Richardson voted against his fellow commissioners on a proposal to redevelop approximately ten acres owned by the city of Tallahassee located between Cascades Park and the Myers Park neighborhood. The proposed housing concept development program could yield approximately 100 to 150 residential units at a density of 10 to 15 dwelling units per acre and would hopefully act as a sound barrier between Cascades Park’s amphitheater and the neighborhood.

You can see our full report on the Myers Park vote here.

Richardson said his vote against it was consistent with his 20 years as a strong neighborhood advocate which began before he was commissioner, when he first moved to Tallahassee.

He said a proposed multi-family project in his neighborhood caused him to organize the Tuskegee Neighborhood Association. Since then he has continued to fight for neighborhoods he said are “begging for their very existence.”

Of the Myer’s Park development, he said, “We owe it to those who are invested in those neighborhoods — who have lived there for years, have raised families, who want to retire there — (to protect them). They never could have imagined 10, 20 years ago that this kind of development would be proposed.”

He explained, “They aren’t against development. It’s the density of development and what that will do to change the character of those neighborhoods, they are against.”

Richardson said the city has acted to stem urban sprawl for many years now and has encouraged, what he called “in-field development,” which increases development of existing urban areas.

He said, “The challenge now is how do we encourage in-field development and growth which we know has to occur but at the same time protect the very character and nature of those existing neighborhoods.”

He said some of the development is “encroaching on the things we value most,” the character and uniqueness of the urban neighborhoods.

He explained he understands the desire to encourage in-field development. It reduces the cost of expanding infrastructure and other problems associated with urban sprawl, but he is afraid the city has gone beyond the balance and is now adversely impacting existing neighborhoods.

Richardson said in the case of Myer’s Park, residents need a sound buffer to protect them from the concerts and events happening in Cascades Park.

He said the commission had approved a half million dollar 30 foot wall to act as a buffer.

But after the plans were reviewed, “the rendering would not have fit with the historic nature of the neighborhood. It called for a 10 foot berm with a 20 foot wall built on top. Staff then looked at other options, including residential development of that area, which would act as sound buffer.”

Richardson said after the vote, “I insisted staff work with the  neighborhood to come up with a design they could be satisfied with and support.”

He promised the neighborhoods would have many opportunities to meet and comment on the project before it proceeds.

“These meetings will be held publicly,” Richardson said. “There will be opportunities for input from the community and the neighborhood associations that would be impacted, including those from Woodland Drive and Indian Head.”

The Edison, a city subsidized establishment without a liquor license, reportedly won a bid to host a party that is being advertised as  a “Funkfest Kickoff and Alumni Mixer.”

The party which is slated for the Thursday (October 20th) before FAMU homecoming, is scheduled to last until 2 a.m.

TR published a report on the Edison’s last late night party which generated concern among City Commissioners at a January 27, 2016 meeting.

At that meeting, City Commissioner Scott Maddox pointed out the City wanted a high-end restaurant in Cascades Park not a nightclub. He made a motion to set a closing time of 11:00 p.m. but the vote failed 3-2. City Commissioners Curtis Richardson and Nancy Miller and Mayor Andrew Gillum voted against the measure.

Complicating the issue is the web of connections the Edison owners and investors have with Mayor Andrew Gillum and other City of Tallahassee power brokers.

Also, the operation of The Edison has come under fire from a number of local restaurant owners who have complained about the unfair competition from a city subsidized establishment. Concerns have also been raised about how the owners of the Edison have been successful in skirting liquor regulations.

Last year the Mayor’s office recommended, and the City Commission approved, a one year extension for the lobbyist contracts that were awarded in 2012. During the meeting some members of the City Commission verbalized concern about the process.TR’s article on the selection can be read here.

The recommended vendor for the city lobbying contract for the next two years is Ronald Book P.A., which bested the Gunster law firm on a point system, but was higher in price. One of the point categories which helped Book P.A. win the point system was minority participation.

None of the documents provided by the Mayor’s office details the lobbying team proposed for use by Book P.A., but based on previous information, the minority component of the proposal is Sean Pittman, owner of the Pittman Law Group. Mr. Pittman has been a part of the city lobbying team for at least the last ten years.

