2010 Election Guide County Commission District 5

Kimberly Dantica
Contributing Writer

City commission candidate Kristin Dozier is “going back to school” to build economic development without risking environmental sustainability.

“We need to have new ideas on economic development by utilizing the resources the universities provide which are future entrepreneurs, engineers and doctors. Right now 7-8 people who are graduating from engineering look elsewhere for jobs. We produce these phenomenal students and then they’re gone,” Dozier said.

In addition to promoting using Tallahassee’s student prospects, Dozier’s goal is to create jobs without harming the environment. “Sustainability, the economy, our quality of life and human services are necessary for our economic well-being,” Dozier said. “For me, it’s all interdependent.”

Dozier was a founding member of the Florida Capital Region Chapter of the U.S. Green Buildings Coalition and of Sustainable Tallahassee, a nonprofit business project established and promoted out of the Knight Creative Communities Institute based at Tallahassee Community College. Dozier is able to relate and adapt to different people because of both her teaching and learning experiences at the Tallahassee Community College and Florida State University.

“There have been hundreds of people, I’ve worked with in the past four years in all capacities,” Dozier said. One reason Dozier is running for commissioner, is because of incumbent Bob Rackleff’s political approach to people who have a difference of opinion from his own views.

“Bob is very aggressive with those who disagree with him,” said Dozier. “If you’re saying the right thing and no one is listening to you, you’re not saying anything.” Dozier said.

Sean Blackmon
Contributing Writer

Incumbent Bob Rackleff is seeking a fourth term as a member of the Leon County Commission in the upcoming election. Rackleff who was first elected in 1998, has been most concerned with neighborhood protection, land use and the economic development of the Southside of the city and wants to continue addressing these issues if reelected.

According to Rackleff, a major part of development on Tallahassee’s Southside is to weed out companies who practice discriminatory policies in the chiefly African-American area. “We need to do away with the redlining of the neighborhood by white owned private businesses, including banks,” said Rackleff.

Rackleff has a long record of civil rights activity, dating back to him marching with Rev. C.K. Steele to gain voting rights for African-Americans in Gadsden County. He also wants to redevelop the fairgrounds to help attract families who have been leaving the area due to recent school closings.

Rackleff also opposes the demolition of the former McCrory’s department store, which is the site of the city’s first lunch counter protest. Rackleff wants to help stimulate the local economy by having incubator programs for start-up companies and accelerator programs for established businesses. He believes this will help to keep businesses in Tallahassee, and give the city the potential to become an international marketplace.

“We should have an emphasis on technology businesses to grow our export economy,” he said. “This could create business services and products that the world wants to buy.”

Antonio Rosado
Contributing Writer

David E.Ward retired from the Tallahassee Fire Department in 2005. He understands the need for affordable, accessible emergency services. Ward wants to stop raising fees aimed at the use and administration of public service if elected as the next Leon County Commissioner for District 5 on August 24.

“For 25 years at the fire department, I saw waste in local government,” Ward said. “In my present job, which is a project manager estimator, I see how they continue to waste money, and enough is enough.” Instead of raising fees, Ward plans to save millions of dollars and improve emergency services by combining the Tallahassee Fire Department and the Emergency Medical Services.

“Leon County took over the EMS in January of 2004, and those departments should’ve been functionally consolidated at that time,” Ward said. “The way they’re doing it right now is costing the taxpayers of Leon County millions of dollars.”

Ward has made vows to the citizens of Leon County on his website, one being his withdrawal from future re-election if he doesn’t complete the platform issues on the site. In addition, he also self imposed a two-term limit cap on his time as a commissioner and thinks there should be term-limits for all officials.

“I just feel like when you’re in there for a long time you get so many political buddies and special interests that it could influence your decisions,” Ward explained. “I feel like if eight years is enough for the President of the United States, then eight years is enough for every elected official in this country.”