Live updates: Commissioners interview Tallahassee city manager candidates

After a day full of interviews and meet-and-greets with the three finalists hoping to be crowned Tallahassee's next city manager, the city commission is meeting today to deliberate on who they think is best suited for the job.

The three candidates will each be given the chance to present themselves and make the case for why they should be chosen before the commission begins their discussion.

Scott Andrews, a former county manager from Doña Ana County, New Mexico, Karen Jumonville, Tallahassee's current deputy city manager, and Valerie Washington, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth, Texas, are set to make their first public appearance in Tallahassee's City Hall.

The meeting comes a week after commissioners agreed to move forward with finalist interviews as the city manager search entered its final stretch. The search has been led many to question the process and the timing, coming just weeks before an election in which City Hall control hangs in the balance.

▶Hear from the candidates in their own words in the video playlist at the top of this article.

Finalists emerged from a list of 37 applicants that were vetted by S. Renée Narloch & Associates, a local executive search firm that narrowed the field to two out-of-state candidates and one Tallahassee insider.

Elena Barrera can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.

09:18 AM ET, September 2 2026, Elena Barrera

Mayor John Dailey welcomed Scott Andrews to chambers: "Take a deep breath. You've got five cheerleaders up here for you ... This is not an adversarial crowd. We really just want to hear your vision."

Andrews launched his presentation by saying he's born and raised in Tampa and grew up a Florida State fan. He started his career in local government in Georgia and landed his first city manager job in Covington.

"While it was a small city, it had utilities that were far beyond its range, and that led to other economic development drivers," Andrews said.

Later, he got the chance to work in Bakersfield, California, the 40th largest city in the U.S., before heading to Las Cruces, New Mexico.

He said Tallahassee excites him because the city has a "highly dedicated" team.

"The bones are foundationally good," he said. "The budget is in an excellent position."

09:14 AM ET, September 2 2026, Elena Barrera

Renée Narloch, founder of the headhunting firm, said the candidates had a great time at yesterday's meet-and-greet.

"All the way around, I got good feedback," Narloch said. "It was a very good process."

She said some people think this will be a hard decision for the commission. But to help, the candidates are given 20 to 25 minutes to present themselves to the board and share what they thought of the search process and why they want the job.

"I believe we have three very good candidates," she said.

Mayor John Dailey said he thought Narloch did a "tremendous job" conducting the search and that they look forward to hearing from each of them shortly.

09:10 AM ET, September 2 2026, Elena Barrera

The City of Tallahassee hosted a meet-and-greet opportunity for the community to get to know the three finalists for the position Tuesday, Sept. 1, at The Parkview in Cascades.

Roughly 75 people gathered to ask questions and get to know a bit more about the candidates and their backgrounds during the event.

Local officials, including Tallahassee Police Department Chief Lawrence Revel, Tallahassee Fire Department Chief Gene Sanders, City Commissioners Dianne Williams-Cox, Curtis Richardson and Jack Porter, and Office of Economic Vitality Director Keith Bowers were among those speaking with the finalists.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Live updates: Commissioners interview Tallahassee city manager candidates