It has been documented that Mr. Pittman is a close friend to Mayor Gillum and the Mayor’s office staff. Mr. Pittman has also traveled with Mr. Gillum, and provided financial support for a Mayoral event.

In addition, Mr. Pittman was identified by the Tallahassee Democrat as an investor in the Edison Restaurant, which is owned by the former campaign treasurer to Mayor Gillum.

And finally, both Mr. Book and Mr. Pittman have donated thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to current City Commissioners through a number of different businesses. The most recent donations were made to City Commissioners Curtis Richardson and Scott Maddox during the most recent primary election cycle.

The Mayor’s office is also recommending the lobbying contract for city utility issues be awarded to the highest bidder.

William Peebles P.A., who has held the contract for at least the last eight years, won in a point system over Ballard Partners, however Ballard Partners had the lower price. Ballard Partners is considered to be one be of the most powerful and successful lobbyist groups in the state of Florida.

Campaign records show that Mr. Peebles has donated thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to current City Commissioners. The most recent donations were made to City Commissioners Curtis Richardson and Scott Maddox during the most recent primary election cycle.

Records show that Ballard Partners donated a $1,000 to Mayor Andrew Gillum in 2014 and $500 to City Commissioner Scott Maddox in 2012.

Property taxes had become an area of disagreement between the candidates in the race for City Commission Seat 2.

In fact, Mr. Richardson called Mr. Hougland a liar during the Tallahassee Democrat Editorial Board interview when Mr. Hougland stated that Mr. Richardson had voted to increase property taxes by 27% in 2015.

Richardson’s liar accusation, unchallenged by Tallahassee Democrat reporters present during the interview, was captured in a video that was posted on the Tallahassee Democrat’s Facebook feed and has been viewed approximately 1,200 times.

However, subsequent research supported Hougland’s claim that, in fact, Richardson had voted to increase property taxes by 27%. The Tallahassee Democrat addressed the issue days after the interview, but never posted the article on their Facebook feed.

In an attempt to refute a claim by Mr. Richardson that the City has not raised property taxes in the last 10 years, Mr. Hougland submitted a My View, around August 23rd, which stated that the City’s property tax rate increased three times in the last ten years.

Ms. Randi Atwood, the Tallahassee Democrat’s Platform Editor, asked for evidence of the three increases. Mr. Hougland submitted a document provided by the Leon County Property Appraiser’s office that showed the City’s property tax rate decreased in 2007 and increased in 2008, 2009 and 2015.

However, Ms. Atwood was “not comfortable” with the opinion piece and explained why in an email:

I’m not comfortable characterizing this as the city raising the millage rate 3 times in 10 years. They lowered it in 2007, raised it a bit (but still kept it significantly lower in 2008), then raised it back to the original level in 2009.

Mr. Hougland asked Ms. Atwood if stating the property tax had been raised twice in the last 7 years would be acceptable. Ms. Atwood still had problems and wrote:

I believe that would be misleading to call that “raising the property tax rate twice” without explaining that they first lowered it, then raised it back to the level it was.

It is important to note that Mr. Hougland’s My View was being submitted to refute Mr. Richardson’s claim that the City had not raised taxes at all in the last ten years.

Then Ms. Atwood gave Mr. Hougland a choice:

I can go ahead and publish your My View without that line, unless you’d rather I didn’t publish it.

Mr. Hougland acquiesced and the article was printed. However, the article was never posted online or on the Tallahassee Democrat’s Facebook feed.

“One of the frustrating things for me running against an incumbent is that the media has ignored issues that, if reported, would have raised the quality of the debate. The press is supposed to be impartial and not censor factual information,” said Hougland.

Hougland concluded his remarks by saying, “hopefully the voters will see what is going on.”

On February 1, 2016 the Tallahassee Democrat reported that Gary Yordon “serves as a Florida correspondent for CNN and writes a column for Gannett newspapers.”

On June 29, 2016, a reporter for Tallahassee Democrat wrote “The pages of the Tallahassee Democrat are home to yet another award-winning writer. Columnist Gary Yordon won second place in the National Society of Newspaper Columnists’ general interest category.”

On July 16, 2016 the Curtis Richardson Campaign for City Commission wrote a check to a company owned by Gary Yordon for $26,090. The campaign reported that the payment was for  “TV Production, Mail Design, TV Buys”

Yordon wrote a column for the Tallahassee Democrat as recent as August 13th, 2016.

