Capital Tiger Bay Club Hosts
Candidates for Mayor of Tallahassee
in a General Election Debate
Capital Tiger Bay Club continues its 2026 General Election Debate Series on Tuesday, October 27, as we host Loranne Ausley and Jeremy Matlow, the two candidates for Mayor of Tallahassee, just one week ahead of the Tuesday, November 3 General Election.
Ausley and Matlow emerged from a competitive four-candidate Primary Election on August 18. Matlow finished first with 36.02% of the vote, followed closely by Ausley with 33.76%, advancing both candidates to the General Election.
With current Mayor John Dailey not seeking a third term, Tallahassee voters will elect a new mayor this November. The mayor is elected citywide and serves as one of five members of the Tallahassee City Commission. Ausley and Matlow will discuss their vision for Tallahassee, key issues facing the city and its residents, and why they are seeking the opportunity to serve as Tallahassee’s next mayor.
The October 27 program continues Capital Tiger Bay Club’s longstanding tradition of providing members and guests an opportunity to hear directly from candidates before casting their ballots — and offers a timely opportunity to hear from both mayoral candidates during the final week of the 2026 General Election.
In the week leading up to the event, members will have the opportunity to submit questions for consideration by moderator Gary Fineout of POLITICO.
We hope you will join us for this important and informative program.
About the Candidates
Loranne Ausley
Loranne Ausley has spent more than two decades bringing people together to solve problems and deliver results for Tallahassee and North Florida. She is an attorney, a small
business owner, a former State Senator and State Representative, and a longtime advocate for children, families, neighborhoods, and economic opportunity.
During 14 years in the Florida Legislature, Loranne built a record of bipartisan service focused on practical results. Her work helped secure funding to transform a former waste site into Cascades Park, establish Florida’s Office of Broadband, improve infrastructure, expand affordable housing, strengthen workforce development, and support pay increases for state employees. She also sponsored and passed legislation removing racially restrictive covenants, protecting heirs; property rights, creating Florida’s Children’s Cabinet, and improving
accommodations and assistive technology for Floridians with disabilities.
Loranne’s community leadership has always extended beyond elected office. She founded Whole Child Leon, a community-wide initiative focused on improving outcomes for young children and families.
That work helped lay the foundation for the Children’s Services Council of Leon
County, which now invests more than $10 million each year in local children and families. She also brought the Purpose
Built Communities model to Tallahassee and served for seven years as founding chair of the South City Foundation, working to improve housing, education, health, and economic opportunity in one of Tallahassee’s most historically underserved neighborhoods.
She currently serves as Board Chair of the Institute for Child Success and on the board of the Claude Pepper Foundation. Her civic service has also included the Florida
Healthy Kids Corporation, CareerSource, United Way of the Big Bend, Oasis Center for Women & Girls, Leadership Florida, and the Tallahassee Urban League. Loranne earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and politics from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College and a law degree from Washington and Lee University School of Law. She and her husband, attorney Bill Hollimon, live in Tallahassee and are part of a family-owned small business. Their son, Will, is a musician.
Loranne is also a six-time Ironman finisher. After surviving a life-threatening bicycle accident in 2024, she experienced
Tallahassee’s compassion and strength in a deeply personal way. Her recovery reinforced the resilience, gratitude, and belief in community that guide her public service.
Jeremy Matlow
Raised on Tallahassee’s south side with a passion for the public good, Commissioner Jeremy Matlow believes that citizens and neighborhoods should drive the priorities of City Hall. By bringing more people into the political process and advocating for the concerns of everyday people, Jeremy is committed to building a city that works for everyone through dedicated public service.
Jeremy helped lead the revitalization of Gaines Street and the All Saints District as President of the Gaines Street Community Association. He is the co-founder of Gaines Street Pies, a successful business he and a partner built from the ground up into an enterprise with 85 employees right here in Tallahassee. Jeremy was also appointed by the mayor’s office to serve on the Municipal Code Enforcement Board.
Jeremy lives with his wife Sarah and two sons, Declan and Ethan. He was elected to the office of City Commissioner in 2018.
In addition to sitting on the CRA and Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency, Commissioner Matlow is a member of the Capital Regional Transportation Planning Agency, the Downtown Improvement Authority and the Council on Culture & Arts.
About the Moderator
Gary Fineout has covered Florida politics and policy for nearly four decades. Early in his career with The Tallahassee Democrat he covered Tallahassee and Leon County government including a heated 1990 election for city commission that featured one of the candidates running for the commission this year. Since then, he has covered the Florida Legislature, state elections and five Florida
Gary Fineout has covered Florida politics and policy for nearly four decades. Early in his career with The Tallahassee Democrat, he covered Tallahassee and Leon County government including a heated 1990 election for city commission that featured one of the candidates running for the commission this year. Since then, he has covered the Florida Legislature, state elections and five Florida governors for several media outlets including POLITICO, the Miami Herald and the Associated Press. His work has appeared in many other publications including the N.Y. Times. He has been with POLITICO since 2019. He is a graduate of Florida State University with a degree in American and Florida studies that sadly is no longer offered.
We ask members to PLEASE RSVP as soon as you can and NO LATER THAN Thursday, October 22nd which allows us to plan for seating and service at the event.
Guest fee for this program is $35. Please RSVP at your earliest convenience so we may provide an accurate headcount for food and beverage.
We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, October 27th!
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