Ron Weaver (mayor)
Ron Weaver | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Tallahassee | |
| In office 1996 – February 28, 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Scott Maddox |
| Succeeded by | Scott Maddox |
| Member of Tallahassee City Commission | |
| In office 1994–1998 | |
Ron Weaver is an American attorney and former politician who served as mayor of Tallahassee, Florida.
Biography
Weaver served for 10 years in the U.S. Army[1] and then worked as a personal injury attorney at the firm of Cox & Weaver in Tallahassee.[1][2] In 1994, running on a pro-business and conservative agenda and amassing a record $80,000 in campaign funds (more than the other six candidates combined),[1] he defeated incumbent City Commissioner and former Mayor Dorothy Inman-Crews in a runoff election for a seat on the Tallahassee City Commission.[3][2] The campaign drew attention due to controversy surrounding a racial remark made by Inman-Crews's husband.[2] Under Tallahassee's government structure at the time (prior to the 1997 transition to a directly elected mayor), the mayor was selected from among City Commission members and typically was assigned annually.[4] Weaver served as mayor of Tallahassee in 1996.[5][6]
Weaver is the fifth African American to hold the mayorship in the city's history (and the 4th since the Reconstruction Era).[4] While mayor, he continued to focus on his priorities of streamlining the regulatory and permitting environment and in the construction of affordable housing.[1] His tenure followed Scott Maddox (1995) and preceded Maddox's return.[5][7] After serving as mayor, he continued to serve as a city commissioner until 1998.[6] In 1996, he was involved in an incident where a city worker activated sprinklers on a city golf course to chase him away as he had started playing before the course had opened. He was accused of abusing his mayoral authority after he had the City Manager sanction the employee.[8]
References
- ^ a b c d Varian, Bill (March 3, 1996). "Ron Weaver Steps Out Of Shadows To Become Mr. Mayor". Tallahassee Democrat. pp. 1B, 4B – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Tallahassee mayor faces runoff today". Tampa Bay Times. February 22, 1994. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
A racial slur 18 days ago by the mayor's husband, Jim Crews, focused unfavorable attention on the race between black candidates. Crews, who is white, told Weaver at a public forum, "I wish I were the candidate because I would blow your black a-- out of the water." Crews appeared on behalf of the mayor who was recovering from the flu. He later apologized and resigned as his wife's campaign manager.
- ^ "Mayor loses Tallahassee vote". Tampa Bay Times. February 23, 1994. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
- ^ a b Waters, TaMaryn (October 30, 2024). "With history at her back, Dot Inman-Johnson aims to 'get house in order' at City Hall". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
- ^ a b "Tallahassee, Florida". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
- ^ a b May, Mary Cathrin (2008). From Freedmen to Free Men: Black Political Leaders in Tallahassee and Leon County, Florida, 1865-1971 (PDF). p. (relevant section on commissioners and mayors). Retrieved March 14, 2026.
- ^ "Gov. Lawton Chiles, Tallahassee Mayor Ron Weaver, and Insurance Commissioner Bill Nelson)". The Stuart News. October 22, 1996. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
- ^ "Damp mayor under fire for penalty". Tampa Bay Times. August 28, 1996. Retrieved March 14, 2026.