Why is Jacksonville the way it is?

[Jaxson]

What concerns me is the attitude that many people have is that there is a choice between being a griper and a booster.  Presenting a realistic perspective of the community should not be considered high treason by those who do not really love our city.  In reality, we would be surrounded by more gripers - but they live elsewhere now...

[Bativac]

Here's my take on why Jacksonville is the way it is:

Jacksonville is a burgeoning brewing destination because we're blessed with so many innovative and knowledgeable business owners in the field and a local culture that enthusiastically supports them, facilitating enviable growth in the industry and five new production breweries in as many years.

Jacksonville is a logistics hub because of its terrific location and a local leadership tradition that works with, rather than against, the business community and state and federal authorities to improve our airport, seaport, military bases, and highways.

Jacksonville is home to the state's most dynamic and up-and-coming public university because forward-thinking leadership has decided to focus on excelling in the things it does best rather than imitating the system's status quo.

Jacksonville is home to the state's newest, and easily coolest, arts district because local entrepreneurs identified the obvious demand for such a space and invested in making it an explosive success.

Jacksonville has the largest municipal park system in the country because past leadership saw the opportunity and took advantage of the city government's expansive purview to purchase green land that can never be developed.

Jacksonville has the best beaches of any city in the Southeast due one one hand to divine providence, and on the other to its citizens and leaders recognizing it as grand public space open and accessible to everyone, rather than a backdrop for postcards or the balconies of highrise condos.

What's amazing is that Jacksonville has done all these things in spite of a crippling inferiority complex and the presence of many citizens who do nothing but tear the city down, literally or figuratively. Fortunately, there are an increasing number of people who like what they see and want more of it, and are willing to do what it takes to get it.

Two problems.

First, it's not enough.  Even the worst town in the country has a long list of positives. 

Second, ever been to a typical city meeting?  The minute someone talks negative about the city is the minute everyone start talking about how great the city is.  This is basically codeword for "we don't need to change anything because here is how awesome we are".  The biggest example of this was the Mayoral Economic Summit where everyone talked about how great our downtown was.

It's kind of like corporate thinking - negatives are verboten. Anyone expressing a negative opinion or talking about something not working has a "bad attitude."

Jax has great features, though most of them have to do with the geography and little to do with the city itself. And there are definitely some good things going on, for Jacksonville, but I think sometimes people who want the city to become a more successful urban environment overstate some of the positives (i.e. "the coolest arts district in the state?" as a professional artist I gotta disagree with that one).

I agree with Jaxson on trying to pigeonhole people into being either a griper or a booster. Some of us are griping because we want Jacksonville to turn into the kind of place we want to live, and we can see it isn't happening, and there's not much we can do about it.

[strider]

We have met the enemy and he is us.  Pogo Possum, ca 1970.

In the end, in our system of government, there is only one faction that can keep the status quo or change it.  It is us.  We the people.

It is our fault that there are councilmen who have trouble putting sentences together.  It is our fault that we have councilmen who listen to developers at the cost of us tax payers.  It is our fault Jacksonville isn't the premier city of the South. No one else is to blame. Our city council was elected by us.

The reason it doesn't change through out the decades is simple.  It is too hard and too costly to do what is needed to make those changes.  It takes too much time or it makes one unpopular to stand against  the established leadership.  In the end, most would rather just complain than do.  Perhaps they have little choice.  Taking care of work and family is sometimes almost overwhelming as it is today, adding making political change to that is a difficult thing to ask of anyone.

Still, if we, the readers of this forum, truly want change, we need to step up and do something about it.  Pick those candidates that will facilitate that change and raise the money to get them elected.  Stomp the streets and face the rhetoric that will be raised against you.  The established leadership of Jacksonville will come after those candidates and those of us who support them.  It will be very difficult and much will be put at risk, even personal risk.

But to do less means we lose and they win.  And, yes, it will remain our fault in the end.

[Spence]

^
in line with your take,
if we have time (and access) to read this site...

Just to help any and all reading this:

District 1: Clay Yarborough
Phone: (904) 630-1389
Email: Clay@coj.net
Assistant: BeLinda Peeples

District 2: William Bishop   (council president)
Phone: (904) 630-1392
Email: WBishop@coj.net
Assistant: Suzanne Warren

District 3: Richard Clark
Phone: (904) 630-1386
Email: RClark@coj.net
Assistant: Sonia Johnson

District 4: Don Redman
Phone: (904) 630-1394
Email: Redman@coj.net
Assistant: Scott A. Wilson

District 5: Lori N. Boyer
Phone: (904) 630-1382
Email: LBoyer@coj.net
Assistant: James Nealis

District 6: Matt Schellenberg
Phone: (904) 630-1388
Email: MattS@coj.net
Assistant: Audrey Braman

District 7: Dr. Johnny Gaffney
Phone: (904) 630-1384
Email: Gaffney@coj.net
Assistant: Tiffani Dailey

District 8: E. Denise Lee
Phone: (904) 630-1385
Email: EDLee@coj.net
Assistant: Dan Macdonald

