Tallahassee City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow is being challenged by Dr. David Bellamy during this election cycle.
Matlow was elected to City Commission Seat 3 in 2018. Matlow won by 327 votes, defeating Lisa Brown 50.25 percent to 49.75 percent.
Matlow is a successful local business owner operating various restaurants and entertainment establishments.
Bellamy is an orthopedic surgeon with Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic. He also works with the Tallahassee Police Department’s TAC Team which provides medical support on high-risk calls. Bellamy began working for TPD when he was still an undergrad at Florida State University.
Provided below is a table giving the positions of the candidates on six specific issues.
The Positions
The table below shows that Commissioner Matlow supported economic development funds for stadium upgrades for FAMU, but voted against funds for FSU. Matlow has stated that FAMU needed the money to have a football season, while FSU is in a better financial position.
Bellamy has stated he would have voted for the FAMU funds due to the possibility of FAMU missing a football season without the stadium upgrades. However, he said that would not of supported the FSU stadium funding.
On growth issues, there are clear differences on recent votes related to major projects.
Matlow supported the Amazon project. However, he has voted against the Northeast Gateway and the expansion of the Urban Services Area (USA) for housing developments on the southside of Leon County.
Candidate Bellamy has stated he would have voted for the Amazon project and the recent request to expand the USA to facilitate residential development.
On the Northeast Gateway, Bellamy qualified his support by saying that he would of based his decision on traffic benefits.
On the fate of the Tallahassee City Manager, Matlow has indicated he prefers a different city manager. David Bellamy said, if elected, he would evaluate the city manager’s performance before deciding if a change is warranted.
Major Endorsements
Commissioner Matlow has been endorsed by the Tallahassee Professional Firefighter’s Union, Big Bend Chapter of the AFL-CIO, and civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
David Bellamy has been endorsed by the Big Bend Police Benevolent Association and former FSU president John Thrasher.
Interviews from The Steve Stewart Show are available here.
The Steve Stewart Show interview with David Bellamy, May 5, 2022
The Steve Stewart Show interview with Jeremy Matlow, April 7, 2022
Bellamy....all the Maddox insiders without the incarcerated ex mayor....the good old boys take back control
Love when people try to say FSU has unlimited resources (ask Seminole booster president). If you decide to allocate tax funds -it needs to be distributed to all public institutions, all schools need it.
@ David... I agree with you on the underlying point. I too voted against it, and indeed we voters were lied to about by not only local politicians, but by the local Media PACs and activist purveyors of propaganda as well. Local, State, and Federal Tax and Spend Politicians are well aware of the success their hurtful agenda can be when framing their efforts as being "for the children". Their tactics prey on the ill-educated, malleable, and empathetic. Semantics is the game of the day with these socialist/Marxists activists. An even more recent example is the recently passed and intentionally mistitled "Inflation Reduction Act"... which has nothing whatsoever to do with reducing inflation, and certainly won't reduce inflation.
@ Edward Lyle: You are correct, it was the Voters that Voted for the CSC BUT,..... They were LIED to. They were NOT told the truth about it, If the Voters knew the TRUTH about the CSC, I think they wouldn't have Voted for it. I voted against it because of the Article that Commissioner Desloge wrote that soon vanished. I printed it out and filed it away.
Not to toot my own horn but I have suggested several times over the years that a conservative who wants to serve and make a differance logically would want more than a snowball's chance in hell of getting elected.
Several times I have laid out the path to success which would involve:
1. Changing your political regerstration at the Supervisor of Elections Office to Democrat. (It is seachable online).
2. Running as a Democrat.
3. Observe the leftists and start dressing and speaking the same way they do.
4. Join their groups and hang out with them.
Maybe not related to the above information but I'm voting for Bellamy.
Sounds like she was driving.
Sounds like she was driving. She is up in the polls... the Democrats could have another upset.
Off Topic, but it was pretty cool to see nicki fried's huge gold and blueviolet bus barrelling north on a coveted Canopy Centerville Road at 08:30 this morning hitting every low hanging live oak limb.
Almost made me want to smoke a doob.
It was the voters who supported the CSC with their vote... making which elected official(s) who may have been for or against it... a moot point.
Once again, Alinsky Projection is a classic Marxist tactic.
Talk about a broken record. There isn't an argument or point made that isn't answered with the now infamous "$27million stadium vote". According to the above article, Bellamy said he would not have voted for the $27million FSU stadium vote.
