Jacksonville Mayoral election 2015

[Cheshire Cat]

Bill.  My comment above was personal and not representative of what other posters may feel. I simply shared my thoughts and the reasoning behind them. I will however cop to having been asked to join Mensa on a number of occasions.   Bill Bishop is the only candidate who to my view is truly qualified and experienced enough for the office of mayor and for that reason he will be getting my vote. We will know after the election what position he comes in and that frankly has no bearing on evaluating a candidate at this stage.   Right now what everyone should be focused on is choosing the candidate that they think is best qualified for the office of Mayor.  That is precisely what I am now doing and have done my entire voting life which is decades long.  It's the only intellectually honest thing to do.  The rest is just playing odds or favorites without any real consideration being given to the qualifications of the person one is voting for. When that happens one might think they are are the winning side but in reality have ended up losing the best person for the office. This is no different than looking at applicants for a job.  You hire the person who is most qualified and who has the most experience in the field with the opening.  In this case that position is the one of Mayor, the top leadership roll in city government.  Eight years of experience in city government and legislation trumps three and half unproductive years in elected office (Brown) and certainly greatly exceeds no experience in city government at all (Curry). 

[edjax]

Bill.  My comment above was personal and not representative of what other posters may feel. I simply shared my thoughts and the reasoning behind them. I will however cop to having been asked to join Mensa on a number of occasions.   Bill Bishop is the only candidate who to my view is truly qualified and experienced enough for the office of mayor and for that reason he will be getting my vote. We will know after the election what position he comes in and that frankly has no bearing on evaluating a candidate at this stage.   Right now what everyone should be focused on is choosing the candidate that they think is best qualified for the office of Mayor.  That is precisely what I am now doing and have done my entire voting life which is decades long.  It's the only intellectually honest thing to do.  The rest is just playing odds or favorites without any real consideration being given to the qualifications of the person one is voting for. When that happens one might think they are are the winning side but in reality have ended up losing the best person for the office. This is no different than looking at applicants for a job.  You hire the person who is most qualified and who has the most experience in the field with the opening.  In this case that position is the one of Mayor, the top leadership roll in city government.  Eight years of experience in city government and legislation trumps three and half unproductive years in elected office (Brown) and certainly greatly exceeds no experience in city government at all (Curry).

While I agree with you completely on the voting for bishop.  I guess at the moment I am torn as I am not sure how viable he is to actually pull it off. The kind of thinking you note actually is what brought us Brown as the mayor.  I and many others actually felt Moran was best that time  around and voted for her and then she did not even make the runoff which left many of us to vote Brown in over the alternative.  And to me Moran had a much better chance of being elected than Bishop. For me to vote for Bishop, which is who I prefer, I feel like I I have to be prepared to really like one of the other two strongly over the potential opponent.  So do I feel strongly voting for a guy who had shown no leadership in 3 plus years or a guy who has the potential to scare me like Hogan??  That is what I am truly wrestling with right now before I go full force for Bishop.  If I conclude that neither of the other two are options I really like then I will also go Bishop and then live with the consequences of one of the other two I guess.  Not a happy situation in my optinion. Hopefully in the end I feel comfortable with 2 candidates. Like life I guess politics isn't easy either. Oh well enough of my babbling.   

[Cheshire Cat]

I understand what you are saying edjax and agree that it may be difficult to know for sure what the result of your vote will be.  The most important thing is that your vote reflect your honest opinion of who is right for the job.  I don't actually agree that this kind of thinking is what brought us Brown.  His campaign was a mess and struggling.  What turned the tide for him was the infusion of 400K from Republican Peter Rummell and his buddies.  They did not back Brown because he was the best guy for the job, it was more about who they thought would readily fulfill their agenda.  That money and attention is what pushed him over along with the bitter exchanges between Moran and Mullaney at the time.  Of course none of that matters now.  What matters is what Brown has done in the time he has been in office which to my view is not much.  There are some other things to consider when casting your vote and what impact Bishop may have on the election. First is that a vote for Lenny is pretty much a vote for the far right GOP mindset.  It was Rummell who got him into the race and Rummells agenda has not changed.  This means Lenny comes with plenty of GOP strings tied to power players.  A vote for Lenny also means we will likely have him in office for 8 years.  The GOP will fight hard to hold the seat.  Many of the GOP/Civil Council/Chamber players are relics of the past and bring with them the same political views and ways of doing business that has in many ways caused Jacksonville to languish in a stiff conservative attitude toward progress all while our tax dollars are picked off the tree for special interest projects.  A vote for Alvin give us four more years of "pretend".  Pretend we can do a budget, pretend we can fix the pension, pretend we are headed to some magical "new level".  Four more years of hype.  Bishop being in the race does a lot of things.  First and foremost he is the good and competent candidate people always say they "wish" would run for office.  He has the experience to hit the ground running, where Curry will be another newbie with a huge learning curve and that takes time.  He has no idea how our city operates.  Bishop will also be the cog this race turns on though many don't realize it.  His presence changes the race dynamics.  His presence keeps the power players backing Lenny in check.  Bishop will get many moderate republican votes.  His presence also impacts Brown in this way.  He will keep Lenny in check which means Lenny may not have the needed votes to overtake Brown.  If it came to a race between Lenny and Brown I would rather face four more years of his Brown's silly glad handing and such knowing there will be a council with Boyer and Guilliford to keep him straight then have our government back in the hands of high stake special interests and politicians. The last factor is a big one.  If folks go back and check the campaigns in the first election they will see Brown was an absolute non starter that no one gave a chance of winning to.  His campaign was a mess, he stumbled through campaign managers, he stumbled with a non platform of pure rhetoric until he started to mimic the ideas of other candidates to make some sense.  Basically I am saying, it ain't over till it's over and anything can happen.  I fully believe that when true debate happens between these candidates Bill Bishop will shine in intellect and experience.  That will have a huge impact on voters.  At the very worst we would end up with four more years of Alvin, not eight with Lenny and the very real possibility that Bishop could be our mayor in just four years.  The best outcome is that Jacksonville voters wake up and show some insight and sophistication in choosing our leadership as opposed to blindly standing on party politics or believing that rhetoric and big talk trumps experience, knowledge and real plans.  If people vote smart Bill Bishop will be our next mayor.

