TLH ELECTIONS 2020

4 questions: Tallahassee City Commission Seat 1 candidates on poverty, development, police

Tallahassee Democrat

Candidates for Tallahassee City Commission Seat 1 weighed in on issues from growth and development to police review boards during a July 21 forum.

The two leading candidates are City Commissioner Elaine Byrant, 66, a business owner and former educator and state employee who was appointed to the commission in 2018, and Jack Porter, a planner, former graduate assistant at Florida State University and state employee. Also running is William Moore, a 19-year-old FSU student.

The League of Women Voters and Tallahassee Democrat sponsored the forum and asked questions of the candidates. Watch the full interview and get complete information about the issues, races and candidates on the ballot at tallahassee.com/elections.

More:The ultimate Leon County, Tallahassee voter's guide to the 2020 primary election

Here are excerpts:

Question 1

How do you see your role as commissioner in relation to the city manager and staff? How would you rate the effectiveness of the city manager and what if any changes would you make?

Moore:

"I understand my other colleagues and I have to respect them but I’m not going to let something go by that’s obviously wrong. If I do get elected, I’m definitely super excited to be working with my colleagues. Overall honestly I wouldn’t make any changes (on the city manager), not yet. I don’t know enough about the topic yet.”

Bryant:

"The city manager runs the day-to-day operations of our city. Commissioners not only for the city but any other venue actually set policy. The fortunate thing for us in the city of Tallahassee is that we have goals, we have a strategic plan and we need to as a commission as we obviously do hold the city manager accountable for reaching the goals. Now we should not be involved in the day-to-day operations of the city. That’s why we hire a city manager. And then we will actually rate the city manager in accordance with the policy that has been established and that any employee should be afforded.

"I would say that our current city manager is doing an excellent job. He brings ideas back. He is forward thinking. And he is holding his staff accountable, which is critical. The leadership team that he has assembled is also doing a good job and doing those things that are necessary. Are there challenges? Are there things that need to be changed, improved? Absolutely. And that’s with any organization. So we will be constantly challenged day after day to continue to actually comply and hold him accountable for those things that we agree as a commission as it relates to policy that should be done.”

Porter:

"Commissioners are there to provide leadership, to set the tone for our city. Of course our commissioners are the only elected officials who are accountable to the voters. And it’s our job to represent them. That’s what my background and my experience prepares me to do. I’m very comfortable in that capacity. My educational background will give the me the tools to evaluate and serve. And of course setting direction, working with our staff and leadership. I was given an award by the Florida City and County Management Association last year. I’m very familiar with the commissioner/council form of government. I support it. And I think that the setup is very good for the day-to-day operations. But it should always be the commissioners, the elected officials who are setting the tone, driving the policy decisions, driving the community, centering our community in our decision-making processes.

"As far as our city management, I think something that distinguishes me from my opponents is that I do believe our community wants change, wants accountability in our city management, in our upper level leadership. The rank-and-file staff do an amazing job. I worked at the city for a year. I was proud to do so. I’m proud of the city’s work with doing a lot of amazing things. But I do think we need more accountability. I do think there have been some missteps, including most recently with a botched police chief search. So I do think that this is something that we need to revisit."

Back story:Inside the negotiations that led to the breakup between Tallahassee and its new police chief

(Both candidates asked for rebuttals)

Bryant on the police search.

"This is probably one of the most inclusive searches that has been conducted probably in any city. Because it really is an appointment by the city manager. But instead, he actually brought in representatives from across our community who in fact made recommendations regarding the selection of the police chief. And the person that was selected by the committee was the gentleman from St. Petersburg. And it was his declaration or declining that position that took us to the next step."

Porter on the search:

"I’m not really making any comments about how inclusive the process was. I think that the process was OK. But a candidate walked away citing complaints with the city manager, and our commissioners never seemed to ask what happened. That’s what I mean by accountability. Let’s ask the questions, get to the truth so that everyone can feel comfortable with our decisions.”

Question 2

How should the city balance the need for new development and economic growth with the needs of residents who don’t want the city's landscape or character to change?

