Another political battle is brewing over public funds from the Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency. Today [Thursday] the Blueprint board will vote on whether to disburse $1.8 million to the developer of a project on South Monroe Street, SOMO Walls. The developer also chairs a political committee that last year campaigned for many of the elected officials who will now vote on the money.
The Blueprint board is composed of the 12 members of the Tallahassee City Commission and the Leon County Commission combined. Bugra Demirel, the developer of SOMO Walls, chaired a political committee that campaigned for six of them – Mayor John Dailey, Mayor Pro Tem Dianne Williams-Cox, County Commission Chair Nick Maddox, and County Commissioners Bill Proctor, Carolyn Cummings and Christian Caban.
City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow, whom Demirel opposed, says he encountered Dailey and City Commissioner Curtis Richardson discussing Demirel’s project on Tuesday, two days before the vote.
“These are two members of the voting board who are going to vote on Bugra’s project discussing very specific details about his business practices and his business that as far as I know hasn’t been made public to the entire public, isn’t a part of the agenda item," Matlow said. "So, it’s a Sunshine violation on its face for two board members to be discussing something they’re going to vote on Thursday -- particularly when it’s $1.8 million going to your campaign manager.”
City communications officials repeatedly declined to respond to questions about the roles of Dailey and Richardson or the alleged conversation.
Demirel responded by text, “Matlow's rhetoric is heavily reliant on speculation. The responsibility rests on him to substantiate his claims with concrete evidence and documentation, a task he appears unable to accomplish.”
The Blueprint meeting starts at 3 p.m. in the city commission chambers.
