Bill Proctor at Tiger Bay: He's 'tired' of Tallahassee city commission infighting

Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor called on his counterparts on Tallahassee's city commission to stop their bickering and get their act together, saying both he and their constituents are "tired of it."

Proctor, currently the longest serving county commissioner, spoke at Tuesday's monthly meeting at the Tucker Civic Center of the Capital Tiger Bay Club, "founded to provide a non-partisan forum on current political issues."

Proctor also called on the city to continue expanding utility service on the south side, which he represents, and to agree on a new labor contract with Tallahassee's firefighters union. He listed other hopes for the future, such as fairground development.

But the rift on the city commission – with Mayor John Dailey and Commissioners Dianne Williams-Cox and Curtis Richardson on one side, and Commissioners Jack Porter and Jeremy Matlow on the other – particularly irritated him, according to his remarks.

He's sick of how the city commission "doesn't communicate," he said, and it irks him all the more because he's fond of everyone on that board.

"I endorsed John Dailey to become mayor, I endorsed Commissioner Jack Porter ... I get along well with Commissioner Williams-Cox," Proctor said. "I go to church with and get along with Curtis Richardson and Commissioner Jeremy Matlow. I like all of them."

He also alluded to the city's charter review committee, which voted at their last meeting on Feb. 20 that commissioners should be paid more.

"I don't want a pay raise for the city commissioners till the ... fire service's men and women are taken care of," Proctor said in an interview after the event.

The union has been negotiating with the city since March 2023 on a new contract, but city officials have been uncooperative, union leaders say. Last November, the Tallahassee Democrat reported that the union had gone through at least 16 negotiation sessions.

The utility expansion too has been a long-time wish for Proctor, originally announced in October 2022, and unanimously voted on at the tail end of that month. The $20 million project expands city sewer and water lines to properties in the triangle bounded by Woodville and Crawfordville highways and Capital Circle. Some are inside the city limits; others are in unincorporated Leon County.

Proctor has served eight terms representing District 1, first elected in 1996 after his predecessor, the late Anita Davis.

District 1 covers a wide swath of Leon County, including the Frenchtown and Griffin Heights neighborhoods, much of Tallahassee's south side, such as parts of Woodville. It also includes neighborhoods within the 32304 ZIP code, the poorest in the state.

Proctor also is a senior pastor at Salem A.M.E. Church in Greensboro, Florida and political science instructor at Florida A&M University.

Proctor will next see city commissioners when he and the other county commissioners meet with them as the Blueprint Board this Thursday at 3 p.m. in City Hall.

Editor's note — An earlier version of this story misstated some of Proctor's background.

Arianna Otero is the City Solutions Reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com and follow her on Twitter/X: @ari_v_otero.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor hosted by Capital Tiger Bay Club