focused on her support for reducing poverty and argued that public transportation needed to be more present and reliable in the poorer, eastern part of the county. Chestnut ended up winning her first term on the County Commission by a wide margin, winning 58% of the vote to Marsh's 34% and McCormick's 8%, becoming the first black woman elected to the County Commission.
In 2006, Chestnut ran for re-election against Lloyd Bailey, a dive shop owner and the Republican nominee for the race. Chestnut expanded her margin of victory even more, defeating Bailey by a wide 62-38% margin.
In 2004, Chestnut was found guilty of an ethics violation from the
Florida Commission on Ethics when she took free tickets to an event from developer Clarke Butler of Butler Plaza.
In 2010, Chestnut ran for a third term on the County Commission and was opposed by Republican nominee Susan Baird, a
Tea Party
A tea party is a social gathering event held in the afternoon. For centuries, many societies have cherished drinking tea with a company at noon. Tea parties are considered for formal business meetings, social celebrations or just as an afternoon ...
activist and a real estate broker. Baird argued that the county's expenditures needed to be slashed, while Chestnut argued for efficiency in government services and increased public-private partnerships. Despite Alachua County leaning Democratic, including Democratic gubernatorial nominee
Alex Sink's strong performance in the county, Chestnut lost re-election in a major upset to Baird, winning just 46% of the vote to Baird's 54%, making Baird the first Republican to be elected to the County Commission in nearly three decades.
On Feb. 17, 2022, Chestnut was again sworn in as a Gainesville City Commissioner after winning a runoff election to replace Commissioner Gail Johnson, who had resigned and later endorsed Chestnut to fill the seat. Among her initial areas of focus, Chestnut advocated for potentially bringing a new multi-use complex to East Gainesville.
Later involvement
In 2012, Chestnut's stepson,
Chuck Chestnut (who also served in the state House) was elected to the Alachua County Commission. Cynthia Chestnut was elected as the chairwoman of the Alachua County Democratic Party in 2014, a position she currently holds.
References
28.^https://www.wcjb.com/2021/09/28/commissioner-gail-johnson-backs-cynthia-chestnut-replace-her-gainesville-city-commission/
29.^https://www.wuft.org/news/2021/08/23/gainesville-city-commissioner-gail-johnson-announces-her-resignation/
External links
Florida House of Representatives - Cynthia Moore Chestnut
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chestnut, Cynthia Moore
County commissioners in Florida
Florida State University alumni
Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives
1949 births
Living people
Women state legislators in Florida
Mayors of Gainesville, Florida
21st-century American women
African-American mayors in Florida
African-American women mayors