Ferguson calls out Porter in challenge for seat on City Commission

By St. Clair Murraine
Outlook Staff Writer

After hearing a list of issues usually mentioned by anyone seeking election to office, pastor Rudy Ferguson didn’t hesitate to mention the one that he knows too well.

Public safety is high on his list or priorities, said Ferguson, who announced that he is challenging City Commissioner Jack Porter for Seat 1 on the board. Porter, a first term commissioner, also announced in March that she will be seeking re-election.

“We have become so numb and desensitized every time we hear there is a shooting victim,” said Ferguson, a Frenchtown resident for more than three decades. “Most people now accept this as the norm. I can’t because it’s our young African American boys that are going to the grave and also going to prison.

“I’ve done what I can on the ground level as a community leader. We need policies in place; effective policies that can give a sense of hope for these young boys and these families to keep them out of prison and keep them out of the grave.”

Just five months ago, Ferguson unsuccessfully challenged County Commissioner Nick Maddox for his at-large seat.

In part, Ferguson said, he is running for office again because he’s exhausted all he could do as a foot soldier for change in his community. He also said his decision is hastened by Porter’s ineffectiveness as a commissioner.

“Her experience on the commission in the last two and a half years cannot trump 30 years of someone being in the trenches actually dealing with these issues,” Ferguson said. “I wouldn’t even say it is a track record. I would say it’s conversation but nothing we can put in the pot and stir and serve to the people.

“Let’s get down to the meat and potatoes. Let’s start doing more working, more action (and) more positive things coming from us. I believe that I’m the person to do it.”

In a release announcing his candidacy, Ferguson included a lengthy list of accolades and organizations that he’s served. Ferguson, who was chairman of the Tallahassee Police Department’s Advisory Council, also noted being named “Citizen of the Year” by former Florida Attorney General Robert Butterworth.

Ferguson, 51, said he was a teenager when he started a mission to curb crime in his Griffin Heights neighborhood. Some of his effort includes starting the Frontline Project and opening the DREAM Center to mentor young people.

Porter was elected to the board on her first try in 2020 when she unseat Elaine Bryant, who finished the term of suspended commissioner Scott Maddox. Porter has since formed an alliance with commission Jeremy Matlow that often is on the short end of issues supported by Mayor John Dailey and Commissioners Curtis Richardson and Dianne Williams-Cox.

“I welcome Mr. Ferguson to the race and wish him well,” Porter said in a prepared text response to Ferguson’s announcement. “An honest campaign based on contrasting ideas for our community’s future is healthy and I look forward to a robust debate.

“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.”

Ferguson contends that Porter’s stance on the board has made her ineffective.

“I always feel comfortable that I can do what our community needs,” he said. “We’ve waited for Commissioner Porter to come up to that level to fulfill those promises she made when she got into office. Three years into it and nothing has really come from it but more finger-pointing and in-house fighting. We don’t have the time or the inclination to wait until they sort it all out.”

Porter has been out front on some issues that affect marginalized communities. One of her major efforts was her stance against evictions with tenants of the Meadows trailer park were asked to buy or leave during the height of the pandemic. 

That essentially is in line with her call for reining in developers and their involvement in elections.

“Big developers and organized special interest money clearly have their favored candidates in local elections,” Porter wrote. “I’m proud to be the candidate of working people and families all across Tallahassee.”