From TMH to cost-cutting, Commission Seat 5 hopefuls debate at candidate forum

Eight years ago, when City Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox first stepped into the local political ring, Dot Inman-Johnson urged her to run.

Now, Inman-Johnson is competing against her for her seat.

Inman-Johnson said she was "a big fan" of Williams-Cox back then, but things have changed.

"She became a different person after she was elected," Inman-Johnson said when asked if the race has become personal. "Not listening to the public, not doing the public's will, and that caused me concern."

Williams-Cox said the race wasn't personal and she applauds Inman-Johnson's historical record.

"But in the past eight years, I have been the one who has been providing, not headlines, but solutions to the people of Tallahassee," Williams-Cox said.

The two leaders' evolving relationship were just one of the things discussed during a June 17 forum hosted by the Tallahassee Democrat, the Capital Region News Collaborative and the League of Women Voters.

Williams-Cox, former Mayor Inman-Johnson and retired Army combat medic Tifany Hill went head to head, weighing in on key issues facing the Tallahassee community and making their case as to why they should be voted into City Commission Seat 5.

Here are the main takeaways from the discussion:

Candidates discuss how they would preserve services amid potential property tax cuts

After Florida lawmakers approved a ballot initiative that would erase most property tax on 92% of primary homes, local leaders have been hotly debating how to ensure residents' needs are met if they wind up with less funds at their disposal.

The city stands to lose $29 million in the first two years if voters approve the amendment by a 60% margin.

While all three women agreed preserving public safety would be the priority if voters approved this homestead exemption, they each had different approaches and opinions on how they'd keep the city moving forward without its biggest revenue pool.

Hill said her first order of business would be to review the city's budget to see what positions and programs can and should be adjusted.

"We may have to adjust salaries or whatever we need to to preserve the recreation, the services that we have," Hill said.

Williams-Cox said the city is already being proactive and has other revenue sources to rely on. She also pointed to the city's severance program that provided 171 employees with a buyout as a means to cuts costs during this time of financial uncertainty.

"We're working to educate our citizens on what it would mean if that property tax referendum passes," Williams-Cox said.

Inman-Johnson, however, said the city isn't doing enough, noting how Leon County has already identified what this tax cut would cost them while the city hasn't given the public a detailed report of what could come.

She even suggested consolidating the two local governments should be considered as a way to survive these possible budget constraints.

"In the past, I have not supported consolidation, but with the financial issues we're dealing with now, I think we need one combined local government to hold accountable and also reduce our costs," Inman-Johnson said.

Candidates split on when new city manager should be selected

This year's election is sweeping a lot of change across City Hall, and the change isn't limited elected officials. City Manager Reese Goad submitted his resignation in April, and now Florida's capital city is looking for the next person to take the reins.

Since the news broke, candidates and current commissioners have argued both sides when considering who should be the one to pick the new city manager, and it was no different among the Seat 5 candidates Wednesday.

Williams-Cox advocated for the current commission to make the decision while Hill and Inman-Johnson said they felt the new commission should bear that responsibility.

"We have a process in place and that process has been proven to work," Williams-Cox said. "I believe we should do our job until the end. We shouldn't sit and wait for someone else to come in to fix what we could have done."

Hill said the new manager should be appointed after the new commission is installed "because you create your own culture."

Inman-Johnson said she didn't have "the slightest idea" why the commission feels it has to rush to fill Goad's position in two months: "If they really want to look out for the interest of the city, they will take their time to do it right."

Candidates weigh in on sale of TMH, Capital City Country Club

Two major sales of public property — Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare and the Capital City Country Club — stirred lots of controversy throughout the community over the last year, and the three candidates shared their thoughts on how these transfers of public assets are impacting the community.

Williams-Cox called the sale of TMH to Florida State University "the most historic thing to happen in Tallahassee" in decades. The sale allowed for an expanded FSU Health to take shape and the commissioner said she's "very proud" to have been a part of that.

"We need modern healthcare," she said. "Many of us have to travel to other places to receive the kind of healthcare that is specialized, that's needed."

Inman-Johnson and Hill both criticized how fast the deal went down and expressed fears for the future of indigent care under FSU's ownership.

The hospital was "sold to FSU for peanuts," Inman-Johnson said, and the majority of negotiations happened behind closed doors so the public was largely left in the dark.

"I'm very disappointed in that sale of TMH simply because of the process," Hill said.

The same battle lines were drawn when the three discussed the sale of the Capital City Country Club.

Hill said it was "disheartening" and "disappointing" to watch the city sell the golf course after residents had been trying to keep investors from developing the land.

Inman-Johnson said the city should have done more to protect and commemorate the gravesite that were determined to be the final resting place of slaves.

"I believe that it was in the city's best interest to sell the land," Williams-Cox said. "The cemetery ... has been memorialized and is still under city control."

More about the candidate forums

This year, the Tallahassee Democrat has been building on our partnership with the League of Women Voters of Tallahassee and WFSU to broadcast our award-winning candidate forums before the primary and general elections.

We are excited to join the Capital Region News Collaborative, a media consortium made up of TV, radio, newspaper and digital reporters, editors and anchors that are hosting the forums.

The Tallahassee Democrat has been teaming up with the League and Collaborative partners WFSU, WCTV, WTXL, Capital Outlook and Tallahassee Reports to question the candidates.

The debates are made possible through the support of Press Forward North Florida, an initiative of the Community Foundation of North Florida. Press Forward brings together journalists, nonprofit leaders, educators, and community stakeholders to identify needs and create sustainable solutions that enhance civic engagement and strengthen trusted local news for years to come.

How to watch past forums

Click on the links below to watch a replay of each of the candidate forums.

• Tallahassee Mayor — Loranne Elizabeth Ausley, Michael Shawn Foust, Jeremy Matlow and Daryl D. Parks
• Tallahassee City Commission Seat 5 — Tifany Hill, Dot Inman-Johnson and Dianne Williams-Cox
• Tallahassee City Commission Seat 3 — Darryl "Dar Wavemaker" Alfred, Tom Derzypolski, Talethia Edwards, Maxwell “Max” Herrle, PJ Perez and Norm Roche
• 2nd Judicial Circuit Judge Group 13 — Rashad Green and J. Lee Marsh
• 2nd Judicial Circuit Judge Group 7 — Stephanie A. Cager and Jason Jones
• Leon County School Board District 5 — Marcus Bernard Nicolas and James G. Reilly, Jr.

Forums for the mayor's race, the two Tallahassee City Commission races, School Board and two circuit judge races were broadcast live at the Tallahassee Democrat's Facebook page, the Tallahassee Democrat's YouTube Channel and on Tallahassee.com. They are archived on our YouTube page under the playlist "2026 Primary Election Forums." The forums will also be aired in replay on WFSU radio at 88.9 FM.

Media partners have also archived the debates on their sites.

Our election guides to the candidates and issues

Our special primary election guide will be printed in the Sunday, Aug. 2 paper ahead of early voting. You’ll be able to access the same information – and much more – at our 2026 online Election HQ at Tallahassee.com/elections.

Elena Barrera can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: From TMH to cost-cutting, Commission Seat 5 hopefuls debate at candidate forum