Tallahassee Democrat Endorsement
City Commission Seat 5 editorial board interview
with Commissioner Allan Katz and James Moran
Article published Aug 30, 2006 - Tallahassee Democrat
Allan Katz
Commissioner’s earned rehiring
Incumbent City Commissioner Allan Katz won’t win any awards for going along to get along. Not that he’d want to.
Seeking election to Seat 5 for the second time (he was first appointed to fill the late Charles Billings’ vacancy), Mr. Katz has the well-deserved reputation of asking questions, challenging assumptions but also suggesting alternatives, even if they mean ruffling a few feathers.
That’s an important part of why he deserves re-election.
Last year, Mr. Katz was the lone commission opponent to a referendum giving the city the leeway to pursue participation in the Taylor Energy Center consortium.
Though a proponent of diversifying Tallahassee’s energy sources, he believes participation in the Taylor deal is bad financially for the city. His advocacy has at times been strident, but it also has played an important role in the city’s in-depth, ongoing examination of a broader range of options.
A 59-year-old attorney, he brings strong analytical and oratorical skills to city issues - important to a high-performing board and staff that sometimes have a need for problems to be assessed from perspectives that might not otherwise be considered.
Among his other major accomplishments: spearheading a multimillion-dollar neighborhood improvement program that has mostly benefited the neglected south side; helping to lead a long-range, zero-based budget review of city operations; and salvaging the Turbocor deal when Leon County’s refusal to participate easily could have sunk it.
His opponent, Florida A&M University development officer James Moran, is well-intentioned and spirited. But he has not demonstrated a strong grasp of the range of complicated issues facing Tallahassee.
City races are nonpartisan, and voters throughout Tallahassee are eligible to cast ballots for every commission seat.
Click HERE for the full list of Allan’s Endorsments