The Tallahassee Department of Public Utilities must verify the water provided to elected officials at City Hall. There may be something in the water that causes delusions of grandeur.
There are 282 cities in Florida. Tallahassee is the only city in the past 20 years where three different commissioners have sought the position of president of the Florida Democratic Party (FDP). Mayor Scott Maddox ran and won in January 2003. He served two and a half years and left the party in debt. Andrew Gillum ran and lost in 2010 to former state senator Rod Smith. This was not the end of their ambition. Maddox and Gillum both ran for offices statewide. Both lost.
Now Jeremy Matlow is running for the job. The reader should know that I supported Matlow for re-election with John Dailey for mayor and Diane William-Cox for commissioner. I like Matlow for the code he follows, his openness and his willingness to help others.
Being the chairman of a major political party in the third largest state in the union is a full-time job. One cannot be part-time president while being a municipal commissioner. Scott Maddox proved that during his tenure as state chairman. You have to be either a full-time state president or a city commissioner, especially when you also run a number of businesses.
It’s not often that we see some get on the horns of a dilemma. One can either be an efficient and fully engaged municipal commissioner or be the president of the FDP. You can’t do both at the same time.
This self-imposed dilemma presents opportunities for other political organizations and individuals in Tallahassee. Here are some examples.
The Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce could lend strong support to Matlow for the state presidency. It would show openness and generosity while accomplishing a goal of getting Matlow out of City Hall. Dave Bellamy might sound holy saying he met Matlow on the campaign trail, Matlow is deeply committed to the Democratic Party and Matlow can count on Dave Bellamy to help him.
If Matlow wins the job, he’ll be saddled with a near-bankrupt organization, whether you’re looking at him financially, organizationally, or his messaging. He will have to spend all his time trying to prevent a leaky ship from sinking further under the waves.
More importantly, he should step down from his nonpartisan position as city commissioner because he can’t save the state party without going all out as state president.
If he leaves City Hall, this will allow the Mayor and other City Commissioners to appoint a replacement. If he doesn’t leave, then Matlow will likely fail both.
Commissioner Jack Porter would publicly say it’s a great idea, but privately she might think she’s left behind on the altar of other people’s ambition. Rather than being part of a two-person team on the commission, Porter will find himself either without a teammate due to a resignation, or without a teammate because a good chunk of the time Matlow will be dealing with the issues of state and party welfare in 66 other counties.
Speaking only for myself, I supported Matlow because I want his ideas and thoughts to serve as the City Commissioner for the next four years to make Tallahassee the best city it can be. I didn’t vote for Matlow so weeks after being sworn in as re-elected commissioner, he begins to seek another position which, by necessity, is a full-time job.
Matlow, if he wins the office of president, must do so full-time, which forces him to leave his position as city commissioner. If he doesn’t leave, he will be underperforming as state president.
I spoke privately with Matlow about my candidacy for state president. I advised against him because his presence in our community, giving his best for four years, will contribute to a better city.
Jon M. Ausman is the longest serving Democratic National Committee member in Florida history (December 1992 to January 2017). He was elected Vice President of the Florida Democratic Party in 1993. He served as Vice President for eight years. He can be reached at ausman@embarqmail.com or at 850-321-7799.
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