The leader of the Leon County Democratic Executive Committee, Ryan Ray, is also the aide to Tallahassee City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow.

BREAKING NEWS: TPD Investigating Double Homicide

The Leon County Democrats recently posted on X that “Other than mass shootings (from lax gun laws) violent crime is way down.” And added, “Certain right wing special interests want to justify more spending for themselves and ‘tough on crime’ crackdowns, so they choose scare tactics and obsess over San Francisco to manipulate the public..”

These claims come as the City of Tallahassee, the Tallahassee Democrat, and Tallahassee Reports have provided analysis of raw data that indicates violent crime was up significantly in Tallahassee in 2023.

For example, the City of Tallahassee public safety dashboard indicates violent crime is up in 2023.

The Tallahassee Democrat has tracked shootings and associated deaths for the last 5 years. The data shows that in 2017 & 18 there were a total of 123 shootings 31 deaths. The data for 2022 & 23 show a total of 191 shootings and 42 deaths.

Also, Tallahassee Reports has been compiling data from daily incidents published by the Tallahassee Police Deportment. These numbers show that violent crime in 2023 is up 13.6% when compared to 2022.

And finally, murders in Leon county were up from 21 in 2022 to 27 in 2023.

At the national level, the Council on Criminal Justice reports that violent crimes remain elevated compared to 2019, the year prior to the COVID pandemic and racial justice protests of 2020. There were 24% more homicides during the first half of 2023 than during the first half of 2019 in the study of cities.

The claims promoted by the progressives in control of the Leon DEC are an attempt to mislead and come ahead of important local elections where crime will be an issue.

Progressive leaders like City Commissioner Jack Porter, City Commissioner Jerry Matlow and Leon County Commissioner David O’Keefe – who voted for Ray in the election for chair of the DEC – should be asked about this misinformation campaign and if they believe “crime is way down.”

However, the Gannett-owned paper found the time to inform their readers about the “Heroes of Diversity.”

Beyond the coverage of Superman’s son sexuality, the Tallahassee Democrat has scheduled a Facebook live event to dig deeper into the issue. The announcement states:

When DC Comics announced that Superman’s son was bisexual, the news was met with praise and criticism. To dive deeper into the topic, we assembled a panel of comic book fans to talk about what the changes in the industry mean. Join us for a live discussion at 1 p.m. Wednesday here on Facebook.

But what about gender issues in our local middle schools?

Tallahassee Reports has published two stories about how Deer Lake Middle School officials developed a gender transition plan for a struggling student without informing her parents. These same officials then told the parents that the had the right to keep them in the dark.

The parents have filed a federal lawsuit and have yet to be contacted by a Tallahassee Democrat reporter.

WCTV has recently covered the lawsuit.

The absence of coverage by Tallahassee’s Gannett-owned “paper of record” is alarming for a couple of reasons.

First, there is the bias issue.

You need only follow the twitter feed of the Democrat K-12 education beat writer to understand that her progressive bias might be part of the problem. However, in my view, the bigger problem is management.

You would think someone in a newsroom would say, “hey look, a federal lawsuit against the Leon County School Board, lets get someone on that.”

This did not happen and someone should take the time to explain why.

Second, you have to ask what else is the legacy media ignoring?

TR has recently written about the advocacy by school officials of a progressive cause at Montford Middle School. The advocacy was so blatant that Superintendent Rocky Hanna took action to curb the outside influence that seems to be determining policy at these schools.

E-mails clearly show the activism by district and school level officials to promote a cause at Montford. When questioned by teachers about the parent-student relationship, these teachers were told by school officials that middle school students have a right to privacy.

However, again, the Tallahassee Democrat has decided not to address this issue.

Interestingly, in both cases Superintendent Rocky went on the record supporting the parents at Deer Lake Middle School and he took action to with the Montford Middle School situation.

Coverage of these issues by the Tallahassee Democrat, and the likes of WFSU, would reveal there are common sense positions related to these divisive issues. This revelation would force our community to engage and recognize that the national divide on cultural issues does not have to define Tallahassee.

However, coverage requires an acknowledgement that what is happening is newsworthy. It also requires difficult questions for elected leaders. Without acknowledgement, there is tacit endorsement and no accountability.

On these issues that impact your middle school children, the Tallahassee Democrat has made the decision to remain silent.

