Tallahassee City Hall control at stake as cash pours into Richardson, Inman-Johnson battle

Tallahassee City Hall control at stake as cash pours into Richardson, Inman-Johnson battle

Jeff Burlew

Tallahassee Democrat

Oct. 4, 2024Updated Oct. 5, 2024, 12:44 p.m. ET

What's the price to control City Hall?

Contributors and political committees are pouring in cash to ensure their candidate comes out on top, particularly in the marquee matchup between two city of Tallahassee political heavyweights.

City Commissioner Curtis Richardson, his opponent, Dot Inman-Johnson, and the political committees backing them raised more money — by far — than any of the other local candidates or committees since the Aug. 20 primary.

Richardson's campaign collected a whopping $117,000, with prominent builders and developers kicking in more than $30,000 in multiple installments through a variety of corporate entities. Citizens for Balanced Growth, a political committee backing Richardson and financed entirely by land investor Jeffrey Phipps, reported a $75,000 donation not long after the primary.

Grow Tallahassee PC, which funded numerous rounds of mailers backing Richardson in the primary, took in a comparatively modest $30,000. Bugra Demirel, the PC's chairman, said it won't play as active a role in the general election.

On the other side of the Seat 2 race, City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow's One Tallahassee political committee, which backs Inman-Johnson, raised nearly $105,000. The vast majority of the money came from the Green Advocacy Project, a Palo Alto, California, a nonprofit whose co-founder is a noted Democratic donor, and two other out-of-state nonprofits.

The Big Bend Professional Firefighters and Paramedics PAC, also supporting Inman-Johnson, didn't report any new donations, though it spent more than $10,000 last month on mailers. Inman-Johnson, a former city commissioner and mayor, raised more than $31,000 for her individual campaign account.

The influx of money into the City Commission Seat 2 contest is no surprise given what's on the line in the Nov. 5 general election. If Richardson wins, it will preserve the 3-2 voting majority he's a part of that includes Mayor John Dailey and City Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox.

If Inman-Johnson were to unseat him, it would put progressives in the driver's seat for the first time since Matlow was elected in 2018, followed by City Commissioner Jack Porter two years later. The city manager would likely get a pink slip in such a scenario if he didn't voluntarily depart.

In the meantime, a couple of the candidates have spent large sums on marketing over the past six weeks, including Leon County Commissioner Brian Welch and Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna.

Welch, a Democrat running for reelection against a GOP challenger, Isaac Montilla, in a Republican district, spent nearly $74,000 on ads. Hanna, who's seeking a third term against Chiles High Principal Joe Burgess, spent more than $59,000. Much of that money went toward commercials now airing on local broadcast channels.

Local candidates will update their finances next week; the latest committee reports are due Friday. Here are highlights from state and local campaign finance reports since the primary:

Grow Tallahassee takes financial backseat to Jeffrey Phipps PC

Jeffrey Phipps, descendant of the wealthy Phipps family, dropped $50,000 into his Citizens for Balanced Growth political committee after forming it in May. The committee bought air time for commercials supporting Richardson in the primary.

The PAC spent $40,000 on ad buys through Impact Politics, a Woodland Hills, California, firm, before the primary and another $30,000 since. Last month, it spent nearly $4,000 on video production with Resonate Media of Tallahassee.

Phipps, who created the Orchard Pond Parkway toll road on family-owned land, did not return a phone call from the Democrat. Richardson said he is not coordinating with the committee.

Grow Tallahassee, which raised more than $100,000 for the primary, has taken in less than a third of that amount so far in the general. The committee funded multiple waves of mailers backing Richardson and Rudy Ferguson, who lost to Porter.

The PC collected nine checks totaling $20,000 from Arbor Properties, which builds apartment complexes, and related firms owned by Gordon Thames; and $5,000 apiece from Bill Smith Jr., president and CEO of Capital City Bank, and Moore Bass Consulting. Its expenses include nearly $9,900 to Target Print & Mail for a new round of mailers.

Demirel, whose firm, Demirel International, was paid more than $8,000 by the committee for consulting, said Grow Tallahassee's electioneering will be "very casual" for the general election.

"I think Curtis will be fine," Demirel said, adding that attacks against Richardson by One Tallahassee on the abortion issue are "not working."

In 2021, Richardson voted against a city resolution supporting abortion rights, explaining that while he "wholeheartedly" believed in a woman's right to choose, the issue was for the Legislature to decide and out of the city's hands. The measure passed 3-2, with Dailey, Porter and Matlow in support and Williams-Cox joining Richardson in dissent.

One Tallahassee has been running a 30-second testimonial ad on social media with a young woman who says she had an abortion and that "when it came time to vote, Curtis didn't side with girls like us."

Richardson sees outpouring of financial support after primary loss

Richardson's personal campaign account saw an outpouring of support following his second-place showing in the primary. Commercial real estate firm NAI TALCOR and other companies linked to its president, Ed Murray Jr., gave checks totaling $14,000. Premier Construction and other companies owned by the Ghazvini family gave $10,000.