This relationship has not been addressed by the the Tallahassee Democrat, and it is has not been reported in the articles written about the race featuring challenger Steven Hougland and Curtis Richardson.

The potential conflicts with the relationship could be significant.

Consider these points.

First, Mr. Yordon was a registered lobbyist for four different companies with the City of Tallahassee as earlier as 2015.

Second, anyone who knows Mr. Yordon will tell you he is a fierce advocate for his campaign clients.

And third, at least one Tallahassee Democrat journalist has used Mr. Yordon as a source in their election coverage.

Given these facts, it appears rather easy to develop scenarios where Yordon could influence the Tallahassee Democrat coverage of the Hougland-Richardson race.

For example, has Mr. Yordon’s time with the Tallahassee Democrat resulted in relationships with reporters that leads to conversations that benefit Yordon’s clients?

Are reporters which have developed a relationship with Yordon reluctant to pursue stories that are critical of his clients because they know they will get a phone call from a “colleague”?

Take for example the issue of campaign contributions and vendors.

The Tallahassee Democrat, through the exhaustive reporting of Jeff Burlew, has published numerous stories over the last two years about the campaign contributions made to Leon County Schools Superintendent Jackie Pons by vendors that received contracts to do work with Leon County Schools.

However, when Mr. Rchardson’s opponent highlighted, in a press conference, the curious relationship between Richardson’s votes and campaign contributions of vendors doing work for the City of Tallahassee, Mr. Burlew, the Tallahassee Democrat labeled “watchdog reporter,”  failed to pen one article.

Did Yordon play a role in this decision?  This is unknown. Would he push back on a reporter over this type of story as an advocate for his client? Absolutely.

These questions are why most newspaper ethics policies state employees should strive to avoid even the appearance of conflict.

Several sources, reluctant to go on the record, thought the arrangement provided the opportunity for candidates to question the Tallahassee Democrat’s election coverage given Yordon’s deep ties within the political community.

The National Society of Newspaper Columnists, the group that gave Yordon an award, states on the Code of Conduct section of their website that columnists should “disclose potential conflicts to readers whenever possible.”

The Society of Professional Journalists write that journalists should “Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived” and “remain free of associations that may compromise integrity or damage credibility.”

Today at the Florida Press Center, Steven Hougland, who is running against current City Commissioner Curtis Richardson, revealed that his opponent accepted $750 in campaign contributions from a city vendor on the same day the City Commission voted to extend the vendor’s contract.

The vote referenced by Mr. Hougland took place on October 28th, 2015 when the City Commission voted to extend lobbying contracts for 3 lobbyists without taking competitive bids. The vote approved contracts with two lobbyists for $90,000 annually and a third lobbyist for $40,000 annually.

Hougland said:

Mr. Richardson has cast votes to award lucrative contracts to vendors that are helping finance his campaign.

The most egregious example is the October 28, 2015 vote to extend lobbying contracts for 3 lobbyists without taking competitive bids.

Mr. Richardson’s own campaign report shows that all three lobbyists have donated to his campaign. One lobbyist (William Peebles) donated $750 less than a month before the October 28^th vote. Another donated $750 in February/March of this year. Finally, the third lobbyist (Ron Book) donated a total of $1500 with $750 being donated on the very day of the contract extension vote.

TR reviewed the minutes of the meeting and discovered the vote was controversial. At the meeting, Commissioner Ziffer expressed dismay that, just before session, the Commission was left with no other option but to extend said lobbying contracts, and requested that a discussion regarding lobbyist contracts be placed on the agenda in the near future.

Hougland also provided information that indicated Richardson accepted 37 campaign checks totaling over $8,000 from vendors doing business with the city.

Hougland said “In the Leon County School Superintendent’s race, we’ve seen complaints of favoritism and awarding construction contracts to individuals or entities that made political contributions. Mr. Richardson’s voting record favoring political contributors is no different.”

He then asked Richardson to return the campaign contributions. “I am publicly asking Mr. Richardson to return the money he accepted from vendors,” said Hougland.