For our part, this week Tallahassee Reports will attempt to get answers from the school board members about these important issues related to parental rights and the use of school classrooms to advocate for divisive causes.

And by legacy media I mean outfits like the Tampa Bay Times, Miami Herald, Sun Sentinel, Orlando Sentinel, Palm Beach Post and Tallahassee Democrat.

Here’s why.

On Friday Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law that included requirements for ex-felons to restore their voting rights based on the voters approval of Amendment 4 which passed in 2018.

Amendment 4 stated that felons not convicted of murder and sexual assault would be eligible to vote if they completed “all terms of their sentence including parole or probation.”

Before Amendment 4 was approved for the ballot, supporters told the Supreme Court “all terms of their sentence” included fines, fees, and restitution.

Here are the exact words from the exchange between a Florida Supreme Court Justice and Mr. Mills, who was speaking on behalf of Amendment 4:

But now this exchange is being ignored by the media.

For example, the Tampa Bay Times published an article written by journalist Lawrence Mower which stated the bill signed by DeSantis was “undercutting much of the promise of last year’s historic Amendment 4.”

Mower also wrote that “Republican lawmakers took a more restrictive approach” to implementing Amendment 4. Mower never mentioned the “restrictive approach” was supported by Amendment 4 advocates before the Florida Supreme Court.

The article written by Mower was also published by the Miami Herald.

Mark Skoneki, a journalist with the Orlando Sentinel, wrote that Republicans interpreted the amendment language to “include restitution, court costs, fines and fees imposed by a judge at sentencing.”

Mr. Skoneki’s article also ran in the Sun Sentinel.

Mr. Skoneki, like Mr. Mower, failed to include in his article the position of Amendment 4 supporters as detailed before the Florida Supreme Court.

In fact, the payment of fees and fines was how Amendment 4 was, in part, sold to voters.

Tom Sherberger, the Communications Director for the Hillsborough County Clerk of Courts & Comptroller, stated on Twitter amid a debate on the issue, that “I canvassed for Amendment 4 and told the few skeptics I met that felons would have to pay fines, fees & restitution because that’s what complexing “all terms of a sentence” means. How can you read that plain language any other way?”

Despite these facts, the Tampa Bay Times headline on the front page read ‘Felon “poll tax” bill signed.’

These major Florida media outlets are allowing Democrats to use their reporting – which omitted important facts – to attack Republicans and promote divisiveness on an emotional issue.

For example, former gubernatorial candidate Gwen Graham shared the Tampa Bay Times article on Twitter and slammed Governor DeSantis by writing “You are bad for Florida.”

Former gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum shared the same article on Twitter and wrote, ” I’m not calling DeSantis a racist, but his poll tax sure is..”

It is worth noting that Peter Schorsch of FloridaPolitics.com – a part of the “new media” – acknowledged the Florida Supreme Court testimony in his social media posts on the issue. Schorsch wrote:

If one has a problem with how Amendment 4 has been implemented they should take it up with architects of the initiative who testified before Sup. Ct. that involved payment of fines, fees, and restitution.

The bottom line is you can’t trust the legacy media in Florida to tell you the whole story.

Merriam Webster  defines “race-baiting” as “the unfair use of statements about race to try to influence the actions or attitudes of a particular group of people.”

Also, in his new book, “Race-Baiter”, media critic Eric Deggans – who recently in spoke in Tallahassee- says “modern media outlets trade in bigotry and bias to build audience and sell advertising.”

In “What’s going on in northeast Tallahassee”, the Tallahassee Democrat editorial board took the video of racist statements made by a high school student to build a case  against the northeast section of Tallahassee.

From the editorial:

“Between Confederate flags at Chiles and reports of anti-Semitism at nearby Deerlake Middle School over recent months, why does this northeast corner of town appear to be home to incidents of racist behavior?”

Is it unfair to single out the northeast by asking: “why does this northeast corner of town appear to be home to incidents of racist behavior?”

Let’s look at the facts.

First, officials at Leon County Schools, after an investigation, said the incident at Deerlake Middle School never happened.

Second, the Confederate flag incident referred to in the the article involved high school students at Chiles and was dealt with by the principal when it occurred.

So, is this enough evidence to make such a generalization and brand a large section of Tallahassee?

Not close.

The question of fairness must also consider the fact that the Tallahassee Democrat failed to publish a timely story or an editorial on the beating of a white security guard by three black individuals that was caught on video this year.

