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Gillum Becomes First Entrant Into 2014 Tallahassee Mayoral Race

City of Tallahassee

Tallahassee City Commissioner Andrew Gillum is looking to add another title to the list. Mayor.

Gillum was first voted into office in 2003, becoming the youngest city commissioner ever elected to the post while he was still a student at Florida A&M University.

He's filed to run for mayor in 2014.

Back in 2010, Gillum, a rising star in the Florida Democratic Party, had made a bid to lead the party but withdrew.

Tallahassee political insiders have long speculated on a Gillum mayoral bid, especially in the wake of ethics charges against current Mayor John Marks, which he was acquitted of earlier in the year.

Still, the ethics case has harmed the mayor politically, leaving him open to a challenge.

“Apparently, there have been some assumptions about my intentions,” Marks said to several local media outlets.  “But I have been strongly encouraged to consider staying on, and I am going to take my time in making a decision. I have stated in the past that I would not let the actions of anyone pressure me into making a premature decision."

Also rumored to be mulling a mayoral run is City Commissioner and former Mayor Scott Maddox, who returned to the commission after winning the Seat 1 race.

Follow @HatterLynn

Lynn Hatter is a Florida A&M University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Lynn has served as reporter/producer for WFSU since 2007 with education and health care issues as her key coverage areas.  She is an award-winning member of the Capital Press Corps and has participated in the NPR Kaiser Health News Reporting Partnership and NPR Education Initiative. 

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