Leon County Commissioner Brian Welch filed for re-election on Tuesday. It’s a bit early to file for the 2024 race, but Welch has his reasons.
He was first elected in 2020 to represent District 4, the northeastern part of the county. Then a political unknown, his victory over long-term commissioner Bryan Desloge was a shock. For next year’s election, he filed early to reach people who are open or already committed to his candidacy.
“I waited till after the cycle of ‘22 ended," he said, "to give myself as much runway as possible to garner as much support as I can and try to distill as much of my narrative as I can ahead of any potential opponents.”
A teacher at Chiles High, Welch says he’s made protecting the district’s quality of life his top priority. He voted in favor of the Northeast Gateway, intended to relieve traffic congestion, and the Northeast Park. He says his vote against the controversial measure to fund stadium repairs and improvements at Florida State University’s Doak Campbell Stadium was just common sense.
“To me, the Doak Campbell vote was probably the least fiscally responsible thing that we could do as a government, which is pretty much a conservative position," he said.
Also filing early: Leon County School Superintendent Rocky Hanna. He posted on Facebook that his work is not yet finished. The nearly two-year interruption imposed by the pandemic put several priorities on hold, he wrote, “and I am committed to finishing the job I started in 2016.”