An article was published in the Miami Herald and Tallahassee Reports before the Tallahassee Democrat.

It is clear to me that the implication by the Tallahassee Democrat that northeast Tallahassee has a racism problem overstates the claim and is a lazy way to generate clicks and ultimately promotes division in our community.

But the actions by the Gannett owned paper is not surprising.

Deggans, on the media, states that we’re in an “environment where you succeed by targeting the biggest niche of viewers or the biggest niche of media consumers.”

Is the Tallahassee Democrat targeting the biggest niche in Tallahassee (Democrats and liberals) by using unfair racial statements as a business model?

Deggans also said the media is using the “same tactics once employed to mobilize political parties, they send fans coded messages and demonize opposing groups as their audience share soars and website traffic ticks up.”

Ironically, in an attempt to mobilize support for his gubernatorial campaign, Mayor Andrew Gillum – at a campaign event- said that there “isn’t a day that doesn’t go by in my city where I’m not driving behind a truck on my way to work that has a big old Confederate flag.”

The obviously exaggerated statement was quickly rebuffed by local PR executive Ron Sachs who labeled the comments as a cheap shot designed to generate statewide headlines.

And now the Tallahassee Democrat is mobilizing.

Journalism should not be about generating clicks on the emotion fueled by race-baiting. The Tallahassee Democrat is following a business model that divides our community.

According to a report by FloridaPolitics.com reporter Mitch Perry, Mayor Andrew Gillum, while addressing students during an appearance at the University of Tampa campus last week, Gillum said:

[T]here isn’t a day that doesn’t go by in my city where I’m not driving behind a truck on my way to work that has a big old Confederate flag.

Think about this! Gillum is saying everyday when he gets in his car to leave his $500,000 home in the Killearn area, he gets behind a truck with a big old confederate flag.

Really? Everyday?

I don’t think so.

Gillum goes on to say that “I know a lot of folks say you shouldn’t conflate the Confederacy with racism. Well, I don’t know another way to describe it. States’ rights? States’ rights to own slaves?”

Gillum’s statements were made in an effort to, first gain sympathy from potential voters, and then to follow-up with examples of how he was a bold leader on race issues.

In the process, he lied about Tallahassee.

You would think the Mayor of Tallahassee would be out promoting the positives of a his community, not misleading people with false statements.

However, Mayor Gillum and his office have had a problem with the truth since he became a candidate for governor.

Remember when he said his campaign had over 7,000 contributors. Politi-fact ruled the statement mostly false.

Remember when he said he never used city email for political purposes? He did.

Gillum’s most recent falsehoods hit closer to home and shows just how far he will go for votes.

Mayor Andrew Gillum owes the people of Tallahassee an apology.

And now on to a bigger question.

Which elected leader will hold Gillum accountable for his statements?

Any guesses?

Without rehashing the ethical lapses over the last several years, the are number of simple changes that would address current conflicts of interest.

Here are two.

First, no Leon County or City of Tallahassee elected official or employee (that must file financial disclosure form with the Florida Commission on Ethics) shall do business, directly or indirectly, with a local government vendor when the transaction exceeds $2,500 over a 12-month period.

In addition, any transaction by a governmental official below the $2,500 threshold must be publicly acknowledged and approved by the elected officials.

The current state law allows officials to argue fair market value and competitive pricing. These arguments allow officials to cloud the issue and argue reasonable doubt while still engaging in a business transaction that can provide the perception of a conflict.

The straight forward language proposed here will end these ambiguous arguments and place the desired approach of “avoiding any perception of a conflict” above the private interest of local officials.

Second, any business or individual that receives more than a $2,500 in payments for consulting or campaign management services, directly or indirectly, from a local government candidate during an election cycle shall be prohibited from proving services for any local government entity for four years after the payment from the candidate.

The number of transactions between campaign consultants and local governments is staggering. In addition, the current situation puts public employees in a no-win situation when dealing with a bidding process that involves vendors that are favored by elected officials.

Why is it that campaign consultants like Vancore Jones, Sean Pittman, and Gary Yordon have all received lucrative no bid contracts with local government?

This needs to end. You are either a campaign consultant or you are a city vendor – you can’t be both.

These two changes would go a long way in placing public service above private interests.

Over the next four weeks Tallahassee Reports will ask each locally elected official their position on these two polices.

