(PENSACOLA) --- Councilman Charles Bare no longer goes unopposed in the 2026 election.
Uptown's own Sherri Myers has filed for District 2 candidacy, and she has a lot to say.
OpGov.News met Myers at Tippin Park today, the very spot that has inspired her to throw her hat in the ring. Since securing a $1 million line item for the park project under former Mayor Grover Robnison's administration, Myers has watched the line item quickly fade under Mayor D.C. Reeves and Bare.
But she is back, more determined than ever to assure Uptown "gets its fair share," which is the very slogan she ran on then and now.
(Photo: Uptown's own Sherri Myers with iconic playground equipment at Tippin Park)
"One of the reasons I am running is because of what he did to this park," Myer said, adding she once had a good relationship with Bare. "I have known him for at least 15 years, and I served with him on the city council when he was large, even nominating him for council president."
But things changed when Bare decided to run for District 2 after serving on the council-at-large, while Myers vied against Reeves for the mayor's seat.
Bare even asked for Myer's blessing.
"I told him that as long as he fights for the District, and he said,' You know I will,'" Myers said. "I trusted him."
That trust was broken immediately during his term as the District 2 representative. The $1 million line item dropped to approximately $200,000 until Councilwoman Jennifer Braiher introduced an amendment to save a larger amount, leaving only $450,000 for Tippin Park.
Bare didn't oppose it, but he allowed $650,000 in LOST funds to be removed from District 2, which only received about 1.3% over 20 years. To make it worse, Bare only recently contacted Myers via email with a plan for mostly climb-based playground equipment, which is not accessible for children with disabilities, Myers' original vision.
"For him to do what he has done to this District after saying he would fight for us, and then three months after he is sworn in, he takes close to a million dollars out of this park," Myers said. "That man never called me to tell me why he voted to take all that money out of this park."
To make it worse, "he sends me an email with a playground design for this park, and I was just shocked when I saw the design, which is all about climbing."
Not only did Bare not keep his promise, but he also completely dismissed the disabled children at the adjacent Holm Elementary, which inspired the Tippin Park project to begin with.
(Photo: District 2 Candidate Sherri Myers at Tippin Park, formally announcing her candidacy)
"What I envisioned was having a lot of sensory stuff out here; a playground for children with physical disabilities who can get on and off equipment," Myers said, adding there were also plans to have a wheelchair basketball court.
Four years later, the park is proof of Bare's negligence with diseased trees and a rusted old playground.
The only plan is a QR code displayed at the park informing residents that officials are seeking input from Holm Elementary and Westgate School, a special needs school for several disabled children.
"It's all about pushing the mayor's agenda to say look what we did for Tippin Park," Myers said.
She proves her point by placing the Reeves campaign flyer on the ground, showing there are no plans for Uptown at all.
“The first time I ran, I promised a Uptown Roundtable made up of stakeholders in the primary commercial core,” Myers said. “This is what I am going to achieve, and even if I don't win, I want Uptown to be organized and have a voice and true representation on the city council.”
(Photo: Mayor D.C. Reeves campaign flyer that lists no improvements or pictures for Uptown)
"I am running for Uptown; my whole focus is on Uptown," Myers said, adding it will be obvious once her campaign site is up soon.
"It will show a lot of pictures of the entire district, our parks, and our schools," Myers said.
The former councilwoman has more on her mind than just Tippin Park. She has made it very clear that the Community Redevelopment Agency does not serve the community as well as the former City Community Development Department did, which was dissolved.
Former Councilman Demands CRA Shutdown, and Sheri Myers Claims Peace; Protests CRA spell out just how she feels about the misuse of CRA funds.
Things are a lot different now with 12 years of dais experience under her belt and a lot to show for it. Take, for example, the existing government website page, Council Initiatives, which lists only two, both of which were made possible by Myers during her tenure.
(Photo: Pensacola Government website page)
Not to mention Myers other accomplishments.
“I brought in a lot of money to the Parker Circle neighborhood,” Myers said, adding. “I worked on street lighting along Bayou Blvd. and throughout the district.”
Myers led Carpenters Creek town hall meetings, none of which Bare attended.
“He showed no interest in Carpenters Creek, which should be a greenway project for Uptown,” Myers said.
Myers said she knows what she will do differently: stand up for Uptown, regardless of her peers. Her list of priorities includes Ninth Avenue improvements, sidewalks, street lighting on several District 2 roads and intersections, a tree trust fund, and District 2 roundtables, among others.
"When I got on council, I really was not anybody's favorite person, so I learned very quickly I could not be an advocate for Uptown or Carpenter's Creek," Myers said.
Speaking of Carpenter's Creek, Commissioner Lumon May thanked Myers first at the recent ribbon-cutting for starting the project.
“Lumon May referred to me as a visionary regarding the Carpenter Creek Headwater Park, and really, the only thing I envisioned was saving the land from developers,” Myers said. “The county did an awesome job of transforming it into the incredible park it is today.”
However, “I think it shows what could have been done by the city all these years,” Myers added, noting the city has neglected the creek and allows unbridled clear-cutting to this day.
That will change if elected. Myers has even more time on her hands now than she did then to make a difference.
"When I was on council, I always made sure I had something on the agenda, whether a resolution or an ordinance," Myers said.
The only thing Bare could come against Myers with, according to the candidate, is his age.
(Photo: Sherri Myers filing with the Escambia County Board of Elections)
"I was 68 years old, and I had no money, no name recognition, and I didn't get out any mailers," Myers said of her first run. "All I had was a one-page flyer with no biographical information about me; it just said 'our fair share, and we are not getting it,'" Myers said.
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