Let's stay on topic, the article is about Bellamy and Matlow. They are both against the FSU stadium funding. It's not an issue between the two. Can we change the broken record already?
No plan or platform, special interests, $27 million giveaway, CSC slush fund...
Weak attempts to rationalize the inequitable application of the rules and laws... yet another Marxist trait
Get it right, Ed..
Matlow makes the "Mark"
Mark ?? for Matlow.
Picking who wins and who loses, who has to follow the laws and who doesn't... another Marxist trait.
@ David...
I totally agree with you on monies to FAMU!
FAMU does not have the mega resources to raise the needed funds and I am more than happy to know my taxes are supporting a well-deserving Institution, same for TCC. On the other hand FSU has mega resources and did not need the funds.
It was not that long ago that at one point the FAMU dorms consisted of World War II army cots. When some state dignitaries visited and were shocked with what they saw, they, too, provided funds to correct that situation.
Edward, has it totally wrong and is only trying to shape his nonsense around the foolish decision by Mayor Dailey, Nick Maddox, and Dianne Williams-Cox... for their $27 million giveaway based on what was best for their campaign war chest and not the citizens of Tallahassee.
Classic Alinsky Projection... another Marxist tool of Tyranny.
@ David... I agree - to a degree - with your premise. Personally, I don't think either BP handout was appropriate. But they can't give a handout to one and refuse the other. The law, or guidance as it were, must be applied equally. It's the same premise behind why retired billionaires still get their monthly Social Security check, whether they "need" it or not. If anything, these particular BP handout(s) should have been structured as a no or low interest loan. It is pure selective outrage and hypocrisy for some people to whine about the FSU handout, but support the FAMU and TCC handouts. Those who do simply expose their disingenuousness with respect to their self-profess support of "equality".
FSU does indeed have a huge endowment... but FAMU also has a multitude of accomplished and successful graduates. Where are their Alumni? Where are their donors? Where are their Boosters building the University's Endowments?
The BP Funds were to be used for Economic "Development" purposes, not Economic "Maintenance" assistance. I believe the entire BP concept needs to be reopened and restructured to provide clear, concise, and specific rules and governances. As I've noted, when we allow ambiguity to be written into an ordinance or governance, these issues are bound to arise.
I don't recall anyone answering the questions posed by @Hopeful NE semi-moderate on August 10, 2022 at 10:23 am. So, I will post them again:
"Was Matlow a Green Party member?
Is he pro-abortion?
Is he pro-labor unions?
Does he support defunding the police?
Does he support city-run grocery stores?
Does he lease a building from J.T. Burnette?
Was he a huge supporter of now-indicted Andrew Gillum?
Did he give $20,000 to a dark money PAC, just a few weeks ago?"
Broken Record Alert... Barb is spinning out of control! EMS is on standby.
Is David Bellamy a Republican or a Democrat today? Does he know?
Matlow endorsed by Crump? Say NO more.
According to an article in Florida Politics:
“The Bellamy campaign sent the incumbent Matlow a cease-and-desist letter that states that the ad’s claim that Bellamy is a Republican is false …… Furthermore, the letter states that directing listeners to not vote for Bellamy because of party affiliation is a violation of state election laws.”
The article went on to say that Matlow said they have removed the ad.
I think that’s an action someone takes when they have been caught in a dirty trick.
Still waiting for the platforms and plans for Dailey, Bellamy, and Dianne Williams-Cox, Edward...
Hint: Name-calling and sexually inappropriate diatribes don't count... early voting has started and they still don't have one, it is time to panic.
Classic Marxist mentality... "It's only wrong when the other guys do it". The double standard in those who support the Trio of Tyranny is amusing to say the least.
Still no offerings by the candidates or their blog trolls on how or what they would do to stop the taxpayer-funded handouts... just demands that they get to be the one(s) who hand our money out to "their" special interests.
Hypocrisy, lies, division, projection, and hate rule the day in the Marxist world.
Fortunately, John Dailey's, Dianne Williams-Cox's, and Nick Maddox's failure to tell the Seminole BOOsters to go pound sand will be the demise of their political careers.
About the Stadium Money: How much has the County given to both Schools (FSU & FAMU) over the past 10 Years. I will bet that the County gave a lot more to FSU so, the way I see it is, FAMU was due when they received the $10Million PLUS, they really needed it. FSU on the other hand SAID, that if they didn't get the $20+Million, they were going to do it anyway SO, they didn't really need the Money. That old saying "Why spend mine when I can spend YOUR'S" comes to mind.
