The afternoon after a particularly contentious candidate forum, candidates for the Tallahassee City Commission Seat 1 collectively took a more collegial tone with each other during another forum hosted by WFSU Public Media, the Tallahassee Democrat, and the League of Women Voters of Tallahassee.
Incumbent Commissioner Jack Porter and her challengers, Pastor Rudy Ferguson and FAMU administrator Louis Dilbert, fielded questions from reporters for about an hour and a half.
Here’s a breakdown of what was said during the forum about some of the most pressing issues in Tallahassee. The full video of the candidate forum is available here.
Affordable housing
About 42% of Tallahassee households spend more than 30% of their income on rent. All three candidates said making local housing affordable is one of their top priorities, but each focused on a different angle of the issue.
Dilbert said the permitting process for what type of housing is being built in the city needs to be reevaluated. He believes too much high-rise student housing is being put up close to Tallahassee’s college campuses and not enough other housing types are being built in areas like Tallahassee’s south side.
“You see student housing popping up left and right, and these people are taking up space that we could be using to build affordable housing,” he said.
Porter said solving housing issues locally needs to be a multi-pronged approach.
“I think we can improve on our code enforcement to make sure that homes that are affordable do not fall into blighted conditions. We have the money and resources to support rapid free housing as well. We can invest in our community land trust. We can invest in additional funding for the housing authority,” she said.
Ferguson said building stronger relationships with developers and incorporating incentives for them to build affordable housing is the way to best motivate more housing supply that will decrease overall prices.
“We just have to be a little more business-friendly with these individuals who are capable of doing this, working along with us in the city, working along with our communities to bring this thing to bear,” he said.
Controversial Blueprint projects
The candidates were asked their thoughts on several controversial Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency projects that have passed in recent years. Blueprint is funded through a cent sales tax in the county and is meant to fund economic development projects and investments.
One of the projects discussed was $27 million that went to renovations to FSU’s Doak Campbell Stadium in 2022. Dilbert and Ferguson said they likely would have supported it, while Porter said she stands by her original decision to oppose it.
Ferguson said he would have supported it because FSU Football is an economic driver.
“They are a strong economic base where people come from all over the country to come see our Seminoles play football,” he said.
Porter said FSU could have afforded the renovations themselves, and that Blueprint money could have gone to other projects.
“There were so many missed opportunities, and they had the money. They didn't need ours,” she said.
Another vote discussed was $2.5 million in tax incentives that went toa new Amazon Fulfillment center. Ferguson said he would have supported it, while Dilbert and Porter said they would have voted against it.
Ferguson said the 2,000 jobs brought by the construction was worth the investment. However, Porter argued that Amazon would have come regardless of the incentive.
Dilbert thought the $2.5 million was just a drop in the bucket for a company like Amazon
“Yeah, I don't know about that (laughs). You know, Amazon makes a lot of money,” he said.
Saving Railroad Square
The two tornadoes that tore through Tallahassee heavily damaged Railroad Square Art District. The owners are now looking to sell at least a portion of the property, and have approached several local government entities to see if they were interested in purchasing or entering into lease agreements.
The candidates were asked what role they believe the city should play in saving the district.
Dilbert said he views the district as a vital piece for keeping those who graduate from Tallahassee’s colleges in town, so saving it should be a city priority.
“Particularly for that crowd that's about 20-to-35 make it feel like this is a place that they can find entertainment and they can enjoy their life here in the city,” he said.
Ferguson said he was unsure what the city would be able to do to save it, but wanted it to do what it can
Porter believes the city must have a role but believes their options have been limited because of spending decisions with Blueprint and other economic development projects.
“This is a missed opportunity, where some of that money that was given to Doak Campbell stadium could have been used,” she said.
Firefighters
While the City of Tallahassee accepted a special magistrate’s recommendation for the previous year’s contract with the Tallahassee Firefighter’s Union, the standoff for a longer three-year deal is still ongoing. The candidates blamed different sources for what was causing the bumpy negotiations.
Ferguson said negotiations stalled because they have been “weaponized for political purposes.” He puts the blame on union president Joey Davis, a similar argument Tallahassee Mayor and Ferguson supporter John Dailey has used during city commission meetings.
“I believe that if the union president has simply just offered that to the firefighters, they would have made a decision, up or down which way they want to go, and that would have brought us back to the table,” he said.
Porter, who the firefighter’s union has endorsed, said that getting the city’s firefighters an acceptable contract with a living wage is a priority to her. She also looks at the standoff differently from Ferguson.
She said she views the standoff as political retribution. That appears to be a reference to the union not endorsing Dailey last election cycle, as well as Davis previously filing an ethics complaint against City Manager Reese Goad.
“The union president has brought offers back to the firefighters. It's simply incorrect to say that’s not so. I believe that this is a political issue, unfortunately,” she said.