SOUTH TALLAHASSEE, FL — Four candidates are competing to become Tallahassee's next mayor, and they squared off Tuesday at the final mayoral forum before the August primary.
WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:
The League of Women Voters of Tallahassee and the Capital Region News Collaborative hosted the forum. The race features former state Sen. Loranne Ausley, City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow, attorney Daryl Parks, and businessman Michael Shawn Foust.
With current Mayor John Dailey not seeking re-election, Tallahassee is holding its first open mayoral race since 2018.
During the forum, candidates shared what they believed the city needed to address over the next four years, whether Tallahassee is on the right track, and what they would change if elected.
"We need to modernize our city infrastructure, and we need a strong tech background in our leadership," Foust said.
"Address our violent crime, problem, jumpstart our economy," Matlow said.
"We need a mayor that finds a way to bring us together to work together, find a common goal," Parks said.
"We haven't had large growth in the city and we need jobs," Ausley said.
One of the biggest topics at the forum was property taxes and local government services. Candidates were asked what services they would be willing to cut, what they would fight to preserve, and how they would handle the loss of revenue if the proposed homestead exemption passes.
"Those things that are discretionary will have to, as a commission, sit down and prioritize those issues that we believe are the new priorities given in the landscape that we exist in," Parks said.
"We've already talked a little bit about law enforcement and the need to strengthen law enforcement. That is absolutely where I would not cut," Ausley said.
"Public safety is not negotiable so we keep our police and our consolidated dispatch agency. The things that we cut would be in discretionary spending," Foust said.
"Executive level of salary that's ballooned out of control. It's looking at non-essential travel and food purchases and then it's looking at departments like strategic innovation," Matlow said.
Candidates also answered questions about 4% raises for city employees, housing affordability, and fire service fees.
Voters could elect a new mayor in August if one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote. If no candidate reaches that threshold, the top 2 finishers will advance to the November election.
Key election dates:
- July 20th is the last day to register to vote and the last day to change your party affiliation.
- Early voting begins Aug. 8th.
- Primary Election Day is Aug. 18th.
You can watch the entire mayoral forum and hear each candidate's answers in full on the ABC 27 Facebook page.
***This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.***
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