TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – We are now just one week away from Florida’s primary election, where Tallahassee voters could see all new local leadership, including a new mayor.
With current Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey not seeking re-election, four candidates are running for the city’s top elected position: Jeremy Matlow, Daryl Parks, Loranne Ausley and Michael Foust.
Each candidate has their own ideas about what the mayor’s office should look like moving forward.
Jeremy Matlow has been a member of the Tallahassee City Commission since 2018. He says Dailey’s decision not to run again creates an opportunity to hit a reset button and transform city government.
“We just see a great opportunity to hit a giant reset button to start transforming our city government, getting away from the giveaways that were seeing to special interest and really make it work more for all of us,” Matlow said.
Matlow says one of his priorities would be bringing back transparency with citizens. He also says he would not support continuing to sell city-owned land.
“Public assets are valuable, and they are for the public good; they’re for all of us, whether that’s parks, neighborhood centers, all the types of things we want to see,” Matlow said.
Daryl Parks, a local lawyer, says people came to him and asked him to run for mayor.
Parks says he knows leadership and how to bring people together. He also wants to find a different way to grow the local economy.
“Having a mayor and commission who sets an agenda that working seriously within ourselves first, secondly with the county, and three within the region to change our economy has to be job one for the new mayor and new commission,” Parks said.
Parks says the Tallahassee International Airport is one area he would focus on, looking for ways to help it do better economically.
“I think it goes far beyond what some commissioners in terms of discussions they’ve had right, it’s a critical asset that we could do greatly more with that could greatly enhance our economic opportunity,” Parks said.
Loranne Ausley, the only female candidate in the race, says she started in 2000 as a member of the legislature before going on to the Florida Senate.
She says she now wants to continue that service as mayor, with a focus on civility and finding solutions.
“There’s so much bickering and back and forth at the city level and all the way up to Washington; I think people are just tired of it. I have spent my entire life working on all sides of the aisle to come up with solutions and solve problems, and I think that’s what we need in Tallahassee,” Ausley said.
Ausley says she’s prepared to bring that experience to the local level while focusing on issues including affordability, housing and neighborhoods.
“Cost, affordability, housing issues, neighborhood issues, and I’ve spent my life focused on housing, and on putting together incredible programs to support our neighborhoods and our children,” Ausley said.
Michael Foust has worked in public service for the last 18 years for agencies across the state, including the governor’s office.
He says he decided to run to give voters an alternative to the status quo.
“I’m an outsider to politics, but I’m not an outsider to results, and I treat government as a service, so I would like to bring that to City Hall and let go of national politics,” Foust said.
Foust says he would focus on development, economic security and bringing people together.
“If we have a mayor who can actually explain that the people in this city want to work and see growth and want to preserve our unique culture and our unique ecology here, that we can get something done rather than the gridlock we’ve seen for the past eight years,” Foust said.
Election Day is Tuesday, August 18.
WCTV will have live reports and results from the mayoral race and other local races throughout Election Day.
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