The Deegan Administration: City Hall Staff

[jaxlongtimer]

What was the issue with these nominations?

In a few words, vicious partisan politics by some* on the Council who will do whatever it takes to stand in the way of making this City better vs. promoting their self-serving agenda.  They basically are carrying forward the Curry "machine," bitter that Deegan defeated it and seeking revenge, even rejecting their fellow Republicans who are willing to "cross the aisle" to better our community.  Ask the naysayers what they want and it is likely the only answer will be the opposite of whatever Deegan wants.

Sad that people vote in local elections based on party only, not who has the City's best interest at heart.  Local elections should be nonpartisan for this very reason.

I wish we had staggered City Council seat elections so that maybe a mayor could at least have a chance to throw half the rotten apples out midterm.

*For the record, it took only 7 nay votes to block DeFoor and these are the 7 who refused to vote otherwise: 

The seven council members who have said they would vote against confirming DeFoor are Salem, Kevin Carrico, Terrance Freeman, Chris Miller, Randy White, Raul Arias and Nick Howland. Council members have stated their positions at various meetings and in interviews over the past couple of weeks.

Look for that partisan voting "block" to regularly obstruct Deegan's initiatives including blocking appointees, diversity initiatives, removal of Confederate monuments, overriding rezoning recommendations or refusals to give developers what they want, budget allocations, etc.

[simms3]

It's less about party politics in this town than it is what we are already referring to as a "machine".  I'm as MAGA as they come, but I really don't care for the local flavor of Republican politics, which is simply a corrupt machine wielding power.  Many other (most other) cities tend to have corrupt Democrat machines, but actually in those cities, many have left behind the days of "machine" politics for modern era progressive politics.

The one thing that many of the old-school Democrat machines allowed for was the rise of great cities.  I have yet to see a Republican "machine" give rise to a great city - they just aren't up to that task, but they are still self-serving and corrupt.  On the flip side, we are seeing modern era progressive Democrats who have replaced old-school Democrats absolutely take wrecking balls to their cities.

I digress...when you look at the 7, many are tied to the local machine: Terrance Freeman, Chris Miller, Raul Arias and Nick Howland.

What upsets me in particular is that in the case of Chris Miller and Raul Arias, both were late entrants into the race inserted by you know who and both defeated great people in their own party who were going to do great jobs (and in Raul's race, there was also a great Democrat who I actually supported in that district, Ramon Day).  We got inferior candidates in to be part of the machine holding this whole place back.

Nick Howland, as bad as he is, is still a better choice than the hard left progressive woman that he ran against.  But it only proves the point that we don't get a lot of good candidates in this town (on the one hand a crazy lady on the other hand a corrupt arrogant machine guy).  People see the opportunity to be part of a corrupt machine, wielding power, boys club, etc etc and that's what appears to be drawing these types.

Randy DeFoor was absolutely beloved by her district (which is also my district), and is a smart, highly capable, very pragmatic person who would have been excellent, but we don't deserve her as a city.  We deserve what we continue to vote for.

[tufsu1]

I'm as MAGA as they come

wait...really? I am shocked!

[vicupstate]

I expected that was the reason, just needed it confirmed. Not surprising at all. I have advocated for years, decades actually, to make the city council non-partisan. Considering all it would take is a charter amendment, it is an indicted on Jacksonville that has not even been ATTEMPTED. These seven people need to be condemned for their actions and new opponents recruited. 

[marcuscnelson]

AG Gancarski reporting today that Mayor Deegan's new Chief of Staff will be Darnell Smith. Previously Florida Blue's North Florida Market President, Smith replaces Pat McCullough.

[Captain Zissou]

AG Gancarski reporting today that Mayor Deegan's new Chief of Staff will be Darnell Smith. Previously Florida Blue's North Florida Market President, Smith replaces Pat McCullough.

That's great, if true.  Darnell is a great guy who I believe will be able to push things forward.

[marcuscnelson]

Times-Union now reporting. An interesting detail:

Smith will work as an "executive on loan" from the insurance company, the mayor's office said in a Tuesday news release, with Florida Blue still paying his salary and providing benefits. Smith will work for the city full-time and will not do any work for Florida Blue while in the office. COJ and Florida Blue have not yet finalized a contract.

I didn't think that was a thing that happened.

[CityLife]

Times-Union now reporting. An interesting detail:

Smith will work as an "executive on loan" from the insurance company, the mayor's office said in a Tuesday news release, with Florida Blue still paying his salary and providing benefits. Smith will work for the city full-time and will not do any work for Florida Blue while in the office. COJ and Florida Blue have not yet finalized a contract.

I didn't think that was a thing that happened.

Mayor Brown did it in a few instances. Renee Finley was head of the Office of Public-Private Partnership on loan from Blue Cross Blue Shield (Florida Blue). The City also used JU professors as Education Commissioners on loan for free. I think the duPont Fund also has done it in the past and currently has one or more employees on loan with the City.

[jaxlongtimer]

^ Maybe Nat Ford is on "loan" to JTA courtesy of the AV industry  .

[Captain Zissou]

Laura Edgecombe is currently an exec on loan from the Dupont Fund.

[Ken_FSU]

I suppose there's some conflict of interest, and always the chance that some corporation gets repaid for their generous loan of talent on the back end, but I don't hate it either.

I think a lot of us in the private sector would jump at the right chance to work full-time in the public sphere and help push the city forward, but man, it's hard to give up the stability and paycheck of the for-profit world to do it.

I wish more organizations would do this on the education side as well and loan their brightest minds to public schools.

[thelakelander]

We have a new planning director!

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2024/feb/05/r-brett-james-appointed-city-director-of-planning-and-development/

[jaxlongtimer]

We have a new planning director!

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2024/feb/05/r-brett-james-appointed-city-director-of-planning-and-development/

Being from out of town, hopefully, he can make planning decisions not hamstrung by local politics and the good ol' boy network but rather by what makes for the best community for all.

[Jax_Developer]

He's got a lot of work to do. The current code is absolutely horrible, and nothing is timely.

[marcuscnelson]

I have friends in San Diego, they sound encouraged by Mr. James. Hopefully he has the resources and vision to challenge this status quo.