Alvin Brown has made official his bid to run for office by filing with the SOE. Let the fundraising begin. Wonder who Republicans will run against him?
He has not made many friends even in his own base from what I hear. Trying to do anything involving with mayors office is a mess. If you are even graced with a response that is. A strong candidate could steal his base easily.
I am interested to know what people view as his accomplishments.
It is true Alvin has created distance between himself and many in his original base, especially some pastors and large church groups. He hasn't many a friend in JSO or the Firefighters either not to mention city workers who were let go during his cutbacks.
He has alienated a number of groups and he has either shown he is quite inexperienced or has surrounded himself with people who give terrible advice. In either case that is his fault. The new Courthouse, the Old Federal Courthouse rebid, and his budget proposals top his list of fiascoes.
The republicans still have to field a good candidate to beat him, they can't just run anyone against him.
Alvin's camp points to a 70% approval rating for him. What has he accomplished in the eyes of the public to support numbers like this? Is it simply that he is a good salesman, is media going easy on him or is it that some are happy a person in a minority holds the seat and that is enough for them. You can bet Dem's will support him again because he is the incumbent. As such he will have the Corrine Brown machine behind him and perhaps another visit from Bill Clinton, who I am guessing will be stumping here for Hillary in her race for the presidency.
What he won't have I am being told is the substantial backing of a number of Republicans that he had enjoyed and some larger donors. For instance, I don't see Delores Weaver coming out with financial support this time around. If Republicans can find a truly "moderate minority candidate" to run against him, they could be successful. It will be interesting to see if media that is heavily vested in the Republican party will start to point out Alvin's shortcomings, if so I believe we won't see that happen until further down the line.
I am really excited to not vote for this homophobic media-whore, street-naming do-nothing. I did last time and boy am I sorry. Wouldn't it be nice if someone intelligent and impressive and modern, like Audrey Moran, won?!!
It would have, however it didn't. lol So the question is who will support him this time? He will still garner a substantial part of the African American community and has insured this by adding folks like Tony Hill and Mia Jones to his circle. They will help him retain a substantial amounts of voters. His pastor Rhim and Corrine will be hot an heavy behind him as well. I wonder how many of the GLBT will come out to support him again? He has done nothing for them nor for women in the community. He may gain some votes with the education community but his involvement in that arena may wear thin as he steps over into the realm of the new head of the school board and school board members. He is stealing their thunder to a degree. It's okay for now, but it won't be for long, unless Bill Cosby becomes a member of the school board. :)
Some in JSO are mobilizing against him as well as firefighters and city union members.
Now I understand, he is running to take us to "another level"! lol Here we go! Times Union article below:
Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown is looking to take his time in office to the next level.
Brown filed paperwork this week indicating he’ll seek re-election, kicking off his campaign about two years before he’ll again face voters.
Brown, a Democrat, is the second candidate to jump into the 2015 mayoral race; Tiffany Wingo, a member of the Independent Party of Florida, filed in January.
The filing came somewhat early for an incumbent mayor, said Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland, although declaring years before is not “totally unusual.
Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2013-03-06/story/mayor-alvin-brown-files-run-re-election#ixzz2MnYPbliL
I have no idea what Im going to do. He has rubbed me the wrong way and has showed his true colors lately, however if keeps his promises about downtown, and we actually SEE the progress being made, and the city effectively balances the budget for the next 2 1/2 years, I MAY vote for him again. But he is a typical politician. He has his own agenda and could care less about anything else. The only thing he has cared about is downtown and pension reform. Im going to try my hardest to vote for a better candidate. Hopefully there is one.
If Moran runs again (or a decent moderate candidate) its probably curtains for Brown. She would have likely beat him 1 on 1 last time and would probably win by an even greater margin now. A lot of moderate conservatives crossed party lines to support Brown over Hogan and a lot of moderate liberals supported Moran prior to the runoff between Brown and Hogan. If Moran throws her hat in the ring, she will get those moderate conservatives back that voted for Brown over Hogan and likely get even more support from moderate liberals than she did last time.
I think a lot of people are still giving Brown time and don't want to burn bridges while he still has time on his term...but as the time gets closer to the next election, you may see more negativity pointed in his direction. Hopefully he will show a little more urgency to accomplish things before the next election than he has in his first two years in office.
From what I have seen of late, Brown is starting to ramp things up....which means that folks will start seeing some real action...just as the election season begins
I donated $100 to his campaign last week. I hope that the 2015 race is a chance for us to see how Mayor Brown plans to ask voters to give him another four years in office.