However, now is an appropriate time to highlight the power of local media cooperation and how this cooperation, amid competition, successfully moved an important story forward.

It was a story that sought to hold Mayor Andrew Gillum accountable for actions that could reflect badly on the Mayor’s Office and the City of Tallahassee.

This is how the story unfolded.

There had been rumors for weeks about trips taken by some elected officials with FBI agents posing as developers. The sources gave information that indicated the destinations included Las Vegas and New York city. However, no local media outlet was comfortable enough with the reliability of the information to lead with a story.

That was until a picture turned up.

On August 17, 2017, WCTV reporter Mariel Carbone broke a story after obtaining a picture that showed Mayor Andrew Gillum in New York city with city lobbyist and Edison owner Adam Corey and a FBI agent believed to be posing as a developer seeking business in Tallahassee.

Gillum provided comments to Carbone.

“It looks like people hanging out. I really am deeply offended by folks ascribing other meaning to it,” said Gillum.

“I think it’s probably important that I point out I was there for work. (I) went out with them on personal time. There was no city money spent on that trip, no city business discussed. It was frankly a couple of friends getting together,” he said.

Following the WCTV report, TR published a report on August 22, 2017 that significantly added to the WCTV story.

TR had obtained information that indicated Gillum’s trip to New York was more than just a boat ride. TR had information that the trip was planned ahead of time by Mike Miller to include hotel rooms at the Millennium Hilton in New York City, tickets to the Hamilton and a trip to a New York Mets game.

TR also reported that Mayor Andrew Gillum’s brother, Marcus Gillum, was involved in the planning of the trip.

As is usual, Mayor Gillum and his office do not provide comments to Tallahassee Reports.

However, on August 25th, the Tallahassee Democrat contacted Mayor Gillum about the information contained in TR’s story.

“Haven’t seen the article, but based on what you’re asking, not correct,” replied Gillum. The Democrat then asked: “Just to be clear and specific, you didn’t attend a Mets game or ‘Hamilton’ with Adam and/or Mike Miller?”

Gillum did not answer the question.

The Tallahasse Democrat followed up the reporting with an editorial entitled “A simple yes or no could help clear FBI clouds for Mayor Andrew Gillum”

The editorial stated Gillum’s  “explanation strains credulity” and concluded that the “mayor’s credibility is also undercut” when he picks what questions to answer and what questions to deflect.

Ultimately, the competing media reports on Gillum’s trip to New York raised serious questions about Mayor Gillum’s honesty with the public he was elected to represent.

Further, Gillum’s actions show that he is more concerned with avoiding criminal charges than he is in explaining breaches in ethical standards. Taking trips that are paid for by lobbyists and/or developers may not be criminal. However, doing so is a clear ethical violation that tarnishes the Mayor’s Office and hurts Tallahassee.

The fact that Gillum will not provide answers should motivate city beat reporters from various outlets to continue to seek answers – even in the most uncomfortable situations.

What is also needed, especially over the next 2-3 months, is more cooperation between Tallahassee’s local media outlets.

I can assure you, Tallahassee Reports will do their part.

It is true, that in a court of law everyone is innocent until proven guilty. However, to maintain the credibility of government institutions, public servants and elected officials should answer basic questions about pressing issues.

Their failure to do so erodes confidence in our system of government.

The off the record statements by a number of people close to the investigation indicate Tallahassee has a real problem.

This coupled with the subpoenas recently delivered to city hall and the public statements about the breadth of the investigation raises the level of concern about the actions of some of our elected officials.

It is unfair for this community to be saddled with public officials who are hiding actions that have not yet been deemed illegal, but raise questions about their ability to serve.

It is time for all elected officials to answer the following questions:

Over the last two years have you taken any trips to Las Vegas on a private plane with developers interested in CRA projects and/or people named in the subpoenas?

If yes, what was the purpose of the trip?

Over the last two years have you taken any trips to New York city on a private plane with developers interested in  CRA projects and/or, people named in the subpoenas?

If yes, what was the purpose of the trip?

Over the last two years have any of your family members been hired by developers or lobbyists with an interest in CRA developments?

The bottom line is that waiting on federal indictments is no way to determine if our elected officials are fit for office.

It may be an appropriate legal strategy for private citizens to lawyer up and ignore the media, but our elected officials owe the community more. We have entrusted them to conduct public business for the public good.

