TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Outgoing Leon County Commissioner Kristin Dozier filed paperwork Thursday morning to enter the Tallahassee mayoral race, the Leon County Supervisor of Elections Office confirmed to ABC 27. She then announced her run on Facebook Thursday evening.
"We need a mayor who listens to all voices, not just a select few, one who is looking for solutions that benefit our whole community," said Dozier.
Mayor John Dailey in a statement to ABC 27 defended his seat in response to Commissioner Doziers announcement:
"We've addressed our challenges head on and we're coming back even stronger because we've had steady, experienced leadership in the Mayor's office."
Community Activist Whitfield Leland, who was the first to join the race in at the beginning of the year in 2021 said he's ready for what lies ahead in the 2022 mayoral race.
"We want to take the power from the powers that be, in the old establishment and give it back to the community," said Leland.
Commissioner Dozier listed the reasons she thinks the city needs to focus on moving forward.
"We need to focus on a lot of different issues, land use, environment, arts and culture, a little bit of everything," said Dozier.
Leland says one of the issues he would like to tackle is creating a better relationship between the community and police.
"I want to bring the Tallahassee Police Department on board and figure out the issue of why the crime rate is so high," said Leland.
Mayor Dailey touted his accomplishments by saying in part:
"I've made job creation and ethics reform a top priority. We've created thousands of good high paying jobs and passed the strongest ethics reform package in the state."
Dozier was first elected to the Leon County Commission in November 2010 and is currently serving in her third term representing District 5. Her term ends in November 2022 and announced in November 2021 that she would not seek reelection to the county commission.