I will not vote him again.
Due to I have tried 4 times to meet with him and have been denied the request. And received a letter stating that his associate will call me on my concerns. His associate called and I advised him if he is not the MAYOR of the City Of Jacksonville then I have nothing to say to him. And hung up.
I also have asked if he would walk in the Murray Hill area with me to let the people speak out there concerns of this area. And still the answer is no Due to he has no time for a small business owner and people of this neighborhood.
I can say that our City Councilman Jim Love for District 14 did respond to me and also showed up at my store and listened to my concerns. Thank you City Councilman Jim Love for listening and doing your JOB WELL. Councilman Love is concerned about our district and takes all issues seriously.
That is more than I can say for the Mayor. My decision and opinion if you don't have money then you don't get to speak or meet with the Mayor.
All I see is that he is looking at getting businesses in the Downtown area. How about the out skirts of the downtown area too. Murray Hill area along Edgewood Ave South from Roosevelt Blvd to the I-10 Overpass has multiple buildings empty. This area needs businesses too in order for the elderly people living in the area can shop at.
Also, In the Murray Hill area why are there so many crime issues in this area. Think about it . It is due to we lost 7 police men on the last lay off in our area. Since then the crime rate has gone up.
Mayor Brown if you are concerned about the small people in this city then listen to what we have to say. Visit me at the ONE STOP THRIFT SHOP at 3644 Post Street and walk the area with me. Or yea I forgot you don't have the time to do that.
Make no mistake about the fact that the resignation of Jennifer Carrol and Alvin's support of Rick Scott are sending a few ripples through his camp. While those who went head to head with Cuba on Pensions are likely doing a happy, gotcha dance, the flip side of that coin is that several in powerful positions have been left worried by the reality that investigations like this do happen and are secretly underway. I expect to see some shoring up of "business" connections by several in state and local politics.
Which leads me to wonder if authorities have looked further into the close business relationships of Mayor Brown, his wife and their pastor Rhim? They were aware of that and some questions about campaign donations and books that didn't seem to be complete.
Lot's of smoke and mirrors in politics. Not everyone is blind to that but I am sure this Allied thing will have several on their toes for awhile.
"Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown is looking to take his time in office to the next level."
Um...why doesn't he try taking it to the next level in his current term? That would probably make a second term more likely...
Quote from: stephendare on March 13, 2013, 12:32:19 PM
Quote from: Cheshire Cat on March 13, 2013, 12:11:47 PM
Make no mistake about the fact that the resignation of Jennifer Carrol and Alvin's support of Rick Scott are sending a few ripples through his camp. While those who went head to head with Cuba on Pensions are likely doing a happy, gotcha dance, the flip side of that coin is that several in powerful positions have been left worried by the reality that investigations like this do happen and are secretly underway. I expect to see some shoring up of "business" connections by several in state and local politics.
Which leads me to wonder if authorities have looked further into the close business relationships of Mayor Brown, his wife and their pastor Rhim? They were aware of that and some questions about campaign donations and books that didn't seem to be complete.
Lot's of smoke and mirrors in politics. Not everyone is blind to that but I am sure this Allied thing will have several on their toes for awhile.
On wonders if you are referring to that million dollar 'donation' that Khan gave to Alvin's wifes charity, Dianne? I remember that she represents some kind of veteran's group, but I don't recall the name..
:) There is actually a "history" of companies Brown, his wife and Rhim have been involved in.
I think any donation coming from Mr. Khan is genuine and meant to do good. Not sure exactly how those funds have been used by the charity run by Alvin's wife at this point.
It will be fun watching Alvin Brown distancing himself from these people. He should have grabbed a hold of Obama's coat tails when he had the chance.
Wow we sure have a senical crowd here. I know about the accessibility issues with Alvin but he is very urban minded and looks out for the tax payer. He will work with either party and a Tea party candidate won't stand a chance against him. Perhaps he has overly focused on downtown but Jacksonville needs that. Not every good politician is a great Baby kisser.
Alvin will likely hang onto his Scott connection a while longer in order to get some agenda items taken care of. He cannot afford to anger him.
Jennifer is another story and born out of her own environment in local Jacksonville politics that has influence in both Democrat and Republican camps to some degree. Basically, there is an understanding by some in politics that they are there to work the system and that they are clever enough to do so and remain just inside the law. In this case it looks like someones skirt got blown up and it just did not turn out as sexy as the Marilyn Monroe film piece from years ago.
