The Next Mayor?

[stephendare]

Potential Mayoral Candidates:

Jim Bailey
Dan Davis
Ronnie Fussel
Mike Hogan
Glorious Johnson
Audrey Moran

any others?
What does our readership think of the ones on this list?

[Charles Hunter]

Wasn't Jerry Holland (Sup. of Elections) interested at one time?

[fatcat]

gee, I will take anyone over the current. I am just soooo sick of him. Since we are on this note, can we have resume of the potential candidates?

[urbanlibertarian]

Warren Jones?

[City Slicker]

Warren Jones would be a good bet.  But I am for Audrey Moran.  Cannot think of anyone smarter or more well suited for the post.  I am glad that she did not run for State Attroney, becuase now she is available for mayor

[mtraininjax]

Do not forget the politician who never goes away, Tommy Hazouri. School board term coming to an end soon, likes the action. Could be a viable candidate, he has name recognition and if he fights Peyton on school funds, could catch a new following.

Jim Overton, property appraiser, is also a good former city councilman who has good community ties and is well respected.

No former Sherrif Nat? Made it a horse race last time, and could get the black voters back out in droves. Ride the Obama wave, if it is still carrying weight when the mayor's race begins.

[ChriswUfGator]

As long as Gate Petroleum no longer controls the city, I'll be happy.

It's kind of like like the presidential election...it got to where I almost didn't care who won, because no matter what at least the a$$hole was gone.

[ChriswUfGator]

Jim Overton is a good guy.  So is Tommy and he was a decent mayor.
Rick Mullaney?

Mullaney is ok, he's a very smart guy. But I'm still convinced he was on the take in that Jacksonville Shipyards Inc. development deal, where he worded the contracts with the builder in such a way that they got a free $40 million dollars from the city without being obligated to complete the project.

I bet if someone dug deep enough, they would find he has a brother in law or something working for that company, or he received some kind of payment from them. He definitely has the smarts, but ethically I dunno. Par for the course in Jacksonville, though. Politicians around here are almost as bad (or worse) as Chicago.

I don't really know too much about the other two...

[stjr]

We need someone like Michael Bloomberg - progressive, independent, about doing what they think is best for the city as a whole, not a particular vested interest.  Anyone who can herd all those stray cats in a city of millions and be as popular as he is has special talent.

Most, if not all the names suggested here, are political retreads with lots of baggage and preexisting obligations and commitments.  I wouldn't expect these types to be much different than many we have had before.

P.S. Stephen, candidates with ties to developers, builders and conservative religious ties probably aren't going to bode well for the prospects of an emphasis on downtown and the surrounding core area's revitalization or any requested additions for night life involving progressive dance music, alcohol, or other pushing-the-envelope entertainment that might "spice" up the area.  Be careful what you ask for   Don't expect a full blown city renaissance under these candidates if they get elected mayor.

[ChriswUfGator]

Lol.   Wasnt Peyton supposed to be that guy, stjr?

My dream candidate would be a return of Delaney.

I have a couple of personal favorites on the list above of course.  But these are people who are being talked about as actually running.

Got anyone to draft?

Delaney was the best Mayor we've had in decades, but he didn't do everything well. I never really liked the execution of the "Better" Jacksonville plan. Creating a huge and widely-publicized cash pool is just bound to draw everybody out of the woodwork to stick their fingers in the pie, and naturally, that's EXACTLY what happened. The fund got scavenged for other purposes, and half the projects still aren't done or even started. He also bears some responsibility for the courthouse mess.

I also think he placed no emphasis on downtown and public transit.

[BridgeTroll]

Tony Allegretti

[stjr]

Delaney was the best Mayor we've had in decades, but he didn't do everything well. I never really liked the execution of the "Better" Jacksonville plan. Creating a huge and widely-publicized cash pool is just bound to draw everybody out of the woodwork to stick their fingers in the pie, and naturally, that's EXACTLY what happened. The fund got scavenged for other purposes, and half the projects still aren't done or even started. He also bears some responsibility for the courthouse mess.

I also think he placed no emphasis on downtown and public transit.

I guess unless we ourselves are elected, no one is going to please us individually all the time.

I liked the library from BJP but, lets face it, the BJP was really a cover for putting more money into the stadium for the Jags.   The BJP was an "all or nothing" deal, and with all its sweeteners, few had the stamina to say "no".  And, Delaney got snookered by the judges he used to work with at the State Attorney's office in letting them take the lead on designing the Courthouse.  We know how that turned out! 

I believe that over time Delaney will be best remembered for the land he was able to get put aside for preservation and parks.  I do wish Peyton had continued this emphasis.  Such actions will have an impact to eternity as such opportunities missed are forever lost.  No doubt, one day will have one of these lands dedicated to his efforts.

Peyton lacks completing a big time signature goal from his administration.   I do think he often has good intentions and really is interested in doing what is best for the City although, again, we can often agree to disagree on various issues.  Most people I know think he is a genuinely "nice guy" regardless of their political leanings.  He did manage to bring in the big port deals and this will likely be his top highlight along with a few other business and international opportunities that came home under his watch.  And, while its not bricks and mortar, I think he has been as fiscally responsible as he could be (the police and fire pensions, not withstanding) with the cards he was dealt with.  That takes some toughness considering all the free loaders in this City.  And, considering Peyton has a young family, I give him credit for popping up just about everywhere in the City and being highly visible.

I think a Peyton weakness is in consistently trusting and choosing the right people and in keeping his eye on the ball 100%.   Sifting out the best strategies from the many voices he was hearing from may not have always been his strong point.  He also may be out of touch with some critical details (like how big the new courthouse really is!).  Peyton was cursed with a lot of tough situations:  the Courthouse, cleaning up the unsavory leftovers of the BJP, the property tax cut fiasco created by his own party in Tallahassee, and, now, the economy.  While the verdict is still out, Obama came into office with a set of priorties to address and, mostly, has stayed focused on those for now.  It is too easy to get distracted and have such priorities diluted and end up with only a little of a lot of things and no big agenda items finished.  I have a sense this approach may have afflicted Mr. Peyton.  Peyton came in as young and relatively inexperienced and this may have further colored his effectiveness to some degree.

[ChriswUfGator]

I agree with your assessment stjr...

It should have just been called the "Bitter Jacksonville Plan", since that's what it yielded. Nobody got what they wanted out of, despite all that wasted money. Well, except for some of the "Good ole' Boy" contractors like Auchter Co. And I guess W.W. sure made out like a bandit too, only to turn around last year and threaten to move to a new city, if his pot wasn't sweetened even further. *sigh* The city sure isn't any better off for all those billions gone, that I can see.

This place seems hell-bent on giving everything away to those who least deserve it.

[Cliffs_Daughter]

 I'd rather find someone who's working in city government as an employee, not an elected official. You really don't have a clue how poorly run things are - not talking about the big things that make the news, but all the little day-to-day ops the really good beneficial programs can't do properly because of all the red tape and lackadaisical behavior of the higher-ups in accounting and finance.

Suffice it to say, it would take someone who's truly witnessed the inefficiency of certain central operations departments to really be able to get in there and change it from the get go. I know someone in that position who mentioned in private that he'd love to seriously run someday. If he is serious, I'll post his name.

Until then, I'm all for Glorious!

[Springfielder]

I totally agree with you Cliff's daughter....we not only need someone who has seen the wrong happening, but someone who isn't part of the already in place system. I'm curious as to whom this person is, that you eluded too...perhaps they are serious and you'll fill us in...until then, I have to say that if CW Johnson tosses her hat into the ring, I'll support her.