Edward... still unable to present a platform or plan for his opponents. Why doesn't he go to their campaign manager down in St Petersburg and ask - Scott Maddox's former employee - what Dailey and Bellamy's plans and platforms are, because they have yet to reveal them.
Get out there on the Campaign Trail, Ed!
We are awaiting their plans and platforms, Ed, but sadly there is no "hope" for them.
Forgive them Father, for the see not their own hypocrisy.
@ Snidely... lol... I already made popcorn and soaked my fingers in Palmolive.
You lost me at the name calling, Edward. If you can make a coherent point that is not sexually inappropriate or name calling let us know, but until then please refrain because you don't do your candidates or yourself any favors.
It has come down to perversion our name calling for lobbying for your candidates; because of your representation of them only highlights that they have no plan, have not had one since day one, resort to publicity stunts that fall flat and they have no platform.
Again, we don't know if that's really you behind the keyboard or a lobotomy patient. No Pulitzer Prize for you, only a million Pinocchio's.
Your choices sole reasons for running are that they think they are entitled to the positions and better than everyone else.
There is massive support out there for their opponents and they will prevail because they took the high road unlike you.
Dailey, Dianne, Maddox, and Bellamy have run abysmal campaigns.
Here we go again. I'll just read the non-stop entertainment.
If memory serves... and I believe that it does... wasn’t the Millionaire Marxist part of the group that secretly voted (out of the Sunshine) to use taxpayer funds to paint an entire intersection in the middle of the City with a huge “Marxists Welcome” sign? And didn’t he also vote against providing Law Enforcement with the tools necessary to combat the skyrocketing crime rate, because he thought the equipment “looked scary”? And didn’t he also push to allow people to continue to skip paying their electric bills and rent, while his own business made bank off our taxpayer-funded China Bio-Weapon Scamdemic funds?... and so on and so on and...
I’ll go with Bellamy to block the Marxists from taking control of our City and City Government thank you very much.
Again this is simple: David Bellamy is a Scott Maddox Democrat who supported raising property taxes in 2020, and is attacking business owner Jeremy Matlow for standing with conservatives in opposing John Dailey’s tax hike.
A Democrat insider consultant is pulling Bellamy’s strings from St. Pete. This is no contest, Matlow will and should be re-elected so he can fire Scott Maddox’s city manager and continue to clean up City Hall.
There is an assessment evaluation process by Akin Akinyemi "Opinion" in the Tallahassee Democrat that is excellent. Perhaps would be helpful for voter enlightenment, also.
Also, there is no mention of the bundled contributions problems/corruption in Tallahassee. Beware of those who are touting their opposition as "anti-development".
Anyone who accuses the other side of being "anti-development" must be on the take from a developer. No one is anti-development they just want to follow the legal process.
This is very significant and important because what developers do is pay elected officials to dummy down the process which excludes the engineers, scientists, biologists, etc.; whereby, making it unsafe and illegal. It dummies down the development process to where we are getting projects that are unsafe, are not properly set back, ignores environmental concerns such as stormwater runoff and are aesthetically atrocious. This actually played out in the Welaunee project.
Developers must not be given special considerations where they save millions of dollars by cutting out the experts involved. The less the experts are involved the less the developer pays and the more profit he makes to contribute (bribe) elected officials again and again and again.
We saw runoff that was contaminated to the point that it was a public safety and health concern. The developer was fined by FDEP because it was so egregious
The developer saves money at the expense of the taxpayers public health and safety. The hundreds of millions the developer reaps by avoiding the process he doles out in campaign contributions to elected officials... whereby they spend their contributions to buy credibility through PR. This cycle is repeated over and over again to the detriment of citizens health and safety. It diminishes the quality of life.
We may as well rename Lake Munson to Ghazvini Lake.
One elected official has stood up to this corrupt process and that is Jeremy Matlow. If anyone deserves an award from the engineers, environmentalists, and biologists-- and other experts, it is Jeremy Matlow.
Bundled contributions from developers have wreaked havoc on Tallahassee for far too long and it is time to end this dangerous practice. The best way to move Tallahassee forward is to vote any incumbent out who currently is accepting bundled contributions and exclude candidates who do the same.