Cynthia Moore Chestnut is an American Democratic politician who served on the Gainesville, Florida City Commission from 1987 to 1989 and as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1990 to 2000, representing the 23rd District. After unsuccessfully running for the Florida Senate in 2000, Chestnut was elected to the Alachua County 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 City Commission.
History
Chestnut was born in Tallahassee and attended Florida A&M University, receiving her bachelor's degree in speech pathology in 1970, and Florida State University, receiving her master's degree in speech pathology in 1971. She later attended Nova Southeastern University 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 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, 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 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 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. 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 a 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.