Hougland also proposed a change in policy that would make it illegal for vendors to donate to campaigns. He provided copies of the ordinance recently adopted by the City of Miami and said “I am also asking the city commission to restore integrity to the campaign process and to the vendor selection process by passing a version of the Miami Beach ordinance, which would immediately ban the practice for future elections.”

Incumbent Curtis Richardson thinks Tallahassee is one of the state’s best run cities and wants to keep it on its current path.

Opponent Steven Hougland thinks Tallahassee’s path is unsustainable, that the level of crime, taxes and spending are all too high.

Richardson, a former state representative, was elected to the Tallahassee Commission in 2014 replacing Andrew Gillum who became mayor. Richardson said, “I’m committed to being part of the leadership that continues the initiatives that we’ve got going, addressing growth of our economy, and creating private sector jobs, preserving our neighborhoods, and bringing growth and development to every aspect of our community.”

Hougland said, “I really decided to jump in (the city commission race) when I saw Curtis Richardson running unopposed. I looked at Curtis’ voting record of increased taxes, increasing spending and not taking a strong stance against crime. I just didn’t think it was right for him to be re-elected without giving people a choice. I didn’t want him re-elected by default.”

Hougland is a 30-year law enforcement veteran with a doctorate in Public Affairs, who is an assistant professor of Criminal Justice at Bainbridge State College.

One of the big draws for Hougland when he moved from Orlando to Tallahassee was its safety and tranquility. “I never thought that I would see more violent crime in Tallahassee than I did working 16 years in Orlando’s highest crime areas, on the street with Orange County sheriff’s office.”

He said the dramatic increase in Tallahassee’s violent crime rate was caused, partially, by the “police department being neglected by the city commission for many, many years. They fell way behind in hiring. They were understaffed and had less officers to commit to crime-ridden parts of town. Now they are trying to catch up.”

Richardson said, “We had gotten behind on the number of police officers based on population growth. The city commission has committed to hiring 33 new police officers. At the end of this fiscal year they will be trained and on board.”

Both candidates support community policing practices, in which the police work with the communities to develop trust and relationships, but they vary greatly on other solutions.

Richardson looks to Chicago for answers. “I support the Cure Violence model brought back from Chicago. I’m pushing that,” he said, although he admits he hasn’t gotten much support. “It involves looking at crime like a health disease, treating it as such, trying to get to the root cause of what’s causing crime in these neighborhoods. It’s community led, not a police initiative.”

Hougland suggests a different approach. He advises using multi-agency task forces, comprised of city police, the sheriff’s office, and federal law enforcement agencies working together in those high crime areas. “Violent crime is up but arrests are down, as a policing professional and someone that teaches criminal justice, that doesn’t make sense. Arrests should be up and they should be dramatically up, but they’re down.”

Hougland also disagrees with Richardson’s approach to city spending and taxing. Recently the City of Tallahassee announced big pay raises to several assistant city managers. These raises followed closely on the heels of the commission passing a 13 percent property tax increase, the largest single property tax hike in the city’s history.

“Here is just an egregious example of city spending out of control and out of touch with the realities of what the residents of the city are living with every day,” said Hougland. “We have a hand-full of people the city manager has given these huge raises to, some in the $40 to $50 thousand range, while the median family income in Tallahassee is $39,000 per year. I think it is hard for a lot of people to understand or accept a pay raise that’s more than what a family earns in a single year.”

Richardson denied that the raises were excessive, although he admitted the issue could have been handled better. “I understand, that it didn’t play well in community and the city manager apologized about how he rolled it out. He should have educated the public better.”

Richardson explained, “The city manager studied the city’s organization, made changes and consolidated departments, cut 10 administrative positions, and saved $1 million this fiscal year. People in those positions took on additional responsibilities and he’s compensating them for that.”

On taxes, Richardson said, “We are the only city in the state of Florida now that has eliminated the business tax. We have also reduced the millage rate which will save property and business owners next year.”

Hougland said the change in millage rate, “does not change the 13 percent property tax that went into effect last year. Curtis supported the proposed 27 percent property tax increase numerous times and voted in favor of the 13 percent increase.”

“Unless you are well-informed and paying attention, people think property tax is going down and it’s not,” he said. “Even with 2.3 reduction, when residents get their TRIM notice in a couple of months they are going to see their property tax has gone up over last year. It went up 13 percent last year and they will see it go up again this year, still, and the city won’t acknowledge that. That’s fundamentally disturbing to me,” Hougland concluded.

