Ex-chief of staff of Gillum campaigns on lowering crime

TALLAHASSEE – Since Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum became the Democratic nominee for governor, it’s usually been Republicans pointing out that his city has the highest crime rate in the state. Now, it’s Dustin Daniels, Gillum’s former chief of staff, who is running to replace him as mayor.

Daniels sent campaign mailers to voters this weekend warning that “Tallahassee had the highest number of murders in history last year and we top the state for the highest crime rate” and that the city “must do better.”

“When families in our city don’t feel safe, we should all be concerned,” Daniels is quoted in another mail piece. “We need our leaders to turn that concern into action.”

Republicans and allies of Gillum’s opponent, Ron DeSantis, cited the mailer as evidence Gillum has ignored the problem since he became mayor in 2014.

“Even Andrew Gillum’s former chief of staff is admitting his boss’s failure to keep people safe,” said Republican Party of Florida spokeswoman Meredith Beatrice. “How can Gillum expect to keep Florida safe when he has allowed Tallahassee to become one of the most crimeridden cities in Florida?”

Florida Department of Law Enforcement reports show that vehicle thefts, larcenies, burglaries, aggravated assaults, robberies, rapes and murders increased 6.5 percent in Tallahassee in 2015, Gillum’s first full year as mayor, and by another 9 percent in 2016. The rate dropped 14 percent last year, but still maintained a rate of 5,765.5 incidents for every 100,000 people, the highest in the state.

Gillum’s supporters have defended his record as mayor, noting he helped push through a tax increase last year to hire more police officers and that helped lead to the drop in the rate. They also note that the rate is primarily driven by non-violent larcenies, which accounted for 66 percent of the total, so the city isn’t a crime-infested, dangerous town the numbers might suggest.

Gillum’s campaign directed reporters to city officials for a response, but a city spokeswoman did not return a call seeking comment. Daniels’ campaign didn’t respond to an email.

Tallahassee has seen a rash of burglaries in unlocked cars, leading police to conduct awareness campaigns reminding residents to lock their doors at night. But those crimes can still lead to outbursts of violence.

Leon County deputies responded to a robbery call Saturday night in which a homeowner exchanged gunfire with suspects he believed were attempting to break into his vehicle. The incident took place in the usually quiet Killearn area of northern Tallahassee, not far from where Gillum lives.

“Now we’re having shootings in northeast Tallahassee — it’s becoming a citywide problem that has people really worried,” said Evan Power, chairman of the Leon County Republican Party. “I think it’s a leadership problem. You’re talking about becoming the leader of the third-largest state in the union and this is a guy who has on a number of fronts has not been able to lead a medium-sized city.”