Local business owner Tom Derzypolski officially launched his bid for Tallahassee City Commission with a kickoff event Tuesday evening.
Former State Senator Bill Montford introduced Derzypolski to the crowd of supporters gathered at Dorthoy B. Oven Park. Montford is related to Derzypolski’s wife, Stephanie.
“When Tom is on City Commission, he will do what’s right for the citizens of this community,” Montford said.
Tristan Wood
/
WFSU Public Media
Former State Senator Bill Montford talks with other guests at Tom Derzypolski’s Tallahassee City Commission campaign launch party.
Derzypolski is one of seven candidates filed to run for the seat Commission Jeremy Matlow is leaving open to run for Mayor. He told the crowd gathered he likes his odds in that field.
“I’m going to make sure that the other opponents in this race are worried to death about me, and it’s because of support I’m getting from good friends and good leaders here in Tallahassee,” he said.
The races for city commission come at a time where fighting from two political factions at Tallahassee City Hall have dominated headlines for years. Derzypolski, who runs the BowStern Communications firm, criticized messaging from some of his opponents about that divide.
“Some of the candidates in my race are bragging about flipping the three-two. We’re going to flip the three-two. That is not leadership. If you need a majority in order to lead, in order to represent your people, and you cannot do it without force, without a guaranteed vote,” he said.
Tristan Wood
/
WFSU Public Media
Tallahassee City Commission candidate Tom Derzypolski talks to the crowd gathered at his campaign launch party on April 14, 2026.
One topic of discussion amongst candidates for local office this election cycle is how to keep younger people in the region after graduating from the area’s three academic institutions. Derzypolski said in an interview with WFSU he doesn’t think the answer is in better nightlife or music venues alone.
“All those things are quality of life aspects, but you can’t stay here if there’s not a career here for you, you know, whatever degree you graduate with, we’ve got to be able to couple that with a company here in Tallahassee that wants it,” he said.
Derzypolski so far fundraised the most out of any candidate in the race, despite being one of the more recent entrants. But he acknowledged to his supporters fundraising isn’t enough in local Tallahassee elections.
He credited get-out-the-vote efforts from Matlow and others locally with giving them electoral success in past elections despite fundraising less than their opponents in those contests.
“The ground game is strong with that group. And while they can’t raise money. Boy, they’ll be texting and calling and picking people up and driving them to vote. So we got to do the same things in our neighborhood, because that’s we have a chance to put this to bed in August,” he said.
The candidates will be on the ballot during the primaries are in August. If no candidate gets above 50 percent, the top two vote getters will advance to the general election in November.