If our elected officials desire the privilege afforded private citizens, they should resign. Public service requires a higher standard.

You read the story and find your name is mentioned seven times in connection with relationships between local insiders. You think to yourself, “not bad, maybe a little gossipy, but hey, it comes with the territory.”

Then you turn the page and find your picture next to the picture of a convicted felon.

After you spill your coffee looking for the cell phone number of Democrat publisher Skip Foster, you probably begin to feel like the Tallahassee Democrat is out to get you!

This could be how local business owner Kim Rivers feels today.

In an article in the Sunday Tallahassee Democrat, reporter Jeff Schweers documented the web of relationships between Adam Corey and a number of local insiders. Included next to the article, in the well circulated Sunday edition of the Tallahassee Democrat, was a picture of Anthony Murgio, a convicted felon, next to a picture of local business owner Kim Rivers.

The pictures of Murgio and Rivers were included with no context and seemed out of place. In fact, I read the article three times and there was no mention of Murgio in a paragraph with Rivers.

What the article did say was “Anthony Murgio was just sentenced to five and a half years in federal prison for his role in a bitcoin scam and cyber attack on J.P. Morgan Chase Bank.”

Murgio is a previous business partner of Adam Corey, not Kim Rivers.

Now, I know I am biased, but if Tallahassee Reports had published this picture we would have been fairly criticized for sensationalism and trying to tarnish someones reputation.

Tallahassee Reports publishes findings supported by documents and facts in the public record. There are no publicly available documents that reasonably tie any questionable activities to a relationship between Murgio and Rivers. Therefore, I can say, with high confidence, TR would have never published this picture.

So why did the Democrat include this picture in their Sunday edition?

The problem is the Tallahassee Democrat is trying to make-up for lost ground by throwing a lot of ink at people and relationships now that the FBI is investigating. This is not good journalism and ultimately will not be good for Tallahassee.

In my view, the FBI investigation, in addition to determining if local leaders were involved with corrupt activities, is going to reveal that Tallahassee has not been well served by a complacent Gannett owned paper that is more concerned about corporate profits than the journalistic needs of our local democracy.

One final point.

I believe it is important that local government as well as the local media, both powerful institutions, are held accountable for their actions. I can tell you, from personal and professional experience, that well thought out criticism can have a positive impact on future actions.

The term “fake news”, in its purest form, is described as news stories created entirely to deceive readers. However, as experts at the University of Western Ontario have pointed out, there are variations of “fake news” with the same end goal -deception.

One of the their categories of fake news is the “slanted reporting of real facts” which is described as “selectively-chosen but truthful elements of a story put together to serve an agenda.”

Now the New York Times.

Considered by many to be the gold standard in reporting, the Old Gray Lady has recently provided a powerful example of “fake news” through the misuse of facts.

On March 16, 2017, an article entitled “Amid ‘Trump Effect’ Fear, 40% of Colleges See Dip in Foreign Applicants” appeared on the NYT website, as shown below.

A version of the article appeared in print on March 17, 2017, on Page A12 of the New York edition with the headline: “In a Survey, 40% of Colleges Report a Drop in Foreign Applicants.”

The obvious conclusion from reading the headline is that President Trump’s recent policies on immigration have had a negative impact on foreigners applying to US colleges.

However, if you actually take the time to read the study the report cites you would find the first “key finding” on its first page reads:

39% of responding institutions reported a decline in international applications, 35% reported an increase, and 26% reported no change in applicant numbers.

As the Washington Post points out, the headline could equally well have read, “Despite ‘Trump Effect’ fear, 35% of colleges see rise in foreign applicants.”

Indeed, in a survey of 250 institutions, there is no meaningful difference between 39% and 35% — the more accurate headline would have been, “About as many colleges see rise in foreign applicants as see decline.”

Even more troubling is the fact the article never mentions  the more positive pieces of information, from the study it cited. It is amazing that a journalist employed by the New York Times would report the 40% figure without the other numbers.

I guess the other numbers were not “fit to print.”

What this tells me, and should tell all consumers of news, is that no one should reach firm conclusions from a media report until you verify the facts and the context by reading more than one source.

Even if the report is published by the New York Times.

The options outlined by KHA include mediation, legal intervention, and buying the golf course from the current owner.

However, if you have been watching the City Commission’s recent actions with regards to neighborhood zoning issues you would conclude input from neighborhood residents really does not matter!

