Michelle Tappouni: Why I'm Running for Council

[Metro Jacksonville]

Michelle Tappouni:  Why I'm Running for Council



A native Floridian and the oldest of six siblings, Michelle was born in Gainesville and grew up in Jacksonville and Tampa. She returned to the First Coast in 2001, accepting a position with Breaking Ground Contracting Company, a Jacksonville based general contracting firm. She lived in Riverside until 2007 when she purchased a home in Springfield. Michelle was awarded a music scholarship from the University of Tampa and has continued her education throughout the years in business administration and construction. She recently graduated from the inaugural class of the Political Leadership Institute and is on the board of the ACE Mentor Program and the Springfield Area Merchants Business Association. She served as President of the Associated Builders and Contractors Women's Council during the past three years and is a member of the American Institute of Architects, The Urban Land Institute, Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce, NEFBA Commercial Council and the Springfield Preservation and Revitalization Council. She is past president of the Gulf Coast Chapter and National Board Member of the American Subcontractors Association. Besides her professional affiliations, Michelle's community interests include Blueprint for Prosperity, The Child Guidance Center, HabiJax, Angelworks, Pace Center for Girls, The Bridge, Springfield Animal Care & Rescue, Girl Scouts and various events promoting other worthwhile causes.

Now she's running for City Council

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2011-feb-michelle-tappouni-why-im-running-for-council

[Noone]

She has my vote. Also I can't wait to go kayaking with her on Hogans Creek and popping out at the Maxwell House Plant. Now that' what I call good to the last drop.

[sheclown]

Michelle is a great choice for city council.  She's a well-respected member of the Springfield community -- able to leap over the neighborhood politics to look at the larger picture.  Great training for greater (if less intense) political battles.

[Miss Fixit]

Noone, I talked to Michelle about kayaking with you last week and she is looking forward to it as soon as the weather and her schedule allow!

She will be a FANTASTIC councilwoman.

[letters and numbers]

You know ive decided to vote for Tappouni too but arent there more candidates than just Hall? i thought there are 4 or something

[Jimmy]

I've been hearing wonderful things about both Michelle Tappouni and Sean Hall.

I'm even seeing Tappouni's signs over in Avondale.  Hall's seem to be confined to Springfield.  This race is county-wide, so getting the message out beyond 32206 is important.

[Miss Fixit]

Michelle has signs in San Marco, too!

Letters and Numbers, there are other candidates in this race but Michelle and Sean seem to be the frontrunners (along with another gentleman who is associated with the Observer whose name unfortunately escapes me).

All of the viable candidates are Republicans but Michelle has a very reasonable approach to dealing with issues that I think will keep Democrats and non-partisans happy too.

Mr. Hall is married to John Peyton crony/ staffer Kerri Stewart and I think that relationship is cause for concern.  Not that Hall and Stewart (and Mayor Peyton, for that matter) aren't nice people, but too many connections to the old regime and favors that will be called in after the election. 

I firmly believe that Michelle will do the right thing for Jacksonville, not for a small group of wealthy power brokers.  We need change in city government, not more of the same.

[urbaknight]

I sometimes watch the council meetings on tv. And I've noticed that when people make comments or share concerns, especially when it's a good idea for JAX, some councilmen constantly interrupt with damning and with hopeless responces. They sometimes even laugh at them or give a smart ass smirk, as if to say, "yeah you can just forget about that". 

Two councilmen come to mind the most are Cresenbeni and Joost.

It is my opinion that they're a great example of our criticisms on this site. They are both councilmen at large and, I think they're up for elections this time, Let's get these country bumpkins out of out city council.

If we can get Yarbrough, Webb and Redman out as well, it would be a big step toward the 21st century. I'm sure they're more council members we can do without but, this is all I've got so far.

[Uh Duh]

Thanks to Metrojacksonville for allowing candidates to share their platforms with the public.

[Lesismore]

I am so happy to see so many great WOMEN running for offices this year including Michelle Tappouni. I know her personally and can attest to her dedication to the Jacksonville community at-large. She proves this everyday by getting out there and meeting key city personnel, attending issue-critical events and making herself available to discuss the issues. She will be a strong advocate for Jax residents and work tirelessly to represent their voices at Council.

[CS Foltz]

I concur with the general vein. Ms Michelle would be a good representative for the Group Five...........now if I could ever get 15 min's of her time for a Q & A, I would be real happy...........maybe sometime soon Ms Michelle?

[votetappouni]

Hi Everyone! Thanks to MetroJacksonville for the opportunity to reach out to all of you and to introduce myself and my candidacy. I appreciate your willingness to engage with your community and I am looking forward to participating in this forum to address your questions and concerns.

Stephen asked me to discuss my position regarding a Downtown Development Agency. As you know I am a resident of Historic Springfield, passionate about my neighborhood and I have been following all initiatives related to our urban core for many years. We have so many assets and such untapped potential! There are key issues including available and affordable transportation and housing as well as linking our surrounding neighborhoods. I do believe we need one agency to coordinate all of the downtown actions to create a cohesive effort. I was able to attend a presentation of the Northbank Redevelopment Task Force Report, released yesterday, by the Jacksonville Civic Council. I am in the process of reviewing the entire report but I was very interested in the comments made by Mr. Haskell and Mr. Rummell regarding a targeted focus for a specific area of downtown. This process has been successful in other cities and I am optimistic that our business leaders are committed to finding a solution to our challenges.
More to Come!
Michelle

[votetappouni]

I concur with the general vein. Ms Michelle would be a good representative for the Group Five...........now if I could ever get 15 min's of her time for a Q & A, I would be real happy...........maybe sometime soon Ms Michelle?

Hi CS-How about coffee at our favorite place, 8:00am this Friday?

[Garden guy]

I'll not be voting for ither of the two..they both aleign themselves with the republican party and cannot be trusted...sorry but the truth hurts

[braeburn]

What can you expect? They are in politics... They aint gonna touch anything to do with Israel, Weed, or Reality. Come on now