July 4th is upon us. As we celebrate America’s Independence Day, Tallahassee is celebrating the accomplishment of being named an All-America City for the third time.
That’s one of the topics on this week’s Speaking Of Radio Hour.
Ten cities got the honor last Sunday night in Denver from the National Civic League. That’s where Mayor John Dailey was a couple of days later when WFSU’s Tristan Wood got him on the phone to talk about the recognition and more.
“It is a tremendous honor when you think of the fact that there are 19,500 cities across the United States,” Dailey says, “and we are one of ten that have received the All-America City designation for 2025.”
Dailey says the City is “on a roll” with honors doled out in recent weeks.
“We have been recognized as the best run city in the state of Florida and top 20 in the United States,” Dailey says. “Our fleet department has been named the best in the country. HGTV just named us one of the top 20 communities to live, work, and play nationally.”
Dailey says the honors are the result of a community-wide effort. By the way, the mayor has not confirmed a run for a third term but says he is planning a major announcement within the next couple of weeks.
We also hear about our listeners’ views of America and freedom on this Independence Day.
Our very informal survey found the majority of respondents have concerns or are disappointed with what they’re seeing in the U.S. Some expressed optimism and even excitement about current events. Some commented on the importance of free speech as political divisions seem to be higher than ever. WFSU’s Regan McCarthy breaks down the results for us.
Finally, since this is the holiday where we celebrate freedom, we chatted with a new American citizen. Tallahassee resident Ethel Dam has lived in the U.S. since 1973 by way of Scotland. Her son Paul Dam is a WFSU-TV production manager, so she and her husband left south Florida for Tallahassee in 2017. Late last year, she took the plunge to become an American.
“I never thought (citizenship) was urgent… Through my permanent resident card, there were no limitations,” Dam says. “I didn’t think there was any need for me to become a citizen because I was able to do whatever it was that I wanted to do.”
Dam started paying closer attention to national politics and decided she wanted to vote. She also found herself with less need to travel overseas to see loved ones. So, she got her citizenship in time to cast her first ballot in America last November.
“I think that we all need to participate to make the United States a better country,” she says.
Tallahassee is offering its traditional July 4th celebration at Tom Brown Park with festivities from 6 – 10 p.m. Multiple bands will play and plenty of food and drink vendors will be there. The evening culminates with fireworks.
Hear the full segment by clicking LISTEN above.
