Two new candidates, both unhappy with recent major decisions at City Hall, are challenging City Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox in the race for Seat 5.
Joe Kalicki, a technology professional, filed to run for the seat on Jan. 13, with Tifany Hill, a retired Army combat medic, filing the next day. Another candidate, Bernard Stevens Jr., filed earlier, making the race a four-way contest for the time being.
The timing of the most recent campaigns coincided with a key vote on one of the biggest and most contentious issues the current City Commission has ever taken up — the sale and transfer of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare to Florida State University.
Commissioners on Jan. 14 voted 3-2 to approve a memorandum of understanding that lays out the framework for a contract on the sale. Mayor John Dailey and Commissioners Williams-Cox and Curtis Richardson, who make up the commission majority, voted in favor, while Commissioners Jeremy Matlow and Jack Porter voted against it.
Kalicki said in a news release that watching Williams-Cox respond to constituent concerns over the TMH sale “pushed” him to get into the race. Kalicki has donated to Porter and Matlow, according to campaign finance reports, and volunteered for them, he said in an interview.
“We have operated in a mode where two commissioners, the mayor, and the city manager want to fast-track every decision, regardless of any reasonable concerns expressed by citizens,” he said in the release. “The future of TMH is one of most seismic potential changes in the city in decades and there’s no reason to not take a measured and steady approach.”
Hill said she decided to run after speaking out about another City Commission decision, selling 180 acres of golf course property, including an unmarked slave cemetery that will be the site of a city memorial, to Capital City Country Club. After doing a live video on Facebook, she said she was asked to run.
“I’m running because our community deserves a better leadership that listens and understands, acts with integrity and follows up with the people,” she said. “And that’s what we’re not getting right now. I think it’s time for the people’s voices not only to be heard but to be acted upon.”
Hill also was critical of the governing majority, saying Matlow and Porter were “digging in and doing their homework” while Williams-Cox, Dailey and Richardson were not.
“The politics needs to be changed as far as the three,” she said. “In some situations, you need to use common sense and you need to read the room.”
Neither Hill nor Kalicki said they would necessarily align themselves with Matlow and Porter on all issues.
“I see myself aligning with what’s right,” Hill said. “I’m an individual. And I’m a realist. And they might not always be right.”
Kalicki said he would focus in part on economic issues and bring a “little bit of a different approach” than Matlow and Porter.
“One of the things that I’m trying to bring to this campaign is the progressive ideals but also really trying to more strictly focus on the job growth, economic diversification … like the economic side, along with housing,” he said.
Candidates lay out their priorities
Hill served as a combat medic during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm starting in 1990 after Iraq invaded Kuwait and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
After active duty, she went to work for the Department of Defense and the Department of Veteran Affairs. She retired in 2024 after working as an outreach program specialist for the Tallahassee Vet Center.
She’s been involved in numerous city issues over the years, from the Orange Avenue Apartments redevelopment to the location of a Piggly Wiggly on the south side, which she opposed. She said she’s interested in addressing issues such as homelessness and affordable housing and high city utility bills.
“I hope … to really gain the trust of the people no matter what side of the fence they’re on,” she said. “It’s not about political party or anything. It is about gaining that trust and forming more connection with the people and with the organizations that are trying to make a better Tallahassee.”
Kalicki serves as director of product development for health informatics company Ruvos, based in Tallahassee, and has more than a decade of experience working in software development leading teams of engineers and designers.
He has worked in a variety of industries in the public and private sector, including health care, insurance, logistics and auto with startups, state agencies and most recently the World Health Organization. He’s also a local musician and artist.
Kalicki said he supports smart growth to address “affordability” and would try to bring more green skilled manufacturing jobs to town. He expressed concern that corporate chains were hurting local businesses and voiced support for a performing arts center.
“I want to try to make inroads with the business community in a way that prior candidates typically have not,” he said. “Because ultimately, we have to have developers and business leaders all on board in order to do bigger things in Tallahassee. My main intent is to bring more people into the tent.”
Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or 850-599-2180.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Why two new candidates have filed for City Commission Seat 5 race
Reporting by Jeff Burlew, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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