Fmr. Mayor Tommy Hazouri running for Group 3 At large council seat 2015

[Tacachale]

Beyond that we can count on Tommy being an advocated for education - something that's desperately needed - and bringing in decades of institutional knowledge of the government. That's going to be crucial considering that we're losing so many experienced council members this year.

[southsider1015]

WTF BSC?

Jax Native - it may not be part of Tommy's "platform" (perhaps because he knows City Council can't do anything about it), but he has made statements linking the FDOT's toll plans to the 1988 referendum.

In Jacksonville, the state is building a pair of toll lane projects that will total 29 miles. The plans come despite a referendum Jacksonville voters passed in 1988 to rid the city's highways of tolls in exchange for a half-cent sales tax. FDOT administrators say the state doesn't have to abide by the local referendum.

Tommy Hazouri, who was mayor at the time, says the state's plan to add toll lanes violates the spirit of the referendum.

Locals will continue paying the sales tax even after the addition of the toll lanes.

"It's not just distasteful. It's dishonoring what people voted for," Hazouri said. "It's an issue of honoring what you say. Voters decided to tax themselves to get rid of the tolls, and here we are adding tolls. It flies in the face of public trust."

And his campaign website certainly mentions that as Mayor he led the campaign to replace tolls with a sales tax.  (By the way, those who criticize Bill Bishop for supporting a "regressive sales tax" - shouldn't Hazouri also be criticized for replacing a user fee with a regressive sales tax?)

Precisely.  My thoughts exactly.

[southsider1015]

He can still serve as a voice on the council against tolls and the ways such projects often get implemented when no one's watching out. It was nice to have several council members go to bat on the Fuller Warren Bridgebike/ped element when FDOT was trying to tell us they couldn't do it.

Wishful thinking, in my opinion.  I'd rather have an informed politician on the issue, and frankly, he's not up-to-date on infrastructure spending.  Neither was Joost, for that matter. 

Vote for what a politician can and will do.  Not what he says he's done 25 years ago, and implies how he can do it again.

[Jax native]

Charles Hunter,  That is exactly what I wanted.  Thanks so much.