Most of Jax City Council plan to seek re-election

[thelakelander]

Are you excited about our current council? Here is a look at their individual plans for a future in local politics.

Members seeking re-election:

Bill Bishop - Reggie Brown - Richard Clark - John Crescimbeni - Johnnie Gaffney - Ray Holt - Stephen Joost - E. Denise Lee - John Meserve - Don Redman - Jack Webb - Clay Yarborough

Likely seeking re-election:

Warren Jones - Ronnie Fussell

Term-limited:

Michael Corrigan - undecided about next step - Daniel Davis - running for state Senate in 2012 - Kevin Hyde - running for mayor in 2011 - Glorious Johnson - undecided about next step - Art Shad - wants to return to council in eight years or so

Source: Times-Union interviews

full article: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2009-12-07/story/most_of_city_council_plan_to_seek_re_election

[Charles Hunter]

That last one is what concerns me about local "term limits" - Art Shad (and I don't care who, this also applies to John Crescimibini, Warren Jones, and Denise Lee) - coming back after sitting out a term or two.  The concept behind term limits is to keep a supply of new faces, and hopefully new ideas, flowing into the Council.  If old members keep getting recycled, this purpose is defeated.  An eight year term limit should mean that: serve eight years, and return to private life, or run for something else.

[heights unknown]

I hope they all get booted out so we can get fresh faces and new ideas on the Council.  I agree it's not good to have old council members come back; possibility exists that the same old, tired, and stale ideas and tendencies will resurface.

Heights Unknown

[JeffreyS]

I do not see streetcars, skyway expansion, commuter rail, new convention center or any great educational improvements. So I wonder why they would think I would want them back?

[mtraininjax]

Corrigan would and should remain a doormat or doorstop, since he has little to nothing to show for 8 years of public service. Did he improve the Riverside/Avondale/Ortega areas? My simple answer is no.

[CS Foltz]

I can't vote for any of them.......only District 13 where I live! Art Graham did a fairly decent job representing not only the Beaches but this area also. John Meserve has done nothing except to line his pockets at the taxpayers expense...........I did not vote for him in the past election and I will not vote for him in the next one! There is something really wrong to receive $100k plus for doing nothing except making sure people stay at the table! I wish I could get a job paying that for doing nothing at all. I do not trust him to represent me the way I should be represented! If I could vote for all of them running, I would vote for their opponents!

[thelakelander]

What did Art Graham do for transit?  I don't remember him speaking out against the original BRT plan or pushing transit from an economic development standpoint.

[Ocklawaha]

Here is the "official" OCK review...


Bill Bishop - This is an excellent time for you to become a missing person.
   
Reggie Brown - I'd like to leave you with one thought...unfortunately I ain't sure you have anywhere to put it!

Richard Clark -  Just out of curiosity, are your parents siblings?

John Crescimbeni -  Start every day off with a smile and get it over with.

Johnnie Gaffney -  When he was on safari in Africa he once shot an elephant in his pajamas, how the elephant got into his pajama's We'll never know.

Ray Holt -   Either the man is dead, or my watch has stopped..

Stephen Joost -  A Titanic intellect ... In a world full of icebergs

E. Denise Lee -   Any man who says he can see through women is missing a lot

John Meserve -   When you were born, did they let your Mother out of her cell?

Don Redman -     He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot, but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot.

Jack Webb -    Sure, I'd love to help you out...now, which way did you come in?

Clay Yarborough -   Yeah, yeah, keep talking, someday you might say something intelligent

Likely seeking re-election:

Warren Jones -   Although it is generally known, I think it's about time to announce that he was born at a very early age.

Ronnie Fussell  - Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.  

OCKLAWAHA
Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others.

[heights unknown]

This is bad news.

"HU"

[stjr]

I can't vote for any of them.......only District 13 where I live! Art Graham did a fairly decent job representing not only the Beaches but this area also.

CS, maybe Graham deserves your support but this type of comment is part of the problem with our City Council setup.  Constituents mostly vote on the basis of what the councilman/woman did for their districts, not the entire City.  As such, a lot of minor and meaningless district projects get approved while major City-wide impact projects get mangled, being compromised for vote trading based on district goodies and pork barrel.

Below, is a quote of mine from MJ's Charter Revision thread on how we might improve this situation: 

The problem with the City Council structure is it is both the House (i.e. district reps) and Senate (i.e. the at-large reps) rolled into one body.  As such, those elected to look out for all of Jax (the at-large reps) can't control or veto the district projects approved through back room horse trading by the district reps who control a super majority of the council and tend to be more petty and backwards to placate their limited constituencies.

This has served to dilute the character of a consolidated government that is suppose to be more oriented toward the big picture for the good of the whole county, not specific districts.  This part of Jacksonville has not fulfilled its promise as a result and we are being held back by it.  It needs to top the list of changes.

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/forum/index.php/topic,5991.0.html

As to what we should expect our candidates to be clear on, I repeat this IQ Test for MJ to submit to them should it do a candidate "forum" here:

Mayoral and City Council I.Q. Test that MJ should administer to ALL candidates (feel free to add to the list):

Position on Education (primary, secondary, collegiate, post-graduate) advances in our community

Position on zoning and land use planning

Position on urban sprawl

Position on parks, landscape/beautification and signs, and natural land preservation

Position on historic preservation

Position on mass transit and the $ky-high-way's future

Position on remaining part of Better Jax Plan, 9B, Outer Beltway

Position on police and fire pensions

Position on non-profits and cultural institutions role in Jax quality of life

Position on improving city finances, even if that includes a tax increase

Position on non and/or bi-partisan local government to be inclusive and do what's best for Jax, not your party

Position on how to upgrade the economy of Jacksonville without giving away the City or over-stimulating growth

Position on public health and welfare initiatives

Position on public safety

Position on city government structure/administration/position appointments

Position on prioritizing and balancing all of the above when faced with limited resources and/or an uncooperative electorate and/or City Council (i.e. how will you show/effectively implement your leadership)

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/forum/index.php/topic,6274.30.html

[CS Foltz]

stjr..........I said that Art did a decent job representing this Districts interest's, I did not say he had my support! I don't think Art did as much as he could have done, but his stance on the Craig Airport Extension was wrong and I don't remember much about him being involved with any City wide projects that would benefit the City as awhole! Biggest problem that I see is there is no unified group concensus about much of anything, other than the so-called Mayor getting rubber stamped with what he wanted and when he wanted it! If it took a complete replacement of the Council, that would be just fine by me..........we need people with a vision, a plan and the means to implement! Art is a Republican and I am an Independent.....big difference in outlooks! That so-called Republican credo just shows how out of touch with main stream America they are. Replace every cotton picking one of them, it would not bother me one bit. But the Mayoral position dictates just what direction we should be moving, that takes someone with strong leadership skills, some kind of vision on what direction we should collectively be moving and an idea on how to fund everything we need. Johnny is not the one.....never was and would never be, no matter how much he runs the City like a business!