Former State Senator Loranne Ausley is one of four candidates running for mayor of Tallahassee.
WFSU’s Tristan Wood spoke with Ausley on Candidate Convos, a digital series featuring one-on-one interviews with local candidates for office in Tallahassee and Leon County ahead of the Aug. 18th primaries.
You can watch the full conversation here:
During the conversation, Ausley discussed how she believes Tallahassee should approach economic growth. She said the city needs to focus on expanding private sector employment so young people have more opportunities to stay in the community after graduation.
“We have people that come here from all over to be educated at FSU, at FAMU at TSC, but many times they, as soon as they get that degree, they leave, and our children, you know, and grandchildren are trying to find jobs in other places. We need to be giving them the opportunity to have those jobs here," she said.
Ausley also addressed recent political divisions in local government, saying she believes national political tensions have contributed to increased conflict at the local level.
“If I had to point blame, maybe I would point it at the top of the ticket, at the top of the White House right now, because I think there's a lot of anger and a lot of non-factual things happening coming out of Washington," she said. "But we live in Tallahassee, and we live in a community that is one of the most educated in the state of Florida, because we have three great universities. We live in a beautiful, beautiful city with canopy roads and rolling hills.”
Ausley also made her case for why voters should support her candidacy, highlighting her experience in public service and her ability to work across political differences.
“I have spent 14 years serving this community as someone who loves it. I've raised my family here, and I have spent my time working with both sides of the aisle to solve problems and to get things done, and I think this community is ready to move forward," she said.
Ausley is facing off against Tallahassee City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow, attorney Daryl Parks, and Michael Foust.
