Post-election, Tallahassee residents are looking ahead to a new city commission one they believe will change how decisions are made in the city.
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Tallahassee residents look ahead to new city commission they hope will reshape how decisions get madeFamiliar and new faces are heading to City Hall, with Jeremy Matlow in the mayor's seat, Dianne Williams-Cox in Seat 5 and P.J. Perez in Seat 3.
The change alters the commission's dynamic, which in recent years has been known for its 3-2 split on major decisions. That split shaped decisions on the sale of the Capital City Country Club golf course, the FSU-TMH transfer and the hiring of a new city manager.
But activist Delaitre Hollinger points out this new make-up isn't new to Tallahassee. He points to a more progressive commission made up of former commissioner Debbie Lightsey, former mayor Dot Inman-Johnson and former commissioner Steve Weisburg in the 1990s.
"It might be new to, you know, those who are younger or who haven't been around as long, but it's actually not new to our community. The city commission tends to shift in one way or the other depending upon the attitudes of the electorate," Hollinger said.
He also points out that there were many unanimous votes within the last city commission as well.
"There actually aren't that many issues that the new progressive majority and the old moderate majority disagreed on. There were just some very contentious things that tended to get more coverage than others, but generally, there were a lot of 5-0 votes that I don't think people paid a lot of attention to," Hollinger said.
But for longtime neighbors, the new commission points to a shift in the political landscape.
Longtime neighbor O'Neal Jackson who's known around the Frenchtown neighborhood as Bossman says the new make-up will make a difference when it comes to unity, and he's hopeful to get more insight into decisions before they are made.
"It's going to make a big difference. For the simple fact, everybody will understand and know where the city commission is coming from. You would say they are unified, so if they are unified, then we know what's coming down," Jackson said.
He wants the commission to bring more police presence and interactions with the community into his neighborhood and equal investment into Southside communities.
I also talked to Tallahassee native Pastor Gregory James, who thinks the change indicates a shift in mindset, leading to transparency and accountability. He says he wants to see real action in addressing gun violence.
"I think we're bringing mindsets to the commission with the community in mind. If we're talking about change, then we're talking about doing things differently than the way it has been done, so 3-2, 4-1, however that goes, it's going to be a different mindset coming from the dais," James said.
Ann Bidlingmaier, who's been in the community 40-plus years, believes the 3-2 majority still exists just going in the other direction.
But she says the community can't make assumptions when it comes to decision-making. She says she sees the impacts of construction and wants a more "environmentally sensitive" commission.
"I don't think we can make any assumptions. I mean, that's the thing I like about it is that there's a fresh perspective with these 3 too. They won't always agree with each other," Bidlingmaier said.
Bidlingmeier says their expectations could change when the new city commission takes office, while James points out that it's up to those elected to live up to the promises made to the community.
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