VancoreJones Communications, its principals Steve Vancore and Drew Jones, and a related polling firm gave a combined $4,000. Lawyers, landowners and developers involved in the Welaunee development gave more than $5,000 combined. State Attorney Jack Campbell and retired Florida State University President John Thrasher each donated $500.

On Tuesday, Richardson attended a "Women for Curtis Richardson" fundraiser at The Moon. Williams-Cox, who helped organize it, posted on Facebook that women "came out in great numbers" and that it was a "successful" fundraiser.

Richardson told the Democrat it was a "wonderful event" and that he has long "championed and supported women and their issues." He noted, as he did in 2021, that he is an honorary "sister girl" with the Sister Girls Network of Tallahassee.

Later this month, Mayor John Dailey and his wife, Virginia Dailey, are hosting a fundraiser for Richardson at their home. The invitations make plain reference to the tenuous balance of power on the City Commission, saying, "One vote changes everything. Your vote matters."

Richardson — who has new mailers out spotlighting he and his wife, Leon County Judge Nina Ashenafi Richardson, and their two daughters — said his "history of service," including his time on the School Board and in the Legislature, was more important than the money contest.

"Certainly you have to have adequate finances to do all the advertising and reaching out to voters," he said. "But I think in the end, it will come down to who has served this community and who the voters think will continue to do the best job in making our community be the All-American City that she has twice been."

One Tallahassee rakes in donations from progressive, out-of-state nonprofits

One Tallahassee, meanwhile, collected another $75,000 from the Green Advocacy Project, raising its total contributions to $150,000. The 501(c)(4), based in Palo Alto, California, has been involved in Tallahassee politics since 2018, when it funded ads attacking Lisa Brown, Matlow's opponent in his first City Commission race.

Two years later, in another serious of circuitous transactions, Green Advocacy funded ads supporting Porter in her first commission run. In 2022, it steered money to Matlow's reelection bid and to his close ally Max Herrle's political committee and consulting firm.

The Green Advocacy Project was co-founded by Michael Kieschnick, who is president and CEO of CREDO Mobile, a cell service company that gives 1% of its proceeds to "left-of-center" causes, according to Influence Watch.

Kieschnick himself gave One Tallahassee an additional $25,000 on Aug. 5, though it was refunded the same day.

At the same time, One Tallahassee reported a $25,000 donation from the Local Jobs and Economic Development Fund, another 501(c)(4), this one based in Delaware, whose corporate records are shrouded in secrecy. The Green Advocacy Project did not respond to an email from the Democrat.

One Tallahassee also got a $10,000 check from the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy Action Fund, whose parent group has advocated for smart energy policies since 1985, and another $10,000 donation from the Climate Cabinet Action Fund based in San Francisco.

Matlow told the Democrat that all three organizations care about protecting the environment and support Democratic candidates who feel the same way.

"Combating climate change, that we're seeing right now, the effects of that with Hurricane Helene just passing, we need to take more action," Matlow said. "So you kind of have these groups that are supporting elected officials across the country that are working on that."

In a column unveiling PC in June, Matlow wrote that One Tallahassee would be "funded by working people and civic minded organizations that care about Tallahassee's future" to promote "thoughtful messages about improving our town's future." Since then, it has taken in 85% of its money through the out-of-town organizations.

'Make sure the playing field is level'

The California funding has drawn criticism from Richardson and his supporters, including local conservative media figures who have taken clear sides in the nonpartisan race.

Richardson said his donors are people who live in the community, including business owners.

"They create jobs," he said. "They pay taxes. I don't know what these people from California and Tennessee are expecting from our local government officials that they're supporting."

Matlow said Richardson and the rest of the City Commission majority — all Democrats — rely on funding from Republican special interests, including developers and the Florida Police Benevolent Association, which endorsed former President Donald Trump.

"Those are all the people rallying their support behind Commissioner Richardson," Matlow said. "And what you're seeing on our end, One Tallahassee is simply the vessel for Democrats to rally behind Dot Inman-Johnson."

Matlow wouldn't say how much money One Tallahassee plans to raise, though he said it will be enough to "make sure the playing field is level and Dot Inman-Johnson can be competitive."

Inman-Johnson, who responded to an email about her finances after this story published online, said she was "out of the loop" on donations that came to One Tallahassee and her own campaign, referring questions to Matlow and her campaign treasurer. She added that she's received endorsements from several local and state good government, labor and women's organizations and "none present a conflict of interest."

"I cannot say the same for Curtis who has received thousands of dollars from developers/contractors who currently have multi-million-dollar contracts with the city of Tallahassee," Inman-Johnson wrote.

Her donors since the primary include the Climate Cabinet PAC of San Francisco, the Gainesville Professional Firefighters and former Tallahassee Mayor Kent Spriggs, all of whom gave $1,000. The Southwest Florida Professional Firefighters contributed $500.

Tallahassee attorney Daryl Parks, who's locked in a tight race against state Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, wrote $250 checks to both Richardson and Inman-Johnson.

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or 850-599-2180.