Rachel Writes

Note: This post first appeared on the Florida Squeeze site ( http://thefloridasqueeze.com/2015/06/28/guest-column-back-to-the-future-tallahassee-leaders-look-to-chiles-era-reform-efforts-to-address-city-concerns/ ). In recent months, Tallahassee leaders have made efforts to address a number of city issues – from food deserts and disparate health outcomes to youth violence and early learning deficits. Earlier this year, Mayor Andrew Gillum convened business leaders for a Children’s Summit. What many thought would herald a move to enact a Children’s Services Council was summarily pre-empted by a wave of gun violence. Time spent with the Urban Land Institute yielded a number of recommendations for how to address Tallahassee’s “have-have not” community concerns.  One recommendation prompted City Commissioner Scott Maddox to pen a “My View” piece for the local Op-Ed page that proposed the implementation of the community schools concept in South City.   Citing Evans High ...

Today marks the second Father’s Day since my father’s death.  People who have known me a long time know that my relationship with my dad was often rocky. We did not always see eye to eye and it really bothered my dad that I would not back down and agree to his way of thinking.  I once asked him where he thought I got that trait? He huffed a bit and said, “must be from your mom.”  Good one, Dad. I think there was a strong stubborn streak running through both of my parents and I got a double dose in my own DNA. My dad was the one who taught me to question authority and not accept the way things have always been done. He would tell me to say I was doing something, rather than ask if I could do something. He also was a proponent of asking forgiveness rather than permission…except when it came to his own authority.   Mainly, I was supposed to apply these lessons to the outside world. He was a bit frustrated when I tried these ideas closer to home firs...