Odd election years often aren’t taken as seriously as even years — but at Lead Locally we believe every year has consequential elections for our warming planet.

Here are our latest endorsed candidates, as we race towards Election Day on November 4th.

Florida

Orlando City Council is unique in that it manages its own municipal utility which still maintains contracts with coal plants. This Democratic-leaning city in Florida, a state that has critically underinvested in climate action and will likely remain a swing state for upballot elections, can take major action towards cleaner energy and more affordable rates. We’re backing: 

• Tom Keen for Orlando City Council District 1: An incumbent councilman, Keen has fought to ensure the city transitions to clean energy through the Green Works Orlando initiative that pairs a plan for sustainable livability in the city with climate action. He is also working to protect the city’s natural environment like the Split Oak Forest, and held developers and local authorities accountable to sustainable growth. 
• Mira Tanna for Orlando City Council District 3: Tanna has served as Orlando’s Grants Manager where she was awarded the 2021 Employee of the Year and worked to help the city reach its ambitious sustainability goals by securing multiple state and federal grants. She is running to push the city to invest in public transit, continue to transition to clean energy, improve walkability, and invest more in resiliency as the threat of natural disasters increases.

Michigan

• Abdullah Hammoud for Dearborn Mayor – As Mayor of Dearborn, Hammoud has prioritized environmental justice and climate resilience, especially for neighborhoods historically burdened by pollution. His administration has invested over $25 million in green stormwater infrastructure, including bioswales, retention systems, and removal of 50+ logjams along the Rouge River — helping reduce flood risk in frontline communities. Previously, during his 5-years in state office, Hammond led the votes to shut down a controversial oil pipeline (Line 5), consistently voted for urgent climate action, and helped rescind regressive caps on affordable rooftop solar – bucking powerful special-interest lobbying like DTE and Consumers Energy.