Carolyn Cummings has won her bid to replace retired Leon County Commissioner Mary Ann Lindley on the commission. She defeated former PACE Center for Girls Executive Director Kelly Otte. Cummings joins the commission amid a global pandemic that’s damaged the state and local economy. Leon County is facing a looming budget deficit.
“My first priority is going to be maintaining employment, maintaining staff, maintaining positions of county employees so that we don’t have to cut employees or reduce staff," she said in an interview with WFSU News following her win.
Her election comes as the city and county continue to face a high rate of shootings. Cummings says the county won’t be able to police it’s way out of the problem and needs to seek alternative approaches and more community-based partnerships to tackle what she calls “pockets" of violence.
"What we have done traditionally is depended on law enforcement...to deal with violent crime, but the issue is more complex...and we've got to deal with it from a holistic standpoint," she said.
"As I campaigned throughout this county I talked to people who had great ideas. And the small community groups that included faith-based leaders, businesses leaders...we've tried to address the violence and make a pledge to meet often and see if we can penetrate some of the pockets of criminality...the problem isn't going to go away if we just lock people up. We've got to get to the sources."
Also on her agenda: getting a new Children's Services Council up-and-running. Both Cummings and Otte backed its creation and Leon County voters approved the CSC. It would be able to levy an additional property tax to fund child-based services. What those services will be will be determined by members of the council who will be appointed.
In a Facebook post, Otte acknowledged Cummings' victory in the race.
"I just called Carolyn to congratulate her on her win," Otte said in a statement on the social media site. "Thank you to everyone who supported me! I'm very proud of the race we ran and all the extraordinary support and love I have received."
