TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Mayor John Dailey has officially announced he is not seeking re-election. The mayor said after serving two decades in public service he is ready to retire.
- Dailey has spent 20 years in public service, 12 years on the Leon County Board of County Commissioners and eight as Tallahassee mayor.
- Dailey says he remains committed to the next 14 months of his term.
- Watch the video below to hear when Mayor John Dailey made the decision to step away from politics.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The City of Tallahassee will have a new mayor in 2026.
"You get in there, you do the best job you can, and then at some point you have to make the decision that it's time to pass the proverbial baton to the next person."
I'm Alberto Camargo, your neighborhood reporter in downtown Tallahassee.
I caught up with Mayor John Dailey as he reflects on his eight years in charge after he confirmed Monday that he will not seek re-election.
"It's been confirmed with my wife and kids for a couple years now, we just made the announcement public."
Mayor Dailey says after 12 years on the Leon County Board of County Commissioners and almost 8 years as Tallahassee's mayor, he's ready to move on.
Dailey says public service is not a lifetime career, and he needs to time to reflect on his successes and shortcomings.
"There's always hindsight 20/20. I'm here to tell you I've been very pleased with my career, I've been blessed to be able to serve this community. I have run for election or re-election five times and have won, and that's amazing. That's a great career, I'm ready for the next chapter."
As for the next chapter of city leadership, Dailey says a mayoral race without an incumbent means it's a level playing field for every candidate.
"It's the greatest job in the world to be mayor, don't get me wrong, it really is. But it's also a very important job, and it's going to be an open seat. This is a very rare occasion. So I hope that anybody out there who has ever considered running for mayor, now is a great opportunity to throw your name in the hat."
We also learned Monday that city commissioner Jeremy Matlow has launched his campaign.
Matlow says he wants to address affordability, infrastructure on the south side, and the environment.
He also told me his campaign would not make personal attacks against opponents.
He believes those attacks blighted last year's local elections.
"I hope this campaign everybody can keep it positive. We have such a great opportunity to talk about how we can make Tallahassee a better place. Hopefully, everybody can just stay our of the weeds. From our side, you're not going to see that type of campaigning."
As of Monday, the only other candidate in the 2026 mayoral race is Camron Jabari Cooper.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
Mayor John Dailey has officially announced he is not seeking re-election. The mayor said after serving two decades in public service he is ready to retire.
In 2006, Dailey was elected to Leon County Commission District 3 and was re-elected twice without opposition. He served as the chairman of the Leon County commission twice. Dailey was elected Mayor of Tallahassee in 2018.
Dailey provided this statement:
"Nearly twenty years ago, I was honored to be elected to the Leon County Commission. Since that day, first as a County Commissioner and now as your Mayor, I have given my heart and my soul to our community that I am blessed to call home.
Together, we have accomplished some amazing things. This journey has been the honor of a lifetime, and I cannot thank the citizens of Tallahassee enough for allowing me the honor of serving. But elected office should not be a forever job, so today I am formally announcing that I will not be seeking re-election.
It is time to turn the page and for the voters of Tallahassee to choose a new Mayor to continue the incredible progress we have made over the last eight years.The City of Tallahassee has an amazing, award-winning staff with nationally recognized accomplishments from maintaining our status as having the best parks in America to having the BEST run public utility in the nation.
To each and every person in the city government who works tirelessly to serve our public, I recognize that none of what we have accomplished would have been possible without your commitment to excellence. To each of you, I will forever remain grateful for your service. And to the entire Tallahassee community, thank you for your trust over the last two decades.I look forward to serving as the Mayor of Tallahassee for the final year of my term."
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