One thing is for certain, voters in Tallahassee will have a lot of options to choose from when it comes time to select a new mayor in August.
And those options expanded on Friday when former state legislator and Tallahassee Community College professor Michelle Rewinkel Vasilinda filed the necessary paper work to become a candidate.
Vasilinda recently served four consecutive terms in the Florida House of Representatives from the 9th District, which includes most of Leon County, from 2008 to 2016.
Vasilinda joins Erik David, Joe West, John Dailey, Dustin Daniels, Carrie Litherland, and Norris Barr in the non-partisan race for mayor.
Vasilinda is an attorney and has been a professor of Legal Studies and Applied Ethics at Tallahassee Community College since 1989.
Vasilinda said the current local climate provides an important opportunity for a new approach to governing and she believes she has the experience to lead on a number of important issues which include integrity and economic diversity.
On integrity, Vasilinda said “we must bring trust back to local government. Those employed to serve the public interest from the garbage collector to the mayor must have a mindset of service. That means no peddling of influence, no feathering of our own nests, no doling out of favors to curry favor at the expense of the taxpayers and citizens it is our duty to serve.”
She added, “teaching applied ethics for almost 20 years at the college level, to young and old seeking work in our local community and across the state, I have learned a great deal about ethics in the workplace.”
Vasilinda noted that as a member of the Florida House of Representatives she witnessed how vulnerable any region, city, and town can be on a single or limited sources of income.
A major part of her campaign will be to address the need to diversify the local economy.
Vasilinda said “we need a champion with a large and diverse network across the state, nation, and even ‘across the pond’, with vision, experience and energy to leverage that skill set for the benefit of Tallahassee and our region. I am that person.”
Vasilinda told TR that we must find new ways to invite more corporations and businesses to come to and be part of Tallahassee’s future.
“We need to nourish better and more entrepreneurial opportunities to leverage the Mag Lab, the resources of our excellent public and private institutions of higher learning, and the talents of our well educated and highly prepared workforce,” said Vasilinda.
Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda Enters Mayors Race added by Staff on
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She should have just stayed as an independent, not Republican. Whether this race is allegedly non-partisian or not, being a “R” in Leon County is a no-no.
I hope I am wwrong but the people will pick a Gillum clone or whoever it the most far left candidate available. We ain’t “Detroit” enough yet.
Glad I don’t live in the corrupt cesspool known as Tallahassee and consolidation is not something I ever want to endure.
The city needs a MRV. However, I wish she had kept her powder dry and ran for a county-wide position in 2020. She could have been part of the Trump Wave to change all of America.
Steve, another good report, Thanks, John Paul
No thanks. We need fresh citizens to take part in the commissions, not career politicians.
There is a difference between public service and career politicians and MRV is in the public service category which is a positive attribute.
Go get ’em MRV!!!
MRV already knows that Tallahassee voters have a rock solid historically proven 100% record of electing candidates who they already know in advance will engage in peddling of influence, feathering of their own nests, and doling out of favors to curry favor at the expense of the taxpayers and citizens. So MRV must have already incorporated this fact into her plan of action in getting the local sheeple to vote for her. Good luck with that MRV!!!
Their indisputable past voting record is why I refer to Tallahassee sheeple voter as the “self defecating” voter. I don’t know why Tallahassee voters are self defecating but they are. Yo “self defecating” means they get some sort of weird twisted kink psychological satisfaction from pooping on or otherwise degrading themselves, rubbing the stink in, and gleefully reveling in the smelling of the stink all the way until the next election. Yet (and this is where it gets really disturbing) all the while loudly and annoyingly proclaiming they do not smell any stink.
Witness good old “cloudy headed” Curtis Richardson as just one example: “Cloud? Cloud? I don’t see no stinking cloud!!!”
It’s not logical yet they are self defecating and that’s something MRV is going to turn around.
If she and Dailey are the two remaining candidates, it is going to be like Trump vs. Obama. Being a Republican in Leon County, unfortunately, is a strike against a candidate. If she is to have a chance, every voter who believes as she does better cast a ballot. Otherwise, the students, liberals, government workers, and minorities will vote Dailey in office.
Steve, is she running as a Republican? Or (I hope) Independent? And I wonder what Dailey and Montford have to say about this?
Sadly, an (R) after your name on a ballot in this town means you will lose. Way, way, way more registered D’s here.
One thing’s for sure: her TV political ads will be top-notch if done by hubby’s MVP.
Here’s to hoping MRV will
MTGA!
I respectfully disagree, though history says you are correct. Midterm election cycles are the best and, likely, only time someone who is moderate or even conservative to have a decent chance. Registered Democrat voter turnout is much lower in the midterms. I have found Michelle to be a willing listener and her time in the State House proved a willingness to leave her party (Democrat at the time) and vote what she felt was best. There are a lot of things to like about Joe West as a candidate – honesty and willingness to call things as they are, still this is a positive development.
After years of awful experience watching Democrats ruin everything they touch and hearing the lack-of-sense-or-truth drivel they parrot at every level of government, I’ll always refuse to vote for any. However, listening to Michelle on the radio at various times over the past decade or so, I’ve had to admit she didn’t sound like a Lockstep Liberal Dem and even made common-sense comments and answers to questions. Reading later that she changed parties and is a vocal Trump supporter was a welcome surprise; I also like her focus on ethics and expanding-diversifying Tallahassee’s economy. More common sense.
So I’m glad she’s running, just as I am that Joe West is a candidate. Although being a Trump-Supporting R is the campaign kiss of death in Tallahassee, perhaps there’s enough disgust with corruption and wish for better out there to beat the odds and get a Conservative mayor elected. A well-timed set of FBI indictments of present elected officials might help, but Tally voters are so Liberal Lockstep I’m sure they won’t care. After all, they’re still clinging to their “Ready for Hillary” bumper stickers.