Email Article

Printable Page

FAMU Student Elected to City Commission

By Marlon A. Walker
Black College Wire

Andrew Gillum

�It�s about faith,� says Andrew Gillum, a senior political science student at Florida A&M University who won a seat on the Tallahassee City Commission.

The citizens �have faith in the fact that I deserved a chance and they gave me that chance today," he said on election night.

Gillum's 57 percent of the votes was enough to breeze into seat 2 of the city commission. His opponent, Morgan Stanley financial adviser Mayo Woodward, received 43 percent of the votes. The race was overshadowed by Gillum�s status as a student at FAMU. Critics speculated that his student status would cloud his decisions and views.

"I hope to create a seamless Tallahassee," said Gillum, 23. "By that I mean it shouldn't matter whatever side you live on... Tallahassee should be fair to everyone."

"But we live in Tallahassee and what happens here affects us."

Supporters had high hopes for what Gillum will do in office.

"He ran such a good campaign on the good of Tallahassee," said Joshua Hicks, 19, who was also in the running for commission seat 2 before the primary resulted in the Feb. 25 runoff. "He's gonna make a hell of a commissioner."

Marlon A. Walker is a student at FAMU who writes for The Famuan.