Former Democratic state senator Loranne Ausley says she’s running for Tallahassee mayor, joining a field that already includes City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow and local attorney Daryl Parks.
The race is heating up in the wake of Mayor John Dailey’s decision not to run for re-election. And while the Tallahassee City Commission has been criticized for its infighting, Ausley doesn’t want to join in.
“I don’t want to say anything about the city commission," she said. "What I want to say is that there’s so much great going on in the city of Tallahassee but there’s so much more that can be done. And I would like to see finding the things that we have in common versus focusing on things that we don’t have in common. To me, that’s what moving the city forward is really about.”
Ausley lost her state Senate seat to Republican Corey Simon in 2022.
Last year she was severely injured in a bike accident but has recovered and says her medical team gave the green light to her run for office.
“My medical team has given me the okay to go ahead," she said. "I’m not going to ride my bike anymore, but I am back running and swimming – I swam today. And I will continue to do the things that make me happy, which is being outside in the beautiful city of Tallahassee – and I’m so grateful that I’m able to do that.”
Ausley has served 12 years in the state House of Representatives and two in the state Senate.