Bryant:

“I am so reminded that as we look at Cascades Park and this is obviously prior to my time sitting on the commission, but there were plans made that were resisted because it’s change. But today we probably can’t find too many citizens who do not support Cascades Park. But let me also say quickly that we have to have more input from our community. I would be the first to say that. After being appointed to the commission, one of the first neighborhood meetings was in Midtown where they had not been afforded at least from their perspective and the more I listened the more I understood to have input regarding the parking garage that was planned to go up in Midtown. And it was only through the collaboration, through the talking, through the sharing of neighborhood and the city and government that we were able to come to an agreement as to how this should not in this case happen. So I would say that line is very delicate. We have to protect our neighborhoods but we also have to support development. I’m sure the city as we see it today will not be the city of 30 years from now. It will change. We have the responsibility to provide that planning effort.”

Porter:

“Of course I support high quality development. But where I have a problem is when we have taxpayers subsidizing it. We do absolutely need to balance our natural beauty, the will of our neighbors and our communities, our character, our natural resources. I support investing in existing neighborhoods who badly need investment and have been asking and waiting for it before we are talking about areas where there is no demand, where there are no existing neighborhoods. Our neighborhoods need safe infrastructure. Bad development is bad development, and good development is good development. If there are developers who are abusing the process for personal gain, endangering our environment and our neighborhoods, we need to stand up to that. I will stand up to that. But good development, environmental protection and economic development can go hand in hand and that’s what my experience in planning and bringing together the voices of our neighbors will do.”

Moore:

“We’re building this huge sterile lifeless building right in front of a park. It doesn’t fit in. We need to start integrating more nature into our buildings, putting trees on the roof, bushes on the side, moss on the walls. And sure this might cost a little extra money, but the attention that these buildings will bring, the publicity, the tourism, making people want to move here, that’s going to make up for it.”

Question 3

How would you respond to citizens who support creation of an independent police review board?

Moore:

“On paper, it sounds like a great idea. I’ve actually talked to the PBA and their biggest complaint is they don’t want this board to have too much power. So I’m for it but we need to be really careful about what powers we give them. But overall the police brutality issue as a whole, I’ve actually gone out and talked to these protesters at the Capitol. And the biggest thing that they all say is they want more training for cops.”

Bryant:

“I am certainly in favor of and voted for an independent review board. I think that after we actually request the research and receive it from across the state of Florida, that independent review boards currently exist and some of them are operating very well. Training is paramount, and we need to invest again and again in ensuring our officers are trained on a continuous basis. But the board itself, at the conclusion of any incident, can actually review what happened in the incident. We have been challenged with the question of why not let them have subpoena power, and we know that the law does not allow us to do that. But we will do exactly what it is, once we develop the rules for how this board will operate and actually expect them to do just that. It will not be controlled by the City Commission.”

Porter:

“I support a board with maximum investigatory capacity, one that has the ability to discipline misconduct, and that’s what I’m hearing from people all over the community. I don’t see that as a partisan issue. Accountability starts at the top with the city manager, with the police chief. Certainly we need more oversight because they’re the ones who should be setting the example to make sure that we are doing what we need to do. I went to the most recent TPD community advisory council last week. That meeting, I’m not sure the right tone was set there. There are serious questions that are still outstanding today about recent events in our city. We’ve got questions about the body camera footage, questions about our policies. We need to be building the public’s trust back up, building those relationships, doing this right and taking it seriously. So I support the direction we’ve moved in but I think a lot of people have concerns about how independent the review board is that the city voted on and I have concerns as well..."

Question 4

What would you do to stop poverty the 32304 zip code?

Mission 32304

Bryant:

“I think that we have a path forward really that was put together under the leadership of Commissioner Proctor that actually resulted in a report with very distinct details about what could be and should be done to support the 32304 ZIP code. I think that we have to as a city commission ... implement some of those recommendations.”

Porter:

“We have serious issues in this community, racial and economic segregation. The poverty is just absolutely unacceptable. We are told we're doing the best we can. When I look at the strategic plan, it’s not even measuring poverty levels, and the proposals have very little impact. I’m not interested in placing blame. But what we have been doing has simply not been working. The Prosperity for All Summit that Commissioner Proctor hosted laid out some very good plans and I challenge our community and our commission to actually bring those plans to a vote.”

Moore:

"Nothing in recent history has pushed more people into poverty than the war on drugs. When we criminally charge drug addicts, send them to jail, give them a criminal record, they can’t get a job after they get out, we’re ruining their lives and we’re ruining our community. We need to send them to rehabilitative programs.”

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.

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