Jeffrey, There is a difference between cynicism about the integrity of some in political office and job performance I believe. For instance, someone in office can support issues that are positive and well received by the community and still make some personal, political and business decisions that may be pushing the law or ethics.
A positive outlook is imperative to the hope for a better community and society. On the other hand, a realistic look at what is going on that my be questionable is not cynical as much as it is the opening of ones eyes to the realities of politics and some in business at the local, state and national level. We have to be able to do both and be willing to discuss all aspects of what government and it's officials may or may not be doing while representing us in office.
He seems to have leveraged the Scott relationship in Jacksonville's favor a few times. I have not seen any smoke of unethical behavior. The only direct accusation I can recall is how hard it is to get to him. I do not take that lightly but I believe he has been a real positive for Jacksonville.
I don't want to turn a blind eye to anything so if we have an accusation lets make it.
It is my understanding that questions have been raised and posed to some at the State level with regard to the hows and why's of Alvin's campaign funding which of course predate his actual election. There was quite a bit of reporting about how the campaign was being funded and by whom. That of course can all be Googled by anyone who needs a refresher. You may remember the Dem money he received in a lump sum that no one could explain at the time as well as other issues. I don't know how far those inquiries went or if they are still being pursued. I doubt we will see similar questions in the next campaign as he will have a better more informed campaign crew behind him.
Here is some insight into some money raised by Alvin Brown's "Take it to Another Level" re-election fund raisers.
http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/403455/matt-dixon/2013-10-08/fundraising-committee-taking-jacksonville-next-level
QuoteA fundraising committee set up to support Mayor Alvin Brown's reelection raised $86,000 between July 1 and Sept. 15, according to recently filed campaign finance reports.
The biggest contribution to "Taking Jacksonville to the Next Level" – known as a committee of continuous existence (CCE) - was $25,000 from Jacksonville law firm Pajcic & Pajic.
Physician Charles Greene, law firm Farah & Farah, and Advanced Disposal Service also inked $10,000 checks.
The group's largest expenditure was $5,000 to the Florida Democratic Party.
Due to legislation passed during the 2013 legislative session eliminating CCEs, the remaining $79,423 has been transferred to "Taking Jacksonville to the Next Level PC," which is a so-called political committee.
Both groups are chaired by prominent Democratic election attorney Mark Herron.
Brown's campaign committee has raised just more than $300,000. Of that, $43,000 has come as in-kind contributions from the Florida Democratic Party. Much of the party money was for consulting and campaign staff.
His campaign account has spent $14,207. The biggest expenditure was $4,000 for "database maintenance" from NGP, a Washington-based company that provides technology services to Democratic campaigns.
Update: An earlier version of this post state Advanced recieved incentives from Jacksonville. An incentive package was offered, but not accepted
From the Sunday Newspaper at the Times Union - No Moran in 2015.....
Quote
NOT RUNNING
Among candidates who ran in 2011, none has made noises about taking another shot.
Rick Mullaney said he's focused on Jacksonville University's Public Policy Institute, where he is the founding director. He and Audrey Moran split the vote when they ran for mayor, resulting in the runoff election between Brown and Mike Hogan, who was the leading Republican vote-getter.
Brown won with 50.4 percent of the vote in the runoff, a margin of 1,662 votes. Hogan did not return calls this past week to the Florida Public Employee Relations Commission, where he is the chairman.
Moran said she won't run in 2015. "What I tell everyone is the absolute truth, which is not never, but not now," she said.
After Brown won in 2011, Moran served as co-chairwoman of his transition team. As for who she will support in 2015, she said she's waiting to see what the mayoral field will look like.
"I am going to look forward to see who is going to run for mayor," she said, "because I believe our city needs bold leadership."
I think the mayor's 70% polling number is due to his not raising taxes and cutting city jobs. I know those things are not popular on this site but to the average taxpayer they are.
The taxes thing is part of it, but it's more his avoiding anything that remotely resembles a tough decision. It's a lot easier to avoid upsetting people when you don't do anything.
You'll also notice his "no taxes" stance didn't actually result in no taxes - he just forced the city council to do his job for him and create a budget.
^^ I loved Overton's comment that the Mayor did not sign the latest budget, he just let the Council do the work for him. Great leadership by the Mayor.