[Cheshire Cat]

Jim Rinaman

A letter of endorsement for Bill Bishop from Attorney and former city of Jacksonville General Counsel, Jim Rinaman:

"I have decided to support Bill Bishop for Mayor. I decided a year or more ago that Mayor Brown was "all hat and no cattle" as they say in Texas, and I would not support him again. (The business community supported Brown because Hogan was proposing tax reduction by sale of preservation lands) When Peter Rummel announced his support for Lenny Curry, and so many business leaders joined him, I thought he was the best choice to beat Brown, especially after he was able to accumulate so much money for his campaign, and in spite of the fact that I worried about his lack of knowledge and experience in government, and obvious partisanship as chair of the Florida GOP. Recently I looked closer at Bill Bishop, who I have known for at least twenty years in various civic projects, and decided that we need less partisanship in local government, and more knowledge and experience than Brown or Curry bring to the table. I also believe that Jacksonville will not necessarily vote for the biggest spender, if they come to realize that they need a Mayor who knows what the problems are, and has a viable plan for resolving them. Bill is the only candidate who could do that. I encourage each of you to consider these issues and give your support to Bill, in the hope that we can have some capable and effective leadership for the next eight years. Party and campaign funds should not be the determining factors to achieve this."

[Jax native]

Diane,  Thank you for posting this.  I do get involved and vet candidates, so any interesting information on sites like this is helpful.  I've gotten on Bishop train in last couple of weeks, after being very involved in original Mayor Brown election.  Your personal thoughts were well thought out & I appreciate your particular insight.  People will realize us "older" over 40 year old voters still have input and ability to get people involved in political process affecting them in Jacksonville, FL. and USA.

[Marle Brando]

Yes indeed the info posted here is helpful to us under 40's as well as our voice resonates strong in today's political scene. I have been a staunch Brown supporter but Bishop seems to be a good fit, maybe better than Brown in my eyes. I support both men, as I still feel Brown was never given a fair shake to get things going on his own, and was an outstanding partner with the Jags but Bishop maybe, just may be the one best suited to continue the push forward for Jax. Can't wait for debates to come as I'm still undecided, but the info posted here is invaluable. Thanks.

[Cheshire Cat]

Marle, I appreciate and respect your views.  Brown has held his office now for 3 1/2 years and accomplished nothing of note.  All the other candidates on the ballot favor the Jags and would have a great working relationship with them.  Alvin is a nice guy and has charisma but he has failed to show leadership on key issues like the HRO but more importantly has failed to submit a single competent and viable budget in a city with serious financial issues. He has also tried to add 240 million in debt to our city while the rest of our leadership is trying to figure out how to find money to meet our current needs.  He just does not understand city government.  The question then becomes how many times have the constituents gotten a fair shake from him?  His incompetence on the budget all three years resulted in tax increases when it was left to council to fix it and serious cut backs in JSO funding in a city that has more than it's share of murders.  The voters have got to learn that they are interviewing candidates for jobs that will be paid with our taxes. It is not a personality contest.  It is about the most competent and qualified person to hold the job. Brown will not support the HRO and has worked to make sure it did not pass.  That is not good for Jacksonville as a city and as it is perceived nationally and internationally and is a single example of not understanding the climate this city needs to move forward.  To my view the younger voters, those coming up today understand the importance of civil liberties for all and I do believe they will make that known in all upcoming elections.  Thanks for your input and view Marle! 

