NORTHWEST TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) — Six candidates are competing for one open seat on the Tallahassee City Commission, and voters are weighing more than names on a ballot.
WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:
Barbara Sawyerr, a retired voter, said affordability is personal for her. Living on a fixed income, she is paying attention to what things cost and whether the people asking for her vote understand what residents are dealing with.
"I noticed everything is like going up and up and up, but everything you purchase is going smaller and smaller and smaller, and it seems to appear twice as much, you know, for those changes. And somehow I feel like it's maybe systematic," Sawyerr said.
Affordability is also showing up in the campaign for City Commission Seat 3, but the six candidates do not all identify the same problem or the same solution.
Daryl "Darwavemaker" Alfred said one of his priorities is making City Hall more accessible so residents have more opportunities to be heard.
"One of the biggest issues that I myself have experienced, as well as heard from residents, is we want more access. And that's accessibility to City Hall," Alfred said.
Talethia O. Edwards puts affordability at the center of her campaign, including housing and access to higher-paying jobs.
"So we're all talking about affordability. Affordability is a big issue in Leon County and across our state. So making sure that individuals who live in Tallahassee can continue to live in Tallahassee," Edwards said.
Max Herrle is zeroing in on what residents pay each month for city utilities.
"Our utility bills are way too high. We're going to reduce the residential utility bills. We're hoping to hit a reduction of $65 a month in your residential utility bills," Herrle said.
Norm Roche said his priority starts with how city commissioners work together, arguing that division at City Hall makes it harder to address the issues residents care about.
"What concerned me most and what drew me into the race was the lack of professionalism and collegiality that was going on on the dais. And that's not how you get work done," Roche said.
PJ Perez also points to affordability, but said his concern is how the city's growth affects working families.
"I understand that affordability is our biggest issue and that growth isn't necessarily the problem ended up itself. I think when we, when that growth comes at the expense of our working families, that's the biggest issue," Perez said.
Tom Derzypolski said his approach to the affordability gap starts with attracting businesses and higher-paying jobs.
"One of my priorities is making sure that the world knows Tallahassee is open for business. We want the right companies to come here and create those high paying jobs," Derzypolski said.
Whoever wins Seat 3 will have a vote on city spending, development, utilities, and services that can directly affect what residents pay and what they get in return.
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.
Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website.
Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Instagram and X.
