My Dad, Rick Mullaney

[richiemullaney]

   With only 2 days remaining in this long hard fought election, I feel it is necessary to talk about the real Rick Mullaney. The one I have been so blessed to call Dad for 15 years.

   My grandpa was career Navy and was brought to Jacksonville over 50 years ago, stationed at NAS Jax. My dad grew up on the Westside, near 103rd Street and Jammes. His best memories are riding his bike through his neighborhood to play baseball with his two brothers at the base. He attended Wesconnett Elementary until the schools became disaccredited. Then, my grandma decided to go to work to pull my dad and his brothers out of public schools. We see this happening again today. My dad ended up graduating from Forrest High School, where my grandpa was a history and political science teacher for over 20 years.

   My dad went on to put himself through undergrad and law school at the University of Florida by selling books door to door. He was a sales manager for that company. After graduating number one in his class, which he doesn't talk about often but I think is rather impressive, he became a business lawyer in the largest private law firm in Florida. He taught business law as a professor at UNF and then went on to become a prosecutor at the State Attorney's Office. He was a prosecutor for 10 years and handled the toughest cases in the office. He created and led the Homicide Unit, which is still very effective today. He was named Florida's "Prosecutor of the Year" in 1991. After serving as an Assistant General Counsel to Mayor Ed Austin, he was appointed Chief of Staff to Mayor John Delaney. John Delaney only won his election by 1% and his administration succeeded at working very hard the first few years to gain the public's trust by reducing the size of government, lowering taxes, and freezing salaries. Mayor Delaney then appointed my dad to serve as Chief Legal Officer for Jacksonville. In this position, he gave legal advice to his clients who consisted of all major branches of Jacksonville government. In what he values as his most important case, he took a case to the US Supreme Court and won the right for high school students in Duval County to have the ability to say a prayer at their graduation.

   My dad also has a special spot in his heart for those that are less fortunate. He has been on the St. Vincent’s Hospital Board, and chaired the Foundation Board for the last two years. St. Vincent’s was the foster home that my grandpa grew up in. My dad has also been heavily involved in Gateway, which is an organization to help people get on the right track in their lives when dealing with drugs and alcohol. He has also been involved in work for ALS, the disease that led to my grandpa’s death in 2006.

   My dad is running for Mayor because he believes that when you become a servant, the possibilities are endless. He loves Jacksonville so much and has an amazing passion for our future. He not only believes in who we are but who we can be. He knows we have the unique "Jacksonville Advantage" with our natural assets such as the river, the ocean, our climate, etc. If we can leverage our assets, restructure our finances, and create opportunities for everyone in Jacksonville, he believes we can emerge from this economic downfall better and stronger than ever. He is committed to giving my two sisters and me a Jacksonville that we will want to come back to and eventually raise our families in.

   My dad said from day one, he will not run a campaign on broad sound bites, or vague plans, or empty promises. He is running a campaign on the issues with real ideas and a real vision for Jacksonville. My dad is not running for a title, for a job, or for the fun of it. It's much, much more than that. He is running to give the city he has lived in and loved for over 50 years the best possible future. I wish every single person could see what a great man my dad is. He has been working so hard to get his message about a change in thinking, getting our city's financial house in order, creating new and defining jobs and industries. My dad also has a personal attachment to the public school system in Jacksonville. He will be the first Mayor in the history of consolidated government to tackle the issue of education head on.

   My father, Rick Mullaney is the only candidate with the experience, integrity, and vision to lead Jacksonville to a better future with a more efficient government. The support we have gotten throughout this process is humbling and we will forever be grateful to such passionate people for making my dad's vision a reality. I believe in him. My dad is a strong leader and I can promise you that nobody will work harder than him to transform the future of Jacksonville, Florida.

[urbanlibertarian]

It wasn't an easy choice but I voted for your dad (early voting).  Thanks for the post.

[Timkin]

Umm...sorry... My Vote is with Audrey Moran .

[mfc]

You are very proud of your father and rightly so and he is very fortunate to have such a fine son.  Matt Carlucci sr

[richiemullaney]

It wasn't an easy choice but I voted for your dad (early voting).  Thanks for the post.

Thank you very much, we appreciate your support.

And RiversideLoki, it's really me. I wrote the post this afternoon because I want people to know my dad for who he is, not for what other people say he is.

Thank you Mr. Carlucci, it means a lot.

[richiemullaney]

He will be the first Mayor in the history of consolidated government to tackle the issue of education head on.

Pardon me for being rude, but how can you make a statement like that if it has NOT happened yet?

I really admire and respect you (for coming on here and share the story with us) and your dad a lot for what he has done already and more in the future. This does not change my mind or vote since I am with Audrey. One of the reason why I have not seen your dad have done is to show his passion, the deep soul-touching passion who believe in Jacksonville even in the bad times. He may have shown, but I have not seen it from my perspective.

