Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum might not be running for Congress this year but he is clearly aiming for something higher down the road.
At the end of last month, Gillum announced he wasn’t going to run for Congress, even if, in the aftermath of the latest round of redistricting, U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla., decides to run in Central Florida instead of relying on her Jacksonville and North Florida base.
“These last few months I have had the opportunity to think back on all that we have accomplished in our first year,” Gillum said. “From investing in the needs of children and families, to building an inclusive and vibrant quality of life, to growing a new economy where innovation thrives and hardworking people can work to get ahead. My reflections have shown me that my heart is with the city of Tallahassee. I will continue to assess how I can best serve our community and state in the future, but I am committed to fulfilling my term and building on the tremendous progress we have already made. In making this decision, I realize that there may still be major shifts in the race for the 5th Congressional District. Despite this anticipated change, my decision is final, as is my pledge to continue serving the citizens of Tallahassee.”
Gillum probably chose wisely, especially as former Florida Senate Democratic Leader Al Lawson, who is also from Tallahassee, had already announced that he was making a third congressional bid.
Still, Gillum shows no signs of heading to the sidelines over issues outside of local ones, something the Tallahassee mayor made clear as he announced he would not run for Congress.
“I believe that our city needs a strong voice at the state and national level that can represent our best interests, and I look forward to continuing to use my role as mayor to fight every day on behalf of my community,” Gillum said.
All signs indicate Gillum intends to be that “strong voice.” Earlier this month, Gillum took part in a media event organized by the League of Women Voters (LWF) against an open carry proposal before the Legislature.
"State leaders ought to be doing all they can to make Florida communities safer for children and families," Gillum said at the media event. "This proposal does nothing to advance the well-being of our citizens, and needlessly creates a more dangerous environment for the people of Tallahassee and our state.”
Gillum also waded into national policies as one of the loudest cheerleaders in Florida behind President Barack Obama’s plan to resettle Syrian refugees into the U.S., going so far as to welcome them to Tallahassee. That’s drawn fire from some leaders of the business community.
Barney Bishop, who chairs the Tallahassee Network of Entrepreneurs and Business Advocates, jabbed Gillum on the issue at a recent luncheon. “If the mayor wants to invite Syrian refugees here to Tallahassee, fine, let’s make a trade,” Bishop told his members. “They can come here if they will take him over there.”
While he’s only 36, Gillum is already something of a political veteran. He was elected to the Tallahassee City Commission back in 2003 at the ripe old age of 23 and was quickly pegged as a rising star and cruised to reelection in 2004, 2008 and 2012 before being elected mayor in 2014. Gillum’s also been active with People for the American Way and was deputy director of the Florida Democratic Party. Back in 2011, Gillum considered offering a challenge to former state Sen. Rod Smith in the race to be chairman of the Florida Democrats but eventually settled for a vice chairmanship.
In recent years, Democrats from Tallahassee like Loranne Ausley and Scott Maddox have stumbled in their attempts to move up the political ladder. Gillum seems to be trying to move up at a slower pace than Maddox did and he does have a great deal of strengths including charisma and being an excellent orator. Even as he opted to stay out of the congressional race, Gillum showed he as ambitions of going higher than his current post. With Florida Democrats having a pretty thin bench, keep an eye on Gillum in the years to come.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN. Ed Dean, a senior editor with Sunshine State News whose talk show can be heard on radio stations in Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, Daytona Beach, Orlando, the Space Coast, the Treasure Coast and South Florida from West Palm Beach to Miami. It can also be heard in parts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. You can reach him at ed@sunshinestatenews.com. Follow him on Twitter: @eddeanradio.