District 9: Warren A. Jones
Phone: (904) 630-1395
Email: WAJones@coj.net
Assistant: Rupel Wells

District 10: Reginald L. Brown
Phone: (904) 630-1684
Email: RBrown@coj.net
Assistant: Mercedes Parker

District 11: Ray Holt
Phone: (904) 630-1383
Email: Holt@coj.net
Assistant: Connie Holt

District 12: Doyle Carter
Phone: (904) 630-1380
Email: doylec@coj.net
Assistant: Rebekah Hagan

District 13: Bill Gulliford
Phone: (904) 630-1397
Email: Gulliford@coj.net
Assistant: Stan Johnson

District 14: Jim Love
Phone: (904) 630-1390
Email: JimLove@coj.net
Assistant: Kevin Kuzel


At-Large Council Members

Group 1: Kimberly Daniels
Phone: (904) 630-1393
Email: KimDaniels@coj.net
Assistant: Ricky Anderson

Group 2: John R. Crescimbeni
Phone: (904) 630-1381
Email: JRC@coj.net
Assistant:  None

Group 3: Stephen C. Joost
Phone: (904) 630-1396
Email: Joost@coj.net
Assistant: Celeste Hicks

Group 4: Greg Anderson
Phone: (904) 630-1398
Email: GAnderson@coj.net
Assistant: Leeann Summerford

Group 5: Robin Lumb
Phone: (904) 630-1387
Email: RLumb@coj.net
Assistant: Donna Barrow


Also
MayorBrown@coj.net


If you are unsure who represents your area of town,
look here to find out.
http://www.coj.net/city-council/council-district-maps.aspx

[jerry cornwell]

It's kind of like corporate thinking - negatives are verboten. Anyone expressing a negative opinion or talking about something not working has a "bad attitude."

Jax has great features, though most of them have to do with the geography and little to do with the city itself. And there are definitely some good things going on, for Jacksonville, but I think sometimes people who want the city to become a more successful urban environment overstate some of the positives (i.e. "the coolest arts district in the state?" as a professional artist I gotta disagree with that one).

I agree with Jaxson on trying to pigeonhole people into being either a griper or a booster. Some of us are griping because we want Jacksonville to turn into the kind of place we want to live, and we can see it isn't happening, and there's not much we can do about it.

With over 25 years experience as a fine art printer, 20+ spent in NYC, Tacachale's comment is conservative about the arts district if anything. I never saw anything like this in NYC. And these are comments not from me, but people like Tacachale and all the visiting artists (which have come from NYC).
  Have you been to the arts district? March itself will be the busiest month yet and April, with the inaugual OneSpark four day DT event, will be larger than that. With a million dollar donation by Mr Khan, One Spark is posed to be Jacksonvilles largest art project yet. Thats one person who's making things happen. Yeah, he's new to Jax, but some one person must have turned him on to the city.
  If theres one thing thats lacking, and something I want to now focus on, its  the citys lack of utilization of mass fixed transit, something MetroJax has been pioneering since Ive been here. I really want to focus an stronger central organization of the few of us and see if we can approach the results weve gotten in the arts culture.
 

[simms3]

^^^This is one thing I don't understand about quite a few posts I have read on this site.  They usually go like this:

"I have spent 10+ years in x great world city, and Jacksonville's ___ is actually much better."

or

"I have lived all over the world, bla bla bla, and we have all this stuff that those great world cities don't have."

No offense, but I have a hard time buying these arguments.  As many have stated before, a city is only as good as its people...only as good as the commonfolk and only as good as the rich philanthropists and businesses leaders allow it to be.  In Jacksonville, the truth is people aren't travelled, aren't that highly educated, aren't that interested in what else is out there, are comfortable with the way things are (and plenty on the Westside are of the belief that the city is turning into Manhattan tomorrow), etc.  There either isn't that much money in the city, or the business leaders/philanthropists are lazy, and I think it's more the prior situation.  I think posters think that I'm a bit naive, myself, but in all cocky honesty I catch what I deem as pure naivete even on this site from supposed well-travelled, super-educated folk every day!

Still, this site, things like coRK and OneSpark and 220 Riverside and the Mobility Fee are all steps in the right direction.  Basically, all of the good things happening in Jacksonville are touched and influenced by people connected in some way to this site, and that's phenomenal!  For various reasons I don't think any other major city in the country has such an influential community website.  I would hope and pray that someday Jacksonville is large enough and has enough stuff going on where you can't find it ALL on one site and people are specialized and the tree planting group has its own huge website and the bike coalition folk have their own huge awesome website and there's too much good stuff going on to even be able to go to one general area to find it all (not that I'm hoping for MJ to cease, but that I'm hoping there is too much stuff in Jax for MJ to even keep track of 25% of it all...and maybe it goes back to being a development pipeline site like it started when it was metjax.com, as there would be enough development going on to keep the site as robust as it is today).

[jerry cornwell]

 

^^^This is one thing I don't understand about quite a few posts I have read on this site.  They usually go like this:

"I have spent 10+ years in x great world city, and Jacksonville's ___ is actually much better."

or

"I have lived all over the world, bla bla bla, and we have all this stuff that those great world cities don't have."

