The race for At Large Council seat for Group 5 is wide open.

[Cheshire Cat]

There is no incumbent in the race for at large Group 5.  There are however three candidates, two of them with name recognition.  One is Ju'Coby Pittman (D) who is well known and respected in Jacksonville due to her tireless work with the Clara White mission.  A person would be hard pressed to find folks who do not have something positive to say about her or the care she has displayed when it comes to our city.  The question becomes one of how well her non profit status would translate to the working of city hall as a legislator on the council.   

The other known and popular candidate is Michelle Tappouni (R) who is also well known and respected in our community.   Michelle comes with a broad business background that would support her understanding of the many issues that may come before the council in the form of legislation or discussion. 

The third candidate is Sam Newby (R) who does not have a campaign site or even a fb page for his campaign.  Not sure what that is about but at this stage of the game his presence in the race will not be a factor in the first election which I believe will come down to a race between Ju'Coby and Michelle.  I see this as a "very tight race" where voter turnout will make all the difference in March and May. 

Personally, in a very selfish way I would hate to see the community and Clara White mission lose the full attention of Ju'Coby on the very important issue of homelessness especially considering the new housing that will be available largely as a result of Ju'Coby's efforts.  My support in this race will go to Michelle Tappouni whose ideas and platforms are familiar to me and which I agree with.  Both are very good candidates and we each must make our own best decision and cast our vote according. Both women are exceptional individuals. IMO


Note:  All registered voters may cast a vote in the race for this seat.

[Bill Hoff]

After hearing each speak about priorities and city issues, it's pretty obvious which is the best woman for the job. Highly respected leaders like Audrey Moran, Lori Boyer, etc are supporting Michelle Tappouni for a reason.

I don't consider Newby a serious/significant candidate.

[urbaknight]

I too will be voting for Tappouni. I voted for her last time around and was disappointed that she didn't win. I just wish that people like Moran Would run again, we really need people like that to turn this city around.