Tallahassee City Commissioner Curtis Richardson and the opponents vying for his office — Bernard Stevens, Dot Inman-Johnson and Donna Nyack — are debating the hot-button issues in the capital city.
The Thursday forum was Nyack's political debut — and the first time all four candidates running for Seat 2 were seen together in the same room.
All the candidates running for city offices, aside from Nyack, participated in a fiery forum Monday night, but Thursday's discussion remained calm and free of outbursts as the four were peppered with questions during the 90-minute forum.
Inman-Johnson, a former Tallahassee city commissioner, mayor and nonprofit director; Stevens, a critic of City Hall and frequent speaker at commission meetings; Nyack, anurse who recently moved from California; and Richardson, the incumbent of the seat he has held since 2014, weighed in on the city's ongoing struggle with gun violence, homelessness, firefighter union negotiations and troubles at City Hall.
Here are a few highlights from the event sponsored by the Tallahassee Democrat,WFSUand the League of Women Voters of Tallahassee. You can watch the replay online on this story or theTallahassee Democrat YouTube page.
Recent coverage:Tallahassee candidate forum highlights differences between Richardson, Inman-Johnson
Candidates discuss decorum, grade City Manager Reese Goad
Dysfunction at City Hall is in the spotlight this election with many voters wondering how these candidates intend to bridge deep divisions on the dais that have led to spectacles during city commission meetings.
Mayor John Dailey has said meetings have become a "political circus," and City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow and others have said the city culture is "toxic."
Candidates were asked about their thoughts on decorum at City Hall in addition to the regular 3-2 vote split on the commission. All but Richardson pointed to the mayor as a major contributor to the problem.
Stevens said it becomes a circus when the mayor silences someone who stands up to him, and it's toxic when the 3-2 vote is used to silence two other commissioners.
"That is not what we call constructive leadership, that is what we call a pulpit bully," Stevens said.
Abruptly ending meetings and cutting off speakers is something that needs to be addressed, Nyack said. "Him being the leader of the commission, he really needs to bring the team together," she said.
In Dailey's defense, Richardson said the commission is able to take care of business, and the mayor does a good job. The "circus" is when people "try to hijack the meeting during unagendaed items," he said of the parade of speakers that often harangue commissioners.
The candidates also weighed in on City Manager Reese Goad's leadership and graded him. His ratings were split across the board with Inman-Johnson and Stevens giving Goad an F and Nyack giving him a C. Richardson didn't assign a letter grade, but rated the city manager a five out of five.
"I feel the city manager is not a good steward of our tax dollars," Inman-Johnson said, noting that mistreatment of employees has led to lawsuits or settlements with city employees.
"I think he's probably doing the bare minimum," Nyack said.
Nyack takes the spotlight during her first forum
After weeks of dodging the public and press, Nyack stepped out of the shadows, giving Tallahassee residents a first glance at the candidate who's been the source of speculation.
Her lack of political background, recent move and relative silence until Thursday have caused some to question the legitimacy of the Republican candidate. Among the skeptics is the Leon County Democratic Party, which tweeted June 19 that Nyack is "an insincere ghost candidate intended to manipulate August city election results."
When asked to respond to the rumblings, the candidate immediately dismissed the accusations.
"Oh absolutely not," she answered. "I'm very real, I'm very sincere."
Tallahassee Democrat Editor William Hatfield gave the political unknown the opportunity to introduce herself to voters and Nyack shared that her family relocated in November 2023 from California looking for a "fresh, brand new start." There were many reasons her family chose Tallahassee, but she said she also has a niece nearby who loves Florida.
When probed about who she spoke to before deciding to run, Nyack said she turned to her close family and friends before stepping up to the plate. "It's something that I prayed about and felt very strong about," Nyack said.
Nyack said her interest in working with the residents of Tallahassee drew her to the race. "Being a nurse, I'm used to working with people, and I love people," she said.
But even with genuine intentions, Nyack's lack of long-time familiarity with the city and its issues put her at a disadvantage with her opponents. When discussing Blueprint's $134 million airport gateway project — that has yet to break ground — and whether the money was worth it, Nyack said she "didn't see the airport before the gateway was added" but thinks it's beautiful and a "great enhancement."
Nyack said she believes her 30-year career as a nurse has qualified her for the role, and she has no ulterior motives. "I'm not a ghost candidate," she added.
When asked by moderators, her fellow candidates said they were running their own race and the "ghost candidate" narrative wasn't a real issue in the campaign.
Candidates on violent crime, striking shooting stats
With the number of shooting deaths nearly double from this time last year, violent crime is a major issue on both the candidates' and voters' minds. The Seat 2 opponents offered up their solutions to how they would tackle the issue of gun violence.
Richardson highlighted actions that are currently underway such as adding Tallahassee Police Department officers, increasing their pay and providing TPD additional technological resources.
To bridge the gap, Stevens said community cameras could be the answer. Footage and audio would help solve crimes that take place.
Inman-Johnson said the solution is community policing and adding substations that keep officers in the neighborhoods they patrol. Officers should have take-home vehicles and live in the communities they are patrolling so the public can get "a feel for the real partnership with the police department."
"I think with all of that, crime could be alleviated," she said.
Stevens agreed: "We really don't see them in our neighborhoods until there's a shooting or there's a break-in or there's something out of the ordinary."
Nyack said it's best to go back to the basics and put the money toward schools "to get to the root of the issue."
"Get the young people before they get to the level of crime and provide maybe more mentorship programs," she said.
Both Inman-Johnson and Richardson agreed that community involvement is imperative and necessary to rein in the violence.
"We just have to continue to work in partnership with them to get the job done," Richardson said.
Candidates discuss what they'd do to increase stock of affordable housing
Each candidate was asked what they thought is the number one issue facing residents — only Nyack immediately said affordable housing.
While it isn't the primary issue in the other candidates' minds, Nyack's opponents agreed more needs to be done for low-income residents. Stevens agreed saying more incentives are needed.
Inman-Johnson said she would look at where the affordable housing crisis really is. Money is being funneled to "large upscale" housing developers, she said, when it should be steered toward low-income rentals.
Richardson countered that "we're along the right track" with the city's inclusionary housing programs that encourage developers to include affordable housing in their projects.
Candidate forum schedule
(click on the link for replays)
- June 25:Tallahassee City Commission, Seat 1 (1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.)
- June 26:Leon County School Board District 2 (11 a.m. to noon)
- June 26:Leon County School Board District 4 (1 p.m. to 2 p.m.)
- June 27:Leon County Schools Superintendent Democratic Primary (11 a.m. to noon)
- June 27:Tallahassee City Commission, Seat 2 (1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.)
- July 16:Leon County Property Appraiser (11 a.m. to noon)
- July 16:Leon County Judge Seat 4 (1 p.m. to 2 p.m.)
- July 18:Florida Senate District 3 Democratic Primary (11 a.m.)
Have a question for the candidates in any upcoming forum? Email us atnews@tallahassee.com!
2024 election money race:Which Tallahassee candidates have the biggest war chests?
2024 races:Leon County ballots, candidates set as qualifying week ends
CORRECTION:This article has been updated to correctly report that City Commissioner Curtis Richardson rated City Manager Reese Goad a "five out of five" during the forum. The Tallahassee Democrat previously reported incorrectly that Richardson rated Goad a B.
Breaking & trending news reporter Elena Barrera can be reached atebarrera@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X:@elenabarreraaa.