No offense, but I have a hard time buying these arguments.  As many have stated before, a city is only as good as its people...only as good as the commonfolk and only as good as the rich philanthropists and businesses leaders allow it to be.  In Jacksonville, the truth is people aren't travelled, aren't that highly educated, aren't that interested in what else is out there, are comfortable with the way things are (and plenty on the Westside are of the belief that the city is turning into Manhattan tomorrow), etc.  There either isn't that much money in the city, or the business leaders/philanthropists are lazy, and I think it's more the prior situation.  I think posters think that I'm a bit naive, myself, but in all cocky honesty I catch what I deem as pure naivete even on this site from supposed well-travelled, super-educated folk every day!

Truth hurts!

[cityimrov]

Talking negative about something is quite often going to get a response like that, instead of being negative people should instead suggest ways to improve or solve what they believe the problem is.  People respond much better when presented with ideas to improve something instead of just getting told it sucks.

Don't you think that could be the reason why Jacksonville is doing so badly compared to it's former peers?   

Atlanta had a tremendous amount of criticisms.  They got fed up with it.  They did something about it instead of pretending it didn't exist.  They also had an Olympics.

You are not the first one to express this sentiment.  When I hear it though I immediately wonder who chose the cities that are our "peers"?  The fact is that Jacksonville is a unique, consolidated community that has not yet found a way to embrace its diverse roots, capitalize on it's strengths and become something different and apart from any other community.   

As far as Atlanta is concerned, I believe to use them as an example you might first need to say what it was they saw about themselves that needed change and then how they changed the status quo.  Atlanta is nice, has a lot to offer, but is certainly not perfect and is not representative of our community, it's location nor does it compare in size or come near to having our diverse ecology not to mention our beaches.  Remember too that the sprawl of Atlanta has created some very serious transportation and ecological problems not the least of which is a seriously compromised water table.

Atlanta was famously considered a peer city because various Better Jacksonville Commercials showed Jacksonville as a peer.    The most interesting thing about Atlanta is that even with all those handicaps, the place is still booming compared to Jacksonville today. 

I'm being too nice.  Let's take away the handicaps and compare Jacksonville head on to other large port cities with a consolidated government located in a major state with strong waterfront views located near the northern portion of that state with beaches nearby.  In this case, well, simms3 could better explain it since he moved to one of those cities.   

[Coolyfett]

I don't think that's right.  From the way I read this thread and other threads, it's the leadership and only the leadership that hold most the blame.  The community is powerless (which it's not)  to stop the leadership.  That's the sentiment I'm seeing here and other threads. 

The last few decades, Peyton is the one to blame for all the missteps the city faced.  This year, it's the city council. 

The last time I saw Avondale area rise up to fight something had something to do with a pizza place.  Those with money had some sway but the community had enough power to do something about it.  With that, "bye bye" old gas station and "hello" modern buildings in historic Avondale.

When I say leaders I mean people with money, not really government officials. Mayors and counsil people are a small percentage of Jacksonville residents who have to means to set any sort of trends. Every city has its trend setters and it mostly has to do with those who have the means to set the trends. After living in Atlanta for 5 years and being out of Jacksonville for 5 years I can see this in both cities. I didnt really understand why Jacksonville was what it was, and had to learn what Atlanta was and why. What Ive learned is most people are followers and they follow what they think the trends are. There is such a thing as local trends, regional trends etc etc.

[Coolyfett]

When I mentioned the good ol' boy thing, I don't know if it exists or not. But I know from personal experience that the perception that it exists seems to be enough, along with all the things Jacksonville lacks, to convince people to leave town. If not the good ol' boy network, the the perception that the city is still segregated. Or that the city fails to maintain basic amenities one expects in a large city. Or the "move on to the next strip mall" mentality. Or the idea that city has no identity beyond a loose collection of strip malls and highways.

I'm not just making this stuff up - I have friends who are computer programmers, civil engineers, artists, etc. who gave Jax a few years and then left town. Young people (late 20s - early 30s) of varying ethnicities and backgrounds, all creative and smart, all skilled. Even my mom, who was born and raised here, left ten years ago for greener pastures. I'm still here because my wife and I were foolish enough to buy a house a few years ago, thinking downtown was on the verge of some kind of renaissance.

There's only so much any one of us can do to move things forward - buying an older home in the urban core, becoming a part of the local arts community, supporting businesses downtown, voting, talking to council members, etc - before we give up and move on. Yeah, that doesn't bode well for the city, but some of us are selfishly more concerned about experiencing things in life than we are about whether Jacksonville will ever get its act together.

Not that this is unique to Jacksonville - lots of cities are going thru the same thing.

My story and feeling of jacksonville is very similar to this post.

[Cheshire Cat]

Cityimrov, thanks for the insight into how Atlanta began to be considered a peer city to Jacksonville.  I am curious about something and perhaps those of you who have a bit more insight into comparative communities whether they be port cities or not, can tell me what the "active" political makeup of those cities is.  Do progressive and growing cities tend to be more liberal in political personality or more conservative?