Win or not, I hope you would take this amazing experience you have gained from the campaign and the best of all, learning a lot from your hero, your dad.

May the best mayor win!

-Josh

I appreciate your comment and I can promise you my dad is 110% committed to tackling public education. He has met with many teachers, leaders, and families. Like I said, my grandpa taught at Forrest High School, where my dad graduated. My dad has always told me that there are two things that can never be taken away from you: your faith, and your education.

My dad always says that education is the key to our future, and it will be a number one priority for him as Mayor, and I can say that because my dad has been blessed with an amazing work ethic and I know he will work extremely hard to improve our education system, it’s vital to our future. Without an improved public education system, nothing else can work.

Also, I’m so sorry you haven’t been able to see the passion my dad has for Jacksonville. He’s been here over 50 years, through the good and the bad. My dad loves this city, he just does, and I’m having a hard time describing in words how much my dad cares for Jacksonville. He chose to be a public servant because he wanted to make a difference in the city he was raised in and where he wants his kids to raise their families. Cities across the nation ask him to come speak and teach their city about consolidated government because my dad is an expert on our strong mayor form of government. I invite you to hear my dad speak and please take a look at our youtube channel to watch some of my dad’s speeches. My dad is very passionate about our future and about Jacksonville. Trust me, if there wasn’t a time limit at the debates or campaign rallies, he would talk for hours on end about Jacksonville’s tremendous assets, people, and potential.

I have gained a lot from this extraordinary process and I thank you for being involved.

[Springfielder]

I appreciate you coming on here and giving us your personal opinion of your dad. Of course, it's not likely that a family member would come on any forum and trash them...so a highly glowing statement would be expected.

Sorry to inform you, but it's not the mayors place to tackle education, other than being a support to the school district. The mayor really has no say in what the school district does or doesn't do, it's mandated by the state and federal levels, not the city. So unless he wants to make a monetary donation, he (or any mayor) can do all the talking they want, but they have no control over the superintendent, school board, principals, union, you name it...there's no level of control.

However, I am thrilled that he's supportive of the teachers. He's quite right in saying that you cannot take away ones faith or education. I wish there was a means in which a mayor could help, but there really isn't, the state and federal governments hold most of the cards...then the district has to deal with the lousy hand dealt to us. In the meantime, the children and the teachers all lose out.

There's too many issues that revolve around your fathers dealings as the general counsel that have left a very sour taste...shipyards, trailridge, just to name a couple. The taxpayers lost millions because of those horrible contracts, and they happened under his watch. For those and for my not wanting more of the same, I have voted for Moran.

Richie...again, I admire your decision to come stand up for your dad...he should be proud of you for that. Best of luck to you.

[richiemullaney]

I appreciate you coming on here and giving us your personal opinion of your dad. Of course, it's not likely that a family member would come on any forum and trash them...so a highly glowing statement would be expected.

Sorry to inform you, but it's not the mayors place to tackle education, other than being a support to the school district. The mayor really has no say in what the school district does or doesn't do, it's mandated by the state and federal levels, not the city. So unless he wants to make a monetary donation, he (or any mayor) can do all the talking they want, but they have no control over the superintendent, school board, principals, union, you name it...there's no level of control.

However, I am thrilled that he's supportive of the teachers. He's quite right in saying that you cannot take away ones faith or education. I wish there was a means in which a mayor could help, but there really isn't, the state and federal governments hold most of the cards...then the district has to deal with the lousy hand dealt to us. In the meantime, the children and the teachers all lose out.

There's too many issues that revolve around your fathers dealings as the general counsel that have left a very sour taste...shipyards, trailridge, just to name a couple. The taxpayers lost millions because of those horrible contracts, and they happened under his watch. For those and for my not wanting more of the same, I have voted for Moran.

Richie...again, I admire your decision to come stand up for your dad...he should be proud of you for that. Best of luck to you.

Thank you for your comment but I beg to differ. My dad has been promoting a change in thinking.
My dad believes the Mayor is in a unique position to help fix our public education. He plans to lead a community-wide effort in support of fixing our schools. He can help and support with reform efforts by the school board and others and also get the private and public sectors involved in those efforts. My dad is committed to this.

Also, it is very unfortunate that you are you not aware of the truth surrounding those “dealings.” No taxpayer money was lost in the Shipyards project at all, that is a myth and the city now owns the property, with $30 million in improvements, which is vital to the future revitalization of downtown. As General Counsel, my dad gave legal advice to his clients who included the Mayor’s Office, he did not make the executive decisions for the city the past seven years, John Peyton did. To say that my dad is more of the same is simply untrue.

