Platform and Issue Development for the next Mayor and Council

[stephendare]

What is the platform that would create a successful Jacksonville.

Its time to stop allowing the local offices to be captured with backslaps and handshakes, and instead create a measure against which the candidates will have to declare themselves on.

My votes on this are:

Mass Transit.
A real mass transit program instead of a mass transit nightmare haphazardly executed by the roadbuilding authority.

Recentralizing Development. 

Land Conservation

Updating our governments communication and bringing our government services into the digital age.

Rebuilding the Port.

Comprehensive economic redevelopment in the core.

The repeal of the various 'development authority' projects and the business killing parking commission.

Refunding of the Arts and Cultural development of our city.

Working with High Speed Rail to connect our city to other locations.

Tax incentives for using mass transit.

Redevelopment of the County Agricultural Extension Offices.

What else?

[BridgeTroll]

A giant anchor weighing down this city is the state of Police, fireman, city worker pensions.  This needs to be addressed fairly with all parties.

[Ocklawaha]

Mass Transit.
A real mass transit program instead of a mass transit nightmare haphazardly executed by the roadbuilding authority.

The repeal of the various 'development authority' projects and the business killing parking commission.

Tax incentives for using mass transit.

Don't kill the parking commission! There are ways to make EVERYONE happy in this quagmire...Revenue lost would be several million dollars per year + jobs and family security for a number of residents, lets not let that happen. Here's my plan - "The Jacksonville Traction Parking Plan."

IMAGINE:

Parking Meters are audited block by block, side by side, and income per block/per side is calculated.
Based on this audit, we find the parking "hot spots" and the weak spots throughout town.
A new fee-tax is added to all public/private lots equal to the lost revenue of the old meter system+10% dedicated to mass transit - FOREVER.

Meters come down City wide.

Replaced by the new zone charges on public/private parking lots or garage spaces.

Streetside parking goes free. Again the "zones" that are developed from the audit, show us the busy spots and those could be more restricted then others. Some get set at 30 minutes up to 3 hours - in addition some areas have free all day parking.

All the investment in parking Nazi vehicles, staff etc... is rolled over into a new force of visitor ambassadors. While they can still enforce overtime parking limits, or illegal parking, they'll also go to school for city history, culture, locations, details, and be armed with more "VISITORS TICKETS" then penalty tickets.  Remember their department income is still intact through the new garage/lot tax - this removes the chance of quotas or arguments. In fact the "new" bonuses could be based on assistance tickets written.

THE WHAT?

Parking Tickets - Okay, no argument - 4 hours in a 30 minute spot gets you a big one.
Visitors Tickets - The licence tag is clearly not in the Jacksonville MSA, maybe even out-of-state, so first offense gets you a ticket that 1. > welcomes you to our city 2.> gives you a simple explanation of limited parking/free parking/fee parking/income etc 3.> contains sponsor coupons from local restaurants, attractions, lodging, with at least one or two FREE items "no stings attached". (coffee - coke - moon pies etc).
Assistance Tickets - Signed/dated with contact number recorded "ticket" that states your an official visitor to our City that officer XX was able to assist you, suggest for you, guide you, etc. and the reward of bigger special deals. Buy one-get one free at Ruth's Chris (for example)

Needless to say the added revenue of advertising would be huge, and the goodwill thus spread would be priceless.

The income supports both the agency, and mass transit as well as promotes the city.

OCKLAWAHA

[BridgeTroll]

Visitors Tickets - The licence tag is clearly not in the Jacksonville MSA, maybe even out-of-state, so first offense gets you a ticket that 1. > welcomes you to our city  2.> gives you a simple explaination of limited parking/free parking/fee parking/income etc 3.> contains sponsor cupons from local restaurants, attractions, lodging, with at least one or two FREE items "no stings attached". (coffee - coke - moon pies etc).
Assistance Tickets - Signed/dated with contact number recorded "ticket" that states your an official visitor to our City that officer XX was able to assist you, suggest for you, guide you, etc. and the reward of bigger special deals. Buy one-get one free at Ruths Chris (for example)

I love this Ock!

[JeffreyS]

1 Education finding money for it this year would have propelled our rank in the state.  The cheapest most bang for the buck when you factor in all the other areas are cutting education bucks also.  You have a corporation that likes Florida's tax structure they go to pick the city and ranks first on public education spending gives the impression of an educated workforce and good place to attract employees with children.  We could have accomplished first in Education spending in the state for pennies on the dollar of what it would have cost in the past.

2. Police force under manned police leave you with inadequate protection and officers who have to bend the rules just to try and keep up.

3. Transit current streetcar and express bus north then commuter from greencove, St. Augustine and Yulee. Skyway expansion maybe should be first but I have it as phase three.

4. Require three layers to open up several new locations with a minimum Jeff Squares requirement.(Riverside Location first)

5. Address zoning laws requiring minimum set backs.

6. Get the river Dredged.

7. Zip line from BOA tower to gulf life back to the landing.

8. Keep some of the libraries open until at least 10pm.

9. Disband DVI and tell the DART team to stop harassing nightclubs just for being nightclubs.

10. Get the courthouse done so we can get a new convention center and Return the Jacksonville Terminal to it's glory days.

[chris]

The bigger problem would be getting someone that cares about the aforementioned topics elected without the "backslaps and handshkes." 

[stug]

I'd say viable mass transit is numero uno on my list.

Every weekday morning, my task is getting from my Murray Hill home to my Philips Hwy. office as promptly and painlessly as possible. For several weeks, I've been unable to take Post or College through Riverside to get to I-95 because of construction on the train tracks at the McDuff intersection. I refuse to get on I-10 at McDuff because the gridlock is ALWAYS a nightmare. So, my other option has been taking Roselle St. through McDuff to Stockton and then Stockton to Post in order to get on 95 at Park St. This morning, much to my chagrin, Roselle St. is also closed at McDuff! Anyway, I detour and finally make it to Post St., which, SURPRISE SURPRISE, is closed at Margaret St. detouring cars to College to sit at an additional traffic light.

How I long for lightrail!