5:30 A.M. THURSDAY UPDATE:
“Gainesville will not be the same without Danny…such a true professional and genuinely kind man.”
Tributes continue to pour in via social media for former Gainesville Mayor and City Councilman Danny Dunnagan who died Wednesday.
“Prayers for the Dunagan family and for his Gainesville family, too.”
“Danny was a true ambassador for the city and will be missed. May his legacy live on.”
“So sad. A good man and fine leader.”
“It’s so hard to imagine him gone.”
“Godspeed Danny.”
EARLIER STORY. POSTED 8:15 WEDNESDAY NIGHT:
Former Gainesville Mayor and City Council member Danny Dunagan has died, just over a month after he resigned his council post because of unspecified health issues.
“My heart is heavy tonight unlike it has been in some time,” City Manager Bryan Lackey posted on Facebook Wednesday night. “Danny Dunagan was a true Champion of Gainesville. His fingerprints are everywhere in our town. Many current and future Gainesvillians will enjoy for many years the shade of the trees he planted.”
“Simply put, I am unable to do my work on the Council, so with deep regret, I must resign,” Dunagan said in a statement Sept. 19 announcing his resignation. “I thank God, my family, the citizens of Gainesville, the Council and city staff for many years of productive service.”
Dunagan was first elected to the city council in 2006. He left the council and was elected mayor in 2013 and then re-elected to the council four years ago after deciding not to seek another term as mayor.
He was also a former member of the city’s Planning & Appeals Board.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This story will be updated as more information is available.)