Jeremy Matlow in December 2024 was elected as one of the State Committeemen of the Leon County Democratic Executive Committee (LCDEC). His role as State Committeeman is to provide leadership and directions to the Florida Democratic Party (FDP) and the LCDEC.
In early January 2023, shortly after being re-elected as a City Commissioner, Matlow announced he was running to be Chair of the FDP. I wrote a strong editorial against his doing so because he could not be an effective State Chair while serving on the City Commission. He withdrew his candidacy a week later.
Lets examine together Matlow’s record as an elected Democratic Party leader in Leon County. Please reference the table provided.
When Matlow became a county Democratic Party officer in December 2024 there were 99,056 active registered Democrats. At the end of August 2025 there were 87,581 for a decline of 11,475 Democratic voters. This is a drop of 11.6% since December 31st.
Fifty-three counties had a lower percent drop in Democratic registration during this time period. Only 13 counties had a greater percent drop in Democratic registration.
Ryan Ray, Matlow’s city commission aide who is paid an annual salary of $88,448 according to https://govsalaries.com/ray-ryan-c-149363661 (the firefighters should take note since this is 64% higher than the average median salary in the entire City of Tallahassee), likes to brag about how blue Leon County is.
So lets examine the loss of Democratic registration in the six counties in Florida that voted for Kamala Harris for President in 2024.
Among the six, Leon County ranks number one for having the highest percent drop in Democratic registration.
Leon County’s percent drop is 39 times higher than the drop in Broward. Leon County’s drop was nearly ten times higher than the drop in Alachua County. In Bay County there was an actual small net gain in Democratic registration during 2025.
Combining the other five counties that went Harris in 2024, the percent drop in Leon County was more than twice as high.
Matlow’s neglect, or failure, when compared to other counties (being 54th worst in Democratic percent voter registration drop is not something to brag about) should cause him to resign either both, or at least one, of the positions he holds. The energy he has put into attacking fellow City Commissioners suggests he is neglecting his duties as State Committeeman of the LCDEC.
Matlow’s highly paid puppet Chair of the LCDEC, Ryan Ray, has been a disaster as County Chair.
The LCDEC consists of two persons for every precinct with 999 Democratic voters or less and four persons for every precinct with 1,000 Democratic voters or more.
In short, there are 336 LCDEC precinct positions. On top of that the County Chair can appoint another 33 persons to service on the LCDEC. A total of 369 positions on the LCDEC exist.
Last month a person was elected as State Committeewoman by a unanimous vote of 18 to 0. Among the total possible positions that would a turnout of less than five percent. It is possible that there are perhaps a total of sixty members. Due to quorum requirements for a LCDEC meeting 18 present would be a quorum. If that is so, then only 16% of the total positions are filled. Either way, these paltry numbers represent negligent and ineffective leadership by both the puppet Ray and his handler Matlow. Both should resign their party positions.
Now for a confession so the reader does not think I am being negative. I supported Matlow in his first bid for office in 2018 and for his re-election in 2022. I said in a published quote “I like Matlow for the code he lives by, his openness, and his willingness to help others.” However, these words do not apply to one’s unbridled ambition, sustained vicious attacks on fellow elected public officials or community organizations, or neglect of party duties.
When I was the Chair of the LCDEC at times more than 80% of the precinct positions were filled, the LCDEC endorsed candidates after following a prescribed rigorous endorsement process, and we did not publicly attack elected official or community organizations (we did have some unspoken private thoughts about certain personages and groups).
Jon M. Ausman is the longest serving Chair of the Leon County Democratic Party in Leon County’s history (April 1980 to January 2000). He can be reached at 850-321-7799 or at ausman@embarqmail.com.
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I can honestly say that I changed my party affiliation after watching City Commission meetings and seeing how divisive Matlow is. I also think his aide serving as the DEC chair and as a sitting aide can show a little conflict of interest. How do we know if he is showing up at events as an aide or the chair? Just feels wrong. The party of that was once about unity is all about tearing each other a part.
Yes, one person can be very destructive to the membership rolls of a political party.
Most of Matlow’s service on the City Commission has consisted of virulent attacks on fellow Commissioners. After eight years in office, he has failed to learn how to work in a collegial fashion. Rather than influence others through persuasion he attempts to use coercion by attacking reputations and other community personages or organizations.
As to the Democratic voter registration number let me share some numbers.
When Ronald Reagan became President in January 1981 there were 48,954 more Democrats than Republicans registered in Leon County. When George Bush left office in January 1991 there were 47,802 more Democrats than Republicans in Leon County. The net loss was 1,152.
This small loss was due to the Leon County Democratic Party’s willingness to register voters, drive voters to the polls (this was before early voting and when the use of absentee ballots was limited), and a willingness to talk to all elements of the Party in a private and collegial way.
When Matlow become a City Commissioner in late 2018 there were 54,359 more Democrats than Republicans in Leon County. In October 2025 there are 33,216 more Democrats than Republicans for a net loss of 21,143 during his tenure.
In my opinion this is causation resulting from his continual attacks on others, his refusal to work in a collegial manner, his willingness to publicly question the motives of any who have an opinion different than his, and his approval of false smears against others (myself including among them). It creates bad press and a bad environment. His expensive aide Ryan Ray serves as Chair of the Leon County Democratic Party. He has been a failure in Democratic voter registration, voter education, voter turnout, and voter performance.
You may like the personalities of Matlow and Ray, but both are only successful in promoting themselves. Though they both hold Democratic Party elected positions, they consistently fail to serve the Party well.
You can’t sell the plantation just because a few they/thems ran off. They probably weren’t even good ones.
They’ll get used to them chains after a while, but they won’t never forget the clinking. It’ll remind them of what we’ve been saying, for their own good.
Don’t you never talk that way about the democrat party that way. Never. Never.
What we have here is a failure to communicate.
Some men you just can’t reach. So what you get is what we got here.
Which is the way they/them wants it. Well they/them gets it.
I don’t like it anymore than you they/thems.
Matlow could get a job as a lackey for Mamdami the Commie. He’d double his salary!
Trying to blame one person for the loss of Democrats in Leon County is just laughable.
On a national level, the Democratic Party did the destruction to itself. The loss of supporters in Leon County is a result of the nationwide movement TOWARDS the extreme-left thinking that the party now embraces. As others have mentioned: open boarders, defund the police, soft on crime, DEI, free everything for everybody, and boys playing in girl sports to name a few.
Look in the mirror Mr. Ausman. You and hundreds of thousands of other Democrats did it to yourselves.
The Democrat party of today is far from my father, granfather’s, etc. I recall the days of both parties urging friends and relatives to fly our flag on the 4th, Flag Day, Memorial Day and others. Democrats don’t in prior numbers and never in Leon County. Cultural Marxism prevails with them and has turned a once patriotic party on its head and cut it off! A pending federal shutdown hinges on Drmocrats wanting to fund health care for illegal aliens. Absolutely not- care for our citizens, especially, veterans!
My grandfather worked for Ruben Askew, and my nana worked for Claude Pepper. By most measures I should be a democrat too.
But you cannot try to convince me that gender is a state of mind, our borders should be wide open, and anyone that tries to enforce our laws is the gestapo and still have me on your side. Democrats have made it impossible for anyone that disagrees with them in the slightest way to be on their side.
As a result, I have cultivated the same kind of irrational hatred for them as they have for me. Their problem is, I have a green thumb…