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Steve Stewart: After seven years, city deserves a new leader
Steve Stewart
My View
Last week, the Tallahassee Democrat endorsed Mayor John Marks, who they say, despite their laundry list of reservations, deserves re-election because he’s well-connected and makes a good ribbon-cutter.
According to the endorsement editorial, our mayor’s ceremonial abilities outweigh the paper’s concerns over his faulty record and lack of leadership. They criticized his stance on open government and his handling of homelessness and deferred compensation. They lamented the ever-present challenges with the city’s permitting process and its poor ties to our universities, and called on Mr. Marks to “back up his genial rhetoric” with action.
Why would we expect any more out of someone who’s had seven years to prove his worth?
On the contrary, the Democrat wrote that I am “smart and engaging,” and commended my desire to build jobs, lower utility rates and create a more open government. Yet, they expressed concern over my lack of political experience, and seem to think that my agenda is far too ambitious for the office of mayor.
In my opinion, it’s not too ambitious to seek an independent review of electric rates when we have some of the highest rates in the state. It’s not too ambitious to advocate budget reform when we are projecting deficits. It’s not too ambitious to call for collaboration among public and private sector entities and our universities when our struggling economy demands collective action.
Am I capable? In a matter of months, I broke the story on deferred comp, which resulted in its repeal; I launched TalGovSpending.com, which resulted in decreased city expenditures; and I advocated for a citizens utility board, which has since been reactivated. Our community deserves that kind of leadership.
The Tallahassee Democrat framed a clear choice for voters. If you want more out of our mayor, I ask for your vote on August 24.
