City Commission, Seat 2
Curtis Richardson is the current Commissioner for Seat 2. He was elected in 2014, after former City Commissioner Andrew Gillum decided to run for mayor. Prior to running, Commissioner Richardson served six years on the Leon County School Board and eight years in the Florida House of Representatives.
Commissioner Richardson sits on the Commission with three other Commissioners and the Mayor. As Commissioner, it is his job to work with his colleagues to govern and represent Tallahassee, similar to how Congress functions at the federal level. The Commission is in charge of making decisions like: approving the City budget (over $1B), setting property taxes and utility rates, and establishing short- and long-term goals for the City.
Commissioner Richardson is known for supporting infrastructure and development projects in Frenchtown and Southside, which have contributed to gentrification in predominantly Black communities and the displacement of long-term residents. He regularly sides with Mayor Dailey and Commissioner Williams-Cox when voting on City business. The consistent 3-2 vote split represents a lack of cohesion on the Commission and is a barrier to progress.
Commissioner Richardson is facing opposition from Bernard Stevens Jr., a longtime restaurant industry employee, Dot Inman-Johnson, a former City Commissioner, and Donna Nyack, a nurse.
Below are some pros and cons for each contender.
Curtis Richardson
Top priority: Reducing violent crime
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Strong supporter of the advancement of Southside, where he's raised his family | Doesn't normally present original ideas or policy proposals to the Commission |
| Regularly attends City events and is proud to represent Tallahassee | Grown complacent with resolving urgent issues like high violence and poverty rates |
| Successfully fought for the expansion of the Greater Frenchtown/Southside Community Redevelopment District to include three south side neighborhoods — Springhill, Orange Avenue and South City | Infrequently challenges the Mayor's and City Manager's leadership on decisions that could negatively harm his own neighbors |
Dot Inman-Johnson
Top priority: Combating poverty
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Former Mayor and City Commissioner; deeply familiar with government affairs | Heavily reliant on political/financial support from One Tallahassee, which could influence voting decisions, if elected |
| Served as the Executive Director of the Capital Area Community Action Agency where she worked to reduce economic burden and poverty in the region | Didn't clearly define how she would avoid raising property taxes to fund the hiring of more police officers |
| Opposed running Tallahassee Utilities off coal |
Bernard Stevens Jr.
Top priority: Improving public safety and security
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Supports using City funds to provide transportation to the Amazon facility | Low campaign visibility and not viewed as a competitive candidate |
| Believes the negotiations between the City and the Tallahassee Firefighter's Union has been dragged out for too long and is impacting workers |
Donna Nyack
Top priority: Addressing the lack of affordable housing
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| A local nurse | Has attended very few candidate forums and repeatedly dismissed requests from reporters, making it hard to believe she's not a ghost candidate |