An Interview with Kristin Dozier, Leon County's Commissioner-Elect

For anyone who doesn't know, Kristin Dozier was declared the winner in District 5 after Chairman Bob Rackleff withdrew very shortly after the Primary in August. She will assume office on November 16th and although she is very busy preparing for her new role, I had the pleasure of sitting down with her for a little while late last week to ask some questions and talk about her future plans. It was a great conversation! Thanks, Kristin, for taking the time to do this interview. My hope is that some folks who have not had the opportunity to meet Kristin in person will learn a little more about our newest Commissioner.


Panhandle Wonk (PW): What made you want to run for County Commission?
Kristin Dozier (KD): Well, this may sound a bit strange having just gone through the process, but I've always felt...well two things: I've always felt you need a diversity of experience to run for office. Getting out of college and knowing you want to get into politics was never to me the right trajectory. I think you need to get out and get experience first. Second, being asked by the community was very important. So, part of the reason I decided to run was that a number of people with diverse backgrounds came to me and said "we believe there will be an open seat in 2010 and we really think you should consider it." The reason I believe they said that and also the reason I thought I had something to bring to the Commission is because I've been working on sustainability for years - mainly through sustainable construction but also by setting up Sustainable Tallahassee. I believe there is a way to engage the business and development communities - folks who may not think about environmental issues first - and really bring them to the table to talk about sustainability because it is more marketable. It's good for our economy. It's good for our quality of life. And it's good for our environment. Triple bottom line. Being able to convey that message by walking into a room of staunch conservatives who don't want to hear a thing about global warming and at the end of the conversation having them ask a million questions about sustainable construction because they really get it - I think this message is so important. So often we have an "either-or" society – it’s either the environment or it’s economics. I wanted to bring the perspective to the Commission that it IS both - that we cannot give up our principles on one side about environmental protection and quality of life, but also that our economy is obviously important to all of us. We CAN focus on all of it.

PW: So would you say that these particular issues are so central to life in Leon County that they really transcend gender, race, orientation, etc.?
KD: Absolutely. These are everyone's issues. There are, however, different ways the sustainability movement will affect people in different communities. We can't do everything at once. If you were to look at everything you should do to be sustainable, it's overwhelming! You have to look at the complexity of the issues and the effects, both short and long-term, on the community in question and you have to have people who are willing to really look at these issues from different points of view.

PW: What would you say to the GLBT community? Commissioner Rackleff was a great advocate for the community, but many people don't know you and aren't sure you will be supportive.
KD: The short answer is that I am very committed, not to just GLBT issues, but to human rights in general. People who don't know me yet may question it, but I have always been committed to supporting equal rights. I'm very glad that Bob was on the Commission to take the lead during the passage of the Human Rights Ordinance, but that same advocate and voice and commitment will be there with me. I didn't talk about this much during the campaign because I think we should all be committed to equality and human rights whether we have someone lesbian or gay in our family or not, but I have dealt with it. It's very personal to me as I was a teenager with a mother in a relationship with another woman and even back then I knew I would always stand up for her rights and I've always been an advocate for her. Obviously based on what I just said I did not run against Bob because of his stand on the Human Rights Ordinance and GLBT issues! I'm as committed as Bob has been and I hope you'll be open to letting me prove it.

PW: So you ran against Bob because...
KD: First, I thought it was going to be an open seat and he changed his mind after I'd been thinking about it for awhile. Obviously I could have changed my mind, but by that time I'd been watching the Commission for so long that I truly believe there is a better way to accomplish the same goals. There is a conversation that needs to take place that wasn't necessarily there. I respect Bob. We agree on a lot of issues, but I thought it was time for a different perspective and voice.

PW: A number of people have commented to me that while you seem nice, they were not sure about having a developer on the Commission. What would you say to them?
KD: Well, the short answer is that MadDog Construction isn't a developer! The distinction between developer and contractor may seem like splitting hairs to many people, but it's really not the same. A developer buys a large piece of property. They own the land and develop it by selling off parcels in various ways while a contractor does just that - performs work (construction) under a contract. A great story from when I was walking the district during the campaign. I was walking in Blairstone Forest and spoke to a couple that said they supported Bob and expressed their feelings about having a developer on the Commission. I said I totally respect that, but if you have any questions for me I'd be happy to answer them. They had lots of questions and also said "well we know you're a developer." I explained the difference to them but also said that yes, MadDog was a developer back in the 70's and early 80's and the last project they did was...Blairstone Forest. MadDog won numerous environmental awards for that project, yet under the current comprehensive plan you couldn't build a development like that any more. I think it made an impression on them. That's the technical side of it.

On the other side of it, I've worked in the construction industry my entire adult life. It put food on our table my entire life. MadDog has always had an environmental focus, but also a community focus. I think we were an example to others in the construction industry that you CAN have both. Having the business and contracting experience that I do gives me a different perspective. I know the incredible benefit of the construction industry to our community. Obviously it provides jobs, but quality construction can give us the ability to grow in a sustainable way. Being able to talk to a contractor about sustainable construction - knowing the language - is a huge plus.

Someone recently told me that he had never seen a Commissioner who has support from both the folks who want to build everything and the folks who don't want to build anything! My response was that throughout the campaign I told both sides exactly the same thing - smart sustainable growth because we're going to grow, but it needs to be in the right way.

PW: So, what's the first thing you want to do when you start?
KD: You can't do everything overnight when you start. My primary goal right now is to make sure I am fully educated before assuming my position. Bob had incredible class and dignity. He really gave me a gift in that I have 2 1/2 months to talk to him, to study and be fully prepared to take office. I need to be ready to respond intelligently to all the current issues before the Commission. Of course there are a number of ideas that I have, but I don't expect to do everything immediately. Innovation Park is a prime example of a current issue that I need to be fully educated on to be able to take part in all discussions. It has been the cause of a breakdown in numerous relationships in the county. FAMU and FSU have basically walked away from the project. It will be difficult, maybe even impossible to salvage the relationships, but I'm excited at the prospect of looking at what can be done with it. There isn't a strong connection among the large entities in our community and I think encouraging those connections will be good for our community and for all of the organizations involved. There is a tremendous amount of talent coming out of FAMU, FSU and TCC and we need to capitalize on it! Although we do a lot of short-term planning in government, I think local government has the ability to do more long-term planning, so I will work to expand that.

PW: And finally, a fun question! What has been the most surprising thing about your new role OR what are you looking forward to most?
KD: Being recognized around town. The first time it really hit me was the Sunday after the election and I went to Publix. I was stopped probably 10 or 12 times by various people. Then I saw a man with his two little girls and he was talking to them and pointing at me. They never came up to me, but I it really hit me because I knew they were looking at me as a role model. Letting girls know that you can grow up and win an election or do whatever you want to do is a great feeling. You know, a lot of people have said to me that they don't know how I can deal with people coming up to me even in the grocery store to talk about cell phone towers or what have you, but I knew what I was signing up for and I'm fine with it.

Good luck, Kristin! I think you’re going to do a great job!