Community advocate and real estate professional Darryl "Dar" Alfred is running for Tallahassee City Commission Seat 3, joining a field of candidates ahead of the August primary election.
WFSU’s Tristan Wood spoke with Alfred on Candidate Convos, a digital series of one-on-one interviews with local candidates in Tallahassee and Leon County ahead of the August primaries.
You can watch Alfred’s full appearance on Candidate Convos here:
During the conversation, Alfred said Tallahassee’s economy is too dependent on a limited number of industries and events. He wants to expand economic opportunities through arts and entertainment.
“For years there has been this consistent wheel of businesses opening and closing, and an economy that's been dependent on good football,” he said. “The way that I've spoken about it is one year of bad football means the next year your profits are cut in half. Two years of bad football means you might be taking a loan out or closing your doors the next year."
Alfred said creating a more diverse economy would also help the city retain younger residents by giving them more confidence in their long-term opportunities in Tallahassee.
“We need to unlock that economic piece, right? If you want to set down roots in Tallahassee, you need to be able to have confidence in the economy and your opportunity here,” he said.
Alfred also believes there is a growing disconnect between elected officials and the public. He said commissioners should be more visible and engaged in everyday community life.
“I think that we need a city commission that is directly involved with the community, who you see around town, not just at ribbon cuttings and galas, but beside you in line, getting your Pub sub, or whatever,” he said.
The Seat 3 race also includes Maxwell Herrle, PJ Perez, Tom Derzypolski, Norme Roche, and Talethia Edwards. The primary election is on August 18th.