Both Richardson and Maddox say there is nothing they could have done about the five-digit raises because the City’s Charter prohibits commissioner “interference” with personnel matters.

However, the challengers are not buying the explanation.

In an exclusive interview with TR, Maddox challengers Dr. Bruce Strouble and Luther Lee both said they see it differently than Maddox.

Maddox told the Tallahassee Democrat that under the city charter, commissioners can’t “second guess the workings of the appointed officials” but can hire and fire them.

Dr. Bruce Strouble told TR, “based on my detailed review of the City of Tallahassee Charter, I can find no language that expresses that the City Commission is prohibited from reviewing and suggesting appropriate salaries for the City Staff.”

He added that while the staff are well qualified, “I do not believe that the amount of the raises given was justified” and as a City Commissioner “I would have called for an independent review to determine more appropriate salaries.”

Luther Lee told TR the City Charter says “The city manager shall be responsible to the city commission for the proper administration of all affairs of the city…SO, it is not a ‘hands off’ rule. The Commissioners have a duty to serve the citizens of Tallahassee and part of that duty includes responsible use of tax dollars.”

Lee added that “While the people who received raises may be hardworking and deserving of fair pay,…These raises do not seem to be in the best interest of the citizens of Tallahassee.”

Last week City Commissioner Curtis Richardson and challenger Steven Hougland squared off on WFSU’s public affairs show, Perspectives. Richardson stated the City Charter kept him from addressing the raises but said the increases were “certainly reasonable.”

Also, in a debate on Facebook over the raises, City Commissioner Richardson wrote  “the commission had no vote on this according to the city charter.”

His challenger, Steven Hougland told TR he believes the City Charter would have allowed commissioners to give more direction to the City Manager with regards to the reorganization, but “it was clear they were not interested.”

So who is right? Does the City Charter limit the commissioner discretion on the recent pay raises?

TR is seeking legal guidance, but it is important to report that neither Maddox or Richardson, in their public statements, have said that City Attorney Lew Shelley advised them on this matter.

In the discussion about the raises, which in some cases were between $30,000 and $50,000, Hougland said Commissioner Richardson should have asked questions, but instead remained quiet and approved the raises.

Richardson responded by saying “I don’t apologize for anything we have done.”

Richardson went on to say that “I think the City Manager did a fantastic job” in implementing the staff reorganization. After seeing the City Manager’s presentation, Richardson told Mr. Flanigan, I believe the raises “were certainly reasonable.”

Hougland said “it concerns me when we are handing out raises that exceed the average annual family income in Tallahassee.”

Hougland also brought up the fact that the raises for the 16 employees were recommended by an employee that was actually receiving a raise. Hougland said he would have asked for an independent review.

Richardson ended the discussion by saying he had complete confidence in the City staff and that the voters will ultimately decide if the raises were in the best interest of the City of Tallahassee.

Tallahassee Reports journalist, Karen Murphy, has completed a profile on this race which will be posted tomorrow afternoon.

Well, no need to call them now.

Ahead of the City Commission’s scheduled reconsideration of the vote tomorrow, leaders at FSU, FAMU, and TCC, have sent a letter to Mayor Gillum and the City Commissioners and their position is clear.

They said, “We were surprised when the City Commission voted in January to extend the establishments’ hours.  As committed community partners, we hope that you will take the opportunity to correct this error. ”

And they added, “We would like to make it clear – extending the closing time for these establishments sends a message to our students, and it is the wrong message.”

The letter, provided below, was signed by the Vice Presidents for Student Affairs of FSU, FAMU and TCC.

Back in January, Mayor Andrew Gillum, City Commissioners Nancy Miller and Curtis Richardson voted for the change, while City Commissioners Gil Ziffer and Scott Maddox voted against the proposal based on public safety concerns.

The three that voted in favor of the extended hours showed little concern about the public safety issues during the debate.

The letter was also signed by the Chiefs of Police of FSU, FAMU, and TCC.

TR  will have a report on the vote tomorrow.

This year two seats on the City Commission are up for election. Current City Commissioner Curtis Richardson, who occupies Seat 2, is being challenged by Steven Hougland.

