Civil Rights attorney Daryl Parks kicked off his campaign for Tallahassee Mayor Monday evening at an event space near Cascades Park.
In his address, he alluded to dysfunction amongst Tallahassee City Commissioners in his address to the crowd.
“While the politicians are fighting, our families are paying the price,” he said.
Parks recently ran for the State Senate, but lost. His address to the crowd was captured by a media team equipped with cinema-quality cameras, capturing the footage needed to make digital content that has played a growing role in how campaigns reach voters.
Mutakee Akbar, president of the Tallahassee branch of the NAACP, was there to support Parks. He said Parks has been a mentor to him.
“To get a front row seat at the work that he's done as an attorney, and that was as an attorney, as a community person, as a community advocate, from legal cases to a businessman, all of those things are he has the leadership qualities that I think we need for our next mayor to have," he said.
During a press gaggle after the launch party, Parks said he wants to encourage economic development and work with businesses to attract and retain young people in town.
“Governments create environment. They create an environment that are conducive to people to believe that they can start an opportunity there in that place,” he said.
Also running for Mayor is former State Senator Loranne Ausley, City Commissioner and local entrepreneur Jeremy Matlow and political newcomer Michael Foust.
To date, Park’s campaign has raised over $150,00 to his campaign account, neck and neck with Ausley. Matlow has raised about $95,000.
The candidates that qualify will be on the ballot on Aug. 18th.