TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Now that John Dailey officially put his name in the race for Tallahassee Mayor on Monday, his county commission seat is up for grabs.
Seven months to go before Leon County voters head to the polls. Leading up to a critical local election, candidates like John Dailey are making moves.
The county commissioner has switched races to run for mayor.
"This year is reminding me a little bit of 2016, when the sheriff's race -- there was all kinds of political maneuvering, and I think people are just interested in seeing what options are available for them," said Mark Earley, the Leon County Supervisor of Elections.
The mayor's race now has three official candidates, but there's still time for others to join. The window to qualify is from June 18th to June 22nd. That goes for city and county commission races, too.
"This is all part of our democratic process, and it only works if people get involved," said Early.
People like Emily Fritz. Tuesday morning, she was the first to start filing to run for Dailey's District 3 seat on the county commission.
She was running for Seat 5 on the city commission, to succeed Gil Ziffer, but now she's redesignating her campaign.
"The district seat gives me more opportunity to be closer to the constituents," said Fritz. "In a district seat, your constituents really are your neighbors, which would empower my ability to serve them."
Candidates running for the District 3 seat have two ways to file, by petition or by paying the qualifying fee.
Rick Minor also announced he's filing for the District-3 county commission seat.
He had been running for Seat 3 on the city commission, currently held by Nancy Miller but has since withdrew.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Following Leon County Commissioner John Dailey's decision to run for mayor, candidates are bowing out of City Commission races to instead run for Dailey's vacant seat.
Emily Fritz was the first person to file to run for the District 3 seat on the Leon County commission Tuesday after it was vacated Monday by Dailey.
She was running for Tallahassee City Commission, Seat 5 but decided to switch races. Fritz says that she's lived in District 3 for more than 15 years.
Her priorities are to restore the public's confidence in local government, reduce crime, and save taxpayers' hard-earned money.
Tuesday afternoon, Rick Minor, the CEO of Second Harvest of the Big Bend, also announced that he will be filing to run for Dailey's vacant seat on Wednesday.
I'm pleased to announce that tomorrow I'll be filing to run for Leon County Commission, District 3, the open seat currently held by Commissioner John Dailey. Please see: https://t.co/XIQLfuyQ9o.
— Rick Minor (@RickMinor) April 3, 2018
"Over the last few days, many people have asked me to consider running for Commissioner Dailey's now-open seat on the County Commission," Minor wrote in a press release. "I love what the County government is doing, and I love the vision that the County has developed over the last several years. So much so that I would have filed for this seat had John announced his mayoral run earlier."
He says his priorities will remain the same: reducing crime, strengthening neighborhoods, helping local businesses create high-quality, high-paying jobs, and ensuring that local governments perform at the highest ethical standards.
Before switching, Minor was running for City Commission, Seat 3.
