TLH ELECTIONS 2020

Tallahassee City Commission, Seat 2: A voter's guide to the 2020 primary

Tallahassee Democrat

Basic info

Type of race: Non-partisan

Who can vote: All registered city voters.

What's next: If no one candidate gets more than half the vote, the top two vote-getters go on to the Nov. 3 general election.

How much does this position pay: $39,588

Campaign coverage

Candidates

Trish Brown

Age: 51

Profession: Grassroots Community Activist/Wage Worker

Qualifications: Grassroots activist advocating for community equity through organizations like Dignity Florida, Dream Defenders, Tally100%, Institute for Global Health, FLIC. Advocate for immigrants, and disaster victims.

Website: TrishforTallahassee.com

► Op-ed from the candidate:Local elected officials should stand up for the public sector

Q: What does good growth look like in Tallahassee in 10 years and, if elected, what plans do you have during your term to make it reality?

A: I support a bottom-up investment strategy. Tallahassee has a poverty rate twice the Florida average and is rated as the most economically segregated city. Reaganomics has failed. We must rethink the role of the CRA and Blueprint and reallocate that money to build quality public and affordable housing options, upgrade our infrastructure, increase accessibility of public transportation, raise wages where we have authority to do so, expeditiously reach 100% renewable energy, and provide free and affordable healthcare and childcare options. I will accomplish this by increasing democratic participation among marginalized populations, union and non-union workers and through broad outreach programs.

Q: If you can accomplish just one thing in office what would it be (be specific)?

A: We must increase democratic participation in the decisions of our city. This means amplifying the voices of the 26.7% of the city living in poverty, of the economically segregated, the disenfranchised from past incarceration, state workers who have seen declining wages for thirty years, teachers at risk from COVID-19 crisis, and the tens of thousands of low wage workers in our city. We accomplish this by uplifting the voices of parents, by unionizing more workplaces and strengthening current unions, through a citizen elected Civilian Police Accountability Council, and through broad outreach and canvassing programs to solicit community input.

Lynette Halter

Profession: I've never run for office. I've worked a job.

Qualifications: Bachelor of arts in political science/architecture, graduate studies in city planning.

Q: What does good growth look like in Tallahassee in 10 years and, if elected, what plans do you have during your term to make it reality?

A: Tallahassee needs more jobs. Make it easier for businesses to get started instead of it taking eight months to open. In my walking door to door to get my name on the ballot I was told of it taking two years to get the permit to get a convenience store opened in south Tallahassee. Others say we need more employment but want to limit which businesses and to dictate where a business will be put. How can they know which business will be successful? Encourage business by making it easier for them to get started & give businesses incentives to train employees.

Q: If you can accomplish just one thing in office what would it be (be specific)?

A: Help us feel safe. Control violent crime. Get rid of the bad gangs that have moved in. Those gangs are preying on our youth. Acknowledge this is a problem & get whatever resources will help our police get crime under control. Get a police chief under contract. Politicians to get out of their way. Help at risk youth find employment. Get neighborhood alert programs started. When I started one year ago, we caught three burglars without leaving our homes. We just needed our phones & our neighbors & the police. Let's take back Tallahassee from the criminals.

Curtis Richardson

Age: 63

Profession: Retired and incumbent commissioner

Qualifications: I am a 40-year resident of Tallahassee. I have served six-years on the City Commission, two of those years as Mayor Pro Tem.

Website: CurtisforCityCommission.com

Q: What does good growth look like in Tallahassee in 10 years, and, if elected, what do you have during your term to make it a reality?

A: Tallahassee has grown tremendously since I’ve lived here and will continue to grow. We must ensure that the city grows responsibly and we avoid the urban sprawl many cities have experienced. Growth should be confined to the Urban Services Area and we promote urban infill. We should ensure that we have the infrastructure to support growth. As we grow, we must also protect our natural environment and avoid encroachment on the neighborhoods we cherish so much. I will ensure that as we grow, there is input and involvement from the community in those plans. I will seek holistic growth.

Q: If you can accomplish just one thing in office what would it be (be specific)?

A: As a resident of the Southside of Tallahassee, I have consistently advocated for redevelopment and revitalization of areas of our community that have long been neglected. We must invest in the infrastructure that will encourage responsible grown in those areas. I would like to see neighborhoods in those areas. I would like to see neighborhoods in those areas revitalized and affordable housing opportunities made available. In addition, we must encourage commercial development and create high-wage, high-skill jobs for area residents. These areas will be made safe and attractive. All of this must be accomplished while avoiding gentrification of these areas.

Geraldine H. Seay

Age: 72

Profession: Retired tenured faculty at FAMU; Owner: B Sharps and Founder of B Sharps Jazz Society, a 501c3; Historic Preservationist

Qualifications: Problem solver and the ability to take a vision to an actuality. An educator for pre-k to 16. Researcher. Ability to attract doers to a project

Website: ElectGerriSeay.org

► Op-ed from the candidate:Tallahassee stands on the brink of enormous opportunity to change

Q: What does good growth look like in Tallahassee in 10 years, and, if elected, what do you have during your term to make it a reality?

A: Growth in Tallahassee in 10 years would show that infrastructure needed for stable communities will be in place: sidewalks, underground utilities, universal internet as a utility; dedicated bike paths; bus transportation to neighborhood that need it most with the appropriate vehicle for that purpose.

Q: If you can accomplish just one thing in office what would it be (be specific)?

A: During my term, the one thing i'd accomplish is to have the CRA complete the infrastructure projects in the neighborhoods within the actual CRA district. Not on the borders of the neighborhoods, but within the neighborhoods themselves.

Bill Schack

Age: 52 years old

Profession: Food Services Director, the Kearney Center

Website: BillSchack.com

► Op-ed from the candidate:One street corner tells the story of two Tallahassees

Q: What does good growth look like in Tallahassee in 10 years, and, if elected, what do you have during your term to make it a reality?

A: Infrastructure objectives must be reevaluated with new priorities for Blueprint projects, and CRA spending. In order to attract business and jobs, we must redesign our southern and northern strategies to accommodate business growth and particularly small business who call Tallahassee home. We begin by reducing crime, and returning to the time when our police force was an integral part of our community. We accomplish this by community partnerships, enhanced training, and engaging our young people. We can improve our city when we grow together by providing our impoverished and disadvantage with access and opportunity.

Q: If you can accomplish just one thing in office what would it be (be specific)?

A: I would like to see our city reduce crime significantly. It should be our No. 1 priority. When crime goes down, issues are addressed, neighborhoods will be safer, those committing crime stop repeating because they find good jobs, and our families feel confident in their own safety. We need to return to what worked. We need to make sure resources and staffing are in place to teach and train in the most modern techniques available. We must invest in our communities by forging neighborhood partnerships. We engage our non-profits to optimize their impact, and we ensure funding matches the mission.

Contact Karl Etters at ketters@tallahassee.com or @KarlEtters on Twitter.

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