After losing out to Mark Pafford to be the next leader of the Democrats in the Florida House, Alan Williams said he was thinking about running for local office. But by opening the door to leaving office, Williams, intentionally or not, let other Democratic candidates slip into the race for his House seat.
Williams is certainly exploring running for the Tallahassee City Commission seat currently held by Andrew Gillium. It might seem like a step back for Williams but he faces term limits come 2016 and, after losing to Pafford, it appears hes gone as far in the House as he can.
In truth, Williams has few other political options. Fellow Democrat Bill Montford represents the area in the Florida Senate and he wont be facing term limits until 2020. Gwen Graham and Al Lawson are higher in the pecking order if Williams wants to run for Congress against Steve Southerland. There are also other Tallahassee Democrats biding their time, including the likes of Loranne Ausley. Williams could be following the game plan followed by Scott Maddox who, after three bids for statewide office and leading the Florida Democrats, headed to the Tallahassee City Commission. Maddox is 45 and Williams is only 38. They both have time to let things sort themselves out before seeking higher office again.
In the meantime, other Democrats have filed to run for the House seat Williams currently holds. Ramon Alexander filed to run early last month. Alexanders well-known in the area, having served in the mayors office and as student body president of FAMU, moving on to serve on the board of trustees of that university. After running for City Commission in 2006 but losing to Bill Proctor, Alexander has remained active in public affairs and currently leads the Distinguished Young Gentlemen of America which helps young men in the area and across the nation. Still, Alexander has said he has no intention of taking on Williams.
Another major Democrat jumped in the race this week. Clarence Jackson kicked off his own bid on Monday. Jackson is well-established in Gadsden County though not well-known in Tallahassee itself. He served as mayor of Gretna and sits on the board of directors of the Gadsden Tourist Development Council. Jackson has already reeled in the support of James Harold Thompson, a local Democrat who served as House speaker back in the 1980s.
L. Bradford "Brad" Johnson is also in the race. Johnson currently serves as an aide to Tallahassee Mayor John Marks dealing with community relations and external affairs. Ironically, its a similar post to what Alexander held a few years back. Johnson is also well-known in Tallahassee but he also ties to Gadsden County.
With three major candidates already running in the Democratic primary, Williams might have to run for the City Commission. While he might be leaving the Florida House, Williams shows no signs of going away and, last week, went up to Washington to campaign against the states Stand Your Ground law. Whatever he does, Williams shows no signs of fading away any time soon.
Tallahassee political writer Jeff Henderson wrote this analysis piece exclusively for Sunshine State News.