[Chaz1969]

I seem to also recall a certain poorly-drawn contract involving the football stadium which led to disputes as to what the Jags could profit from.

[fsujax]

Richie. Thanks for coming on here and posting about your dad. I was in Bailey's camp until he dropped out. Then I was undecided between your dad and Moran. When your dad came out with his 34-point plan and one of the points was a moratorium on the Skyway, that sealed the deal for my support of Audrey. The Skyway I feel is an important transportation link in our transit system now and especially in the future. To me that one point showed short vision and not really having a good grasp on the overall transportation issue. I also have to say the attacks on Moran have really left me disappointed in your dad. I was at the debate held at the University Club and I felt that your dad went way too far. Just my thoughts.

[tufsu1]

Richie,

I concur with others here...thanks for speaking up.  I've met your dad several times and like him very much.  However, I have been very disappointed in the direction the campaign has chosen to take, especially in the last two weeks.  Now, this may not be the "real Rick Mullaney" as you noted, but it is the public face he has had fior several months.  Because of this, I am squarely with Audrey Moran.   

[dougskiles]

Your dad could definitely have used someone like you answering questions from the posters for the past three months, to be frank.

I agree.  He did come on the forum briefly after posting the plan to stop the Skyway but only promised that he would be back soon.  To my knowledge he didn't come back for a forum in the same way that Jim Bailey or Audrey Moran.  I've often wondered why he chose not to engage the metrojacksonville community.  It was either oversight or strategic.  Either way, it probably cost him a few voters.  We'll find out next week if it made any difference.

I only hope that if Rick does win the election that he will be accessible to the community.  That has been my concern from day one.  While I disagree with his point about the Skyway, I don't expect to agree with a candidate on every point.  What led me away from Rick was the strong sense that he would govern from inside his own very intelligent brain, and that there would be little opportunity for public input.

[buckethead]

I'll say this:

Richie is handling himself quite well among a host of informed and seasoned posters. Kudos.

[stjr]

Richie, thanks for your impassioned presentation of your Dad.  

I think its fair to say any given voter will find issues with all the candidates and it becomes part of a process of elimination, more than of affirmation, as to who one will vote for.  Unfortunately, such a process, perhaps unfairly, places an emphasis on the negatives of a candidate or the positions they proffer.  And, hence, "negative campaigning." (which you must admit is also being practiced by your dad, or at least, pushed upon him by his campaign managers for which he must take responsibility.  In fact, I just saw one such ad for him during 60 Minutes tonight).

It comes with the territory and anyone in the public eye (not just candidates running for office), especially today with 24/7 real time media, is, unfortunately, going to be slugged, slammed, libeled, slandered, desecrated, attacked, demonized, covered in mud, etc. by the media, pundits, their opposition, and the public via all forms of media, sound bites, ads, blogs, comment boards, internet sites, and public forums, to name a few.  Being in the public eye has long been alleged to be for those not faint of heart but, today, with the 24/7 desire for "fresh meat" to chew on, it appears worse than ever.  This "national sport" has created an even greater lack of civility that obscures and distracts from the underlying public discourse on important issues, qualifications of decision and policy makers, and the operations, functions, and institutions of our society and causes heartache for those like yourself who are personally attached to the public figures and know far better the person at issue.

No doubt your dad braced you for all the above.  And now, he finds himself on both the receiving and giving end of this behavior.  Painful as it is, I hope you take from this experience that serving or desiring to serve, remains all the more a noble cause because of the generally most unpleasant process to which one must subject themselves to to serve.  I worry not only over the ability of the voters to discern through all the smoke the best candidates to vote for and what they truly represent, but that, perhaps more importantly, fine and upstanding candidates, whatever their positions are on the issues, desire not  to run and serve due to the repulsiveness of the process to get elected (or appointed).  For this, we are all losers and I fret about what it means for our future.

I do not personally see eye to eye with any candidate in these elections (although regarding the Skyway, unlike others, I am more in your dad's camp   ) but I am able to see through all the muck some glimmer of redeeming humanity in each of them.  I hope that you realize that votes for or against your dad are mostly not that personal given you can't have a "personal" relationship with hundreds of thousands of voters.  And, when the election is over, history tells us most of this will all be forgotten and the candidates will, hopefully, win or lose, be restored to their positions of respect and appreciation for serving us in the ways they already have.  Forget not, as well, that the candidates already have served to keep each other "honest" (a very relative term in politics   ) and to promote dialogue and conversation of too many issues that are otherwise neglected between elections, and for this we are also indebted for each and everyone who runs for office.

I wish the best to your dad and all the candidates running, but mostly, to the citizens of Jacksonville, who need and deserve the very best public servants we can find.  There are far too few who meet the standards of any of the candidates running for mayor so we are already all "winners."

[Timkin]

+1