Consider these recent votes.

First, there was the move by the City Commission to develop 10 acres of City owned land that is located between Myers Park and Cascades Park. The land is the current home to the City’s neighborhood and park administration offices.

However, out of nowhere, an issue about noise impacts on the Myers Park neighborhood turned into a debate over a potential development.

How did this happen? An unidentified developer told a City staffer that he would be interested in purchasing the property. That was enough for the City staffer to present the option to the City Commission.

Despite pleas by Myers Park residents, the City Commission voted  4-1 (Commissioner Richardson voted against) to move forward with the potential development.

More recently, the City Commission sided with a developer involving a multi-family project on the soutside. The 3-2 vote occurred despite objections from the City’s own Planning Commission and impacted residents.

Mayor Gillum and Commissioner Richardson voted against the request. Commissioners Maddox, Miller, and Ziffer supported the project.

Consider the process that took place for this development.

A developer asked the City’s Planning Commission to change the zoning of a 30 acre parcel located off of Ridge Road on the southside of town from 8 units per acre to 18 units per acre to accommodate a four story multi-family dwelling. When the developer bought the property in 2007, the zoning allowed 8 units per acre.

Residents of the crime ridden section of town complained the development would only increase problems in the area and would do nothing to promote responsible home ownership.

The Planning Commission agreed and denied the request. The Planning Commission told the developer to alter the plan and come back for another review. The developer said no thanks, I will just go before the City Commission.

This past month, a number of residents showed up at the City Commission meeting to fight the development. Representatives from two homeowner associations with over 200 residents spoke against the project.

However, three City Commissioners voted to ignore the the Planning Commission and the concerns of residents.

It would be wise for residents of Killearn Estates to take note of the recent actions by City Commissioners which demonstrates no respect for the planning process or for the concerns of people most affected by developers who want to change the character of a neighborhood.

However, sometimes promises are clear, verifiable, and have consequences when broken.

One of the most famous campaign promises was George H. Bush’s “read my lips no new taxes” pledge that went out the window after he was elected.

Bush’s promise was clear and easily fact-checked. He broke it. He lost the next election.

President Obama’s promise that you can “keep your doctor” under the Affordable Care Act did not cost him an election. But his broken promise caused his party a lot of problems during the recent elections. Once again, it was a promise that was clear and verifiable.

Here in Tallahassee, Mayor Andrew Gillum made a clear and verifiable promise with regards to how he would serve the citizens of Tallahassee when he was a candidate for the office he now holds.

When asked how he would meet the responsibilities of the Leadership Mayor position with his current 40 hour a week job that paid six figures, he told a reporter he would cut back on the job and reduce the salary in half if elected.

Due to Mayor Gillum’s unwillingness to address his pledge, we had to wait two years until tax filings with the IRS were made public to find out if he kept his promise.

He did not!

Instead, Mayor Gillum kept his 40-hour a week job that paid him $133,000 and he also collected his $76,000 salary as the Leadership Mayor. The Mayor had good year -he pulled down a cool $209,000 in 2015.

By the way, Gillum voted to raise taxes and the fire service fee and saw no problem with $175,000 salaries for top city staff.

Will Gillum’s broken promise have consequences? Only time will tell.

And so with TR’s mission of keeping voters informed, we look to two newly elected leaders who have made clear and verifiable promise during their campaigns.

First, there is Sheriff Walt McNeil. He made it clear that the increasing crime rate in Leon County was a major reason he should be elected. He held the incumbent Sheriff, Mike Wood, accountable through aggressive campaign advertisements even though the crime rate was driven by City of Tallahassee incidents.

McNeil’s response was, as Sheriff, he could lower the crime rate throughout Leon County.

This is a verifiable and easily measured  promise. McNeil has four  years to get the crime rate under control.

Second there is Superintendent Rocky Hanna. In a controversial campaign devoid of much talk about the issues, Hanna made two significant promises that are verifiable.

First, Hanna took the position that  a new high school was not needed on the southside. Instead, he promised significant renovations to southside facilities.

Second, he campaigned to move more money from administrative expenses into the classroom.

Hanna’s promises can easily be verified.

Both of these elected officials have been given the trust of the voters based in part on what they said they would do if elected. It is our job at Tallahassee Reports to keep you informed about the progress, or lack of progress, in keeping their campaign promises.