Also, City Commission Seat 1 is on the ballot this year. However, current City Commissioner Scott Maddox, who occupies Seat 1,  has opted to run for Superintendent of Schools. This means there will be no incumbent on the ballot.

Current candidates vying for this position include Rick Minor, Gloria Pugh, Bruce Strouble and Luther Lee.

City Commission Seat 2

During comments on the candidates top priorities, Mr Richardson spoke about accomplishments by the City that has made Tallahassee “a very business friendly environment.” He spoke about streamlining the permitting process and the lowered utility costs that have occurred due to reductions in fuel expense. He also lauded the City’s decision to focus on business incubators.

Mr. Hougland said his top priorities are to repeal the 13 percent increase in property taxes the Commission approved last year and to reduce crime. Hougland said  “[W]e can’t attract businesses to a high crime area like we’re seeing now.” He added that the old approach of  luring business to town should give way to a new approach focused on growing businesses already operating in the community.

During the debate, the discussion revealed issues where City Commissioner Richardson and Mr. Hougland agreed and clearly disagreed.

First, both candidates supported body cameras for police officers and both spoke favorably about the new economic development approach that is focused on incubating new businesses.

Two clear disagreements were centered around property taxes and a vote Mr.Richardson made in favor of extending the business hours of bars and restaurants from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m.

Mr. Hougland said he would vote to repeal the 13% property tax increase by finding reductions in spending.

City Commissioner Richardson, who voted for the 13% property tax increase, spoke about the need to increase a property tax that had not changed in over ten years. He also spoke about his willingness to meet with those groups that opposed the tax increase and said the increase, which amounted to $40 a year on his tax bill, would not have a huge financial impact.

On the expanded hours for bars and restaurants, Mr. Richardson said the vote will help create more jobs and noted the change in business hours does not affect the cessation of alcohol sales which is still 2 a.m.

Mr. Hougland said that as a retired law enforcement official he did not think it was a good idea, given our current issue with crime, to extend the hours. He argued it would put more work on an already burdened police department.

City Commission Seat 1

Given there is no incumbent running in this race, there is no voting record for candidates to challenge or defend. At times this can make it tougher to distinguish between the candidates. At the forum it did became clear that Rick Minor and Gloria Pugh are the more experienced candidates. However, Bruce Strouble and Luther Lee, both newcomers to the process, offered substantive answers about priorities.

Gloria Pugh, a local business owner, spoke about her business background and the need for accountability. She advocated for “scrubbing the budget” when it came to raising taxes and voiced the need to support workforce development. She said, “we have a serious situation with workforce development” in this community.

Ms. Pugh has been heavily involved in seeking solutions to crime issues through her affiliation with the Community Leadership Council on Gun Violence.

Rick Minor, who has held positions inside and outside of government, said his priorities include crime, helping local businesses by creating a stable business environment, and addressing South City issues.

Mr. Minor, who was Chief of Staff for former Mayor John Marks, spoke about his government experience and his ability to get things done.

Bruce Strouble, talked about the need to “bring about equitable development” across the community that is sustainable and ” to make sure that we have people prepared to go into the workforce.”

Luther Lee, who works at the Florida Department of Revenue, said that government is ineffective and he would “seek savings before raising taxes.” He argued that he is running “to put a guy in office that speaks for regular people.”

The results of  the straw poll conducted by NEBA showed Gloria Pugh won Seat 1 and Steven Hougland won Seat 2.

Newly appointed City Manager Rick Fernandez answered the question quickly by saying “we have not seen an exodus of small businesses, obviously.”

However, TR requested the number of City registered businesses since 2010 and it appears the City’s own data contradicts the City Manager’s answer to Commissioner Richardson’s question.

TR requested annual business tax certificates from the City and the numbers show a decrease of 486 business tax certificates since 2010. This is a 3.8% decrease. The chart below shows the numbers as reported by the City.

The question by Commissioner Richardson was in response to concerns echoed earlier in the meeting by Penny Herman, a member of  Citizens of Responsible Spending, who said City budget policy was in part responsible for a slow local economy.

Ms. Herman cited a study by the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics that showed Leon County last in job growth in Florida in 2015. Our report on that issue can found here.

Click on image to enlarge.