[Cheshire Cat]

Jacksonville time to brace for more negative campaign ads, lots of stuff coming to you in the mail and more.  Lenny Curry has shown his focus is currently on raising money for campaign pr as opposed to giving the voters any real plans or understanding of what he would do if elected to the office of mayor. Make no mistake that this is a GOP power move which is tied to control in Duval which impacts state politics when it comes to electing a president which which is coming our way soon.  We have moved beyond what is best for Jacksonville for some and been reduced to a pawn on the bigger political chessboard for others.  So, how well will Jacksonville voters navigate the upcoming media barrage and negative ads remains to be seen.  You can count on the process being tedious.  The key for voters will be to keep their focus on the content of the candidates platforms as well as their experience and what is said during debates.  That will show everyone who understands the issues facing our city and who is capable of dealing with them through experience.

Today the Daily Record reported on Curry's campaign chest.  As I said, the GOP power structure is serious about tagging Duval as their own. 

After just eight months of campaigning, mayoral candidate Lenny Curry has passed a major milestone.
Curry's fundraising total topped $2.1 million on the heels of a huge January, which brought in $439,585.

The bulk of the money came through his political action committee, Together for a Greater Jacksonville, which collected $329,500, according to numbers released by the campaign.

Curry's local account received $110,085 in contributions.

Last month, Curry pulled within $75,000 of Mayor Alvin Brown's nearly $1.72 million war chest, despite the mayor having a 15-month head start on his biggest challenger. Brown began raising money for his re-election in March 2013; Curry started in June of last year.

RELATED: The story behind Lenny Curry's decision to run for mayor.

Click link for full story.

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=544812

[Tacachale]

Also some seriously bad news for Alvin:

Brown did not list any contributions for Jan. 1-16 for his local account in a report filed. The report for the second half of the month is due Feb. 10. The January report for Brown's Taking Jacksonville to the Next Level political action committee is due next week.

...

In other words, he's starting to tap out his well while Lenny's still going strong. Even Bishop seems to have had a better couple of weeks than Brown.

[Cheshire Cat]

^Exactly Tacachale.  I am seeing previous Brown supporters open their eyes about him and a great many are distancing themselves from him and his campaign.  The important thing folks should understand about the campaign run for Brown is that he has lost most of his moderate supporters in other political parties, especially Republican who will likely fall behind Bishop but more importantly he has angered many in the black community, a sizable part of his base who feel he has done nothing of note for them and their old communities as well as addressed issues of crime effectively.  He recently put together an effort he is promoting to fight crime with sports in time for the election cycle.  Pretty transparent.  Looks to me like sports is his fallback on all things Jacksonville.    The drive to put Curry into office is a GOP politically driven effort that began with a disgruntled Rummell and grew to a greater effort on the part of the GOP to get control of Duval as a political stronghold for conservatives in order to strengthen their control on the state.  This as a part of a greater plan for Duval in the upcoming race for President.  What we are seeing with the fundraising at this level frankly is the same dynamic that is impacting the highest level of politics and campaigns which is basically the "purchase" of political office via mega funding of candidates driven by special interests and PAC's non of which is based in overall interest in the needs of the citizens but rather the desires of political parties and power players.  At all levels the voters need to become aware of the fact that we hold the cards in our future via our vote and our votes should be tendered only to those who are experiences and qualified to hold office and represent the needs of all.  Especially at the level of City Hall in a unitary election.  This election will be a measure of our sophistication as voters.  How many are followers and how many can think independently about the needs of our city. 

[Tacachale]

Dissatisfaction with Brown's performance is at a high. If Alvin hadn't been so weak, the same people who backed him before would have backed him again. He's planted this field himself over the last four years, and now harvest time is coming.

[tufsu1]

In other words, he's starting to tap out his well while Lenny's still going strong. Even Bishop seems to have had a better couple of weeks than Brown.

actually he hasn't even tried to get local money...there is no campaign website or Facebook page with a Donate button

[Tacachale]

In other words, he's starting to tap out his well while Lenny's still going strong. Even Bishop seems to have had a better couple of weeks than Brown.

actually he hasn't even tried to get local money...there is no campaign website or Facebook page with a Donate button

You mean Bishop? Yeah, he's a good guy but he's not really running an effective campaign.

[Tacachale]

In other words, he's starting to tap out his well while Lenny's still going strong. Even Bishop seems to have had a better couple of weeks than Brown.

actually he hasn't even tried to get local money...there is no campaign website or Facebook page with a Donate button

You mean Bishop? Yeah, he's a good guy but he's not really running an effective campaign.

Ha, I just saw that in direct contrast, Brown's campaign page is nothing *but* a donation link.

[tufsu1]

In other words, he's starting to tap out his well while Lenny's still going strong. Even Bishop seems to have had a better couple of weeks than Brown.

actually he hasn't even tried to get local money...there is no campaign website or Facebook page with a Donate button

You mean Bishop? Yeah, he's a good guy but he's not really running an effective campaign.

Ha, I just saw that in direct contrast, Brown's campaign page is nothing *but* a donation link.

I was referring to Mayor Brown.  Bill Bishop has actually put together a pretty good campaign given that the "establishment" has chosen to go with a guy who has no government experience.