Rudy Ferguson Sr. challenging Jack Porter for Tallahassee City Commission Seat 1

Rudy Ferguson Sr., a pastor and longtime advocate for the Griffin Heights neighborhood, is challenging City Commissioner Jack Porter for Seat 1 in 2024.

Ferguson, who ran unsuccessfully for a Leon County Commission seat last year, announced his candidacy and filed his campaign paperwork on Monday. In a news release, he said he “aims to bring positive change, effective leadership and consensus building” to the City Commission at a time when the city faces “serious challenges.”

“Top-to-bottom policy does not work,” Ferguson said in the release. “You must be on the ground, listening and seeing the issues firsthand. Only then, can you produce effective solutions.”

Ferguson, senior pastor at New Birth Tabernacle of Praise and a longtime resident of Griffin Heights, one of Tallahassee’s poorest neighborhoods, said he wants to foster an “inclusive, prosperous and equitable city.”

Other recent news: Scott Maddox released from federal prison after serving 18 months of 5-year bribery sentence

In an interview, he criticized Porter, who was elected in 2018 and filed in February to run for a second term. Porter and Commissioner Jeremy Matlow, who make up the minority voting wing on the City Commission, are often outnumbered on key issues by Mayor John Dailey and Commissioners Curtis Richardson and Dianne Williams-Cox.

“Our community is not happy with Commissioner Porter’s performance,” he said. “She failed to deliver on the promises she made in her first campaign. I’m running because our community needs someone who will work with all sides and produce the positive results we so need.”

Porter said in a text that she welcomes Ferguson to the race and wishes him well.

“An honest campaign based on contrasting ideas for our community’s future is healthy, and I look forward to a robust debate,” she said. “I’m energized by the support our campaign has received, and I’m looking forward to continuing to fight effectively for Tallahassee’s values and the public interest on the City Commission.”

She added, however, that “big developers and organized special interest money clearly have their favored candidates in local elections.”

Ferguson has the apparent support of Grow Tallahassee, a developer-backed group with an affiliated political committee that last year electioneered for candidates including Dailey, Williams-Cox and David Bellamy, who tried unsuccessfully to unseat Matlow. Bugra Demirel, chairperson and treasurer of Grow Tallahassee PC, was listed as the author of Ferguson’s press release in the document’s metadata.

Asked about Demirel’s name appearing in the metadata, Ferguson said he didn’t “recall seeing any of that.” He added that right now, he’s running his own campaign.

“I wrote that press release in conjunction with a few other people to make sure I had my points together,” said Ferguson, who declined to say who helped with the release.

Demirel, in a Friday email, said the Grow Tallahassee PC will not support Porter and that it hasn't decided whom to endorse in the Seat 1 race because more candidates are expected to file.

Last year, Ferguson ran for the at-large County Commission seat held by Nick Maddox but placed third in a four-person primary. He later endorsed Maddox, who went on to win the general election against Josh Johnson.

Ferguson, 51, has been active for years in efforts to address gun violence and crime and served as chairman of the Tallahassee Police Department’s Citizens Advisory Council.

More: Commission redirects $200K from out-of-town group to sheriff's effort to thwart shootings

Recent: As group seeks solution to gun violence in Tallahassee, community members are ready for action

He’s also executive director of the DREAMS Center on Harlem Street, which offers mentoring and other programs to disadvantaged young people. The center is the product of Ferguson’s nonprofit, the Frontline Project, Inc., which has received nearly $100,000 in city funding since 2017, according to city records.

Ferguson said he will continue to work closely with law enforcement, community leaders and residents to ensure the safety and well-being of the public.

“We have heard enough,” he said in the release. “Tallahassee residents need solutions, and they need them now.”

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com and follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Rudy Ferguson Sr. challenging Jack Porter for Tallahassee City Commission