Business owner and veteran Tom Derzypolski is running for Tallahassee City Commission Seat 3, one of six candidates seeking the seat ahead of the August primary election.
WFSU’s Tristan Wood spoke with Derzypolski 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 Derzypolski’s full appearance here:
During the conversation, Derzypolski said political divisions among local leaders have made it more difficult to focus on collaboration and shared goals.
“I've tried to figure out, well, maybe this person started it. Well, maybe that person started it,” he said. “What you have is a perfect storm of people who have been offended one way or the other, and they cannot set that down and get back to work on behalf of the people.”
Derzypolski said he believes he can work with other elected officials regardless of political differences and wants to bring a more collaborative approach to City Hall.
“I will absolutely work and collaborate with the other elected officials, with staff, and our county to get us back on track,” he said. “I know how to grow jobs, I know how to create environments where people feel like they can contribute and be heard.”
He also said Tallahassee should focus on expanding economic opportunities by using the city’s research institutions to grow industries like medical technology and pharmaceuticals.
“We've heard about all the assets available at the Mag Lab,” Derzypolski said. “With the Academic Medical Center through FSU Health, this is a point for us to rally and push off of into the future, and tell the world that we are open for business for medical device research, pharmaceutical research with Florida A&M and FSU Health.”
The Seat 3 race also includes PJ Perez, Maxwell Herrle, Talethia Edwards, Norm Roche, and Darryl "Dar Wavemaker" Alfred. The primary election is scheduled for August 18th.
