Challengers in the 2015 Council Races

[tufsu1]

I think there are too many DEMS running in districts 7 and 8. maybe some of them would consider running in the suburban districts?

umm...you kind of have to live in the district you are running in

[Cheshire Cat]

I think there are too many DEMS running in districts 7 and 8. maybe some of them would consider running in the suburban districts?

umm...you kind of have to live in the district you are running in

As far as district council seats go, you can only vote for your own district representative (the district you live in) a council at large seat and Mayor.  Individual feelings about who one may or may not support in upcoming district races that one doesn't reside in really don't amount to much.  The only difference would be if you plan on funding or working for a candidate in an area not your own, specifically to oppose a candidate you don't like, which rarely if ever happens in district council races. Those races when challenged are usually challenged via political parties, i.e. Democrat and Republican who will funnel money to or create buzz about a candidate they support.  For the sake of discussion it would be in the districts like Redman's that impact downtown that you may see quite a bit of outside influence because of the high degree of interest in downtown revitalization.  That kind of interest will not generally be evident in other districts.

Urbaknight, what is your district? 

[Cheshire Cat]

To find out your council district area you can use this link:

www.duvalelections.com/content.aspx?id=100

To see current council members use this link:

http://www.coj.net/city-council/city-council-members.aspx

To contact Supervisor of Elections office to ask about your district you may call (904) 630-1414

[Charles Hunter]

Not to split hairs, Cheshire ... no, wait, I am ... You can vote in the Council District where you live (one of 14), the Mayor, and all 5 of the At-Large seats.  The residency requirement for At-Large is for the candidates, they must live in one of 5 large areas - also mapped at the links you provided.

I don't see anything wrong with opining for or against any of the Council candidates - whether or not they are in "your" (or "my") district.

The Council and Mayor races are "unitary", where all the candidates run against each other in a primary, and the top two vote-getters face off in the general election.  Candidates can declare political parties, and parties can work for candidates.  This is different from partisan races (like State and Federal position), where there is a Democratic Primary and a Republican Primary (assuming candidates), and one from each part face in the General.  I think a non-partisan race (like the Duval School Board?) would be similar to the unitary, but parties can't be involved or declared.

[Cheshire Cat]

Not to split hairs, Cheshire ... no, wait, I am ... You can vote in the Council District where you live (one of 14), the Mayor, and all 5 of the At-Large seats.  The residency requirement for At-Large is for the candidates, they must live in one of 5 large areas - also mapped at the links you provided.

I don't see anything wrong with opining for or against any of the Council candidates - whether or not they are in "your" (or "my") district.

The Council and Mayor races are "unitary", where all the candidates run against each other in a primary, and the top two vote-getters face off in the general election.  Candidates can declare political parties, and parties can work for candidates.  This is different from partisan races (like State and Federal position), where there is a Democratic Primary and a Republican Primary (assuming candidates), and one from each part face in the General.  I think a non-partisan race (like the Duval School Board?) would be similar to the unitary, but parties can't be involved or declared.

Split away Charles.    I am up late and saw your post but it's too late to get into a deeper discussion about my earlier commentary but will do so tomorrow.  I may have hit an "internal" blip on the voting for at large seats, will check my facts on that as well.  While I agree that opining is something all can and likely do regarding politics and who is running for the various districts, I think it takes more than opining to get to where we all might like to be politically in this town. It may be that there is no real consensus among voters as to what the city needs.  Which is part of why I posted the district poll above.  I hope some folks who just read may consider joining the forum so they may vote as well and we can use the info for another discussion I think might be of interest concerning who and what impacts the outcome of local races.   As far as the "unitary" status of council seats, you are correct, but if anyone thinks that the political parties are not at play in who gets support in their attempt to gain those seats, that person would be a bit naive to the reality of politics. 

[Cheshire Cat]

So far the poll lists some folks in Gaffney's district.  That district has changed, so make sure to check with the SOE to see if you a still part of the redrawn district. 

[Cheshire Cat]

You are correct about everyone voting for the at large seats Charles.  My mind must have gotten stuck on the fact that the candidates had to reside in the at large district they ran in as opposed to that being a requirement for folks to vote.

From Wiki:
In the early 1990s, voters approved an unusual residency requirement for "at-large" members. The county was divided into five special districts unrelated to any other districts, solely for the purpose of providing better representation for all geographical areas of Jacksonville. This was done because a trend had developed in which all five "at large" councilmembers actually resided in one small area of town. So under the current structure, at-large council members must reside in the special district for which they are running, but are elected by the voters of the county as a whole

[Charles Hunter]

Heh ... didn't even see the poll until you just mentioned it.  I'm in D1, which, as redrawn, may be more competitive next time around.

[Stephen]

It would be helpful if you could post a map so those of us who just moved here could tell which district we are in..I am certainly going to pay more attention to local races during the next cycle. I voted for Brown which seems to have been a mistake not that Hogan would have been any better but I am tired of the same old same old which seems to be the norm here. I moved here from Chicago and I had no idea how backwards Jacksonville would be.

[Traveller]

Link to 2015 District map here...

http://www.coj.net/city-council/docs/maps/2015districtmap.aspx

[Stephen]

Thank you Traveller......I appreciate it.

[Stephen]

I am in the 14th District.

[Cheshire Cat]

Stephen, if you read the thread and the posts above yours prior to your inquiry, you would see that a link and phone number were posted which would give you the maps you asked for and the office of the SOE to ask questions about your district!    I know people like to scan threads, but actually reading them can be very helpful.  lol

[Stephen]

Diane ..I just moved here so 7 pages of this thread were just a bit ponderous and very boring.Thanks for the warm heartfelt welcome though. My Councilman is Love.What is he like? I'm a Democrat .

[Cheshire Cat]

Boring, did you say boring?  lol  Actually, I am glad you responded so truthfully Stephen because your response is  a partial indicator of why it is so hard to engage the average citizen in the political process.   I am also a registered Democrat and Avondale resident who voted for Jim Love during the last council election.  I am not sure I would do the same next time around.  That would depend upon who is running for the district seat in 2015.  I will reserve most commentary on my opinion of him at this time not because I wish to be secretive about it but rather because I am want to see what he does with a couple of sizable upcoming issues including the redevelopment project on Fishweir.  I was not very happy with how the "Mellow Mushroom" issue was dealt with nor was I impressed by a meeting that was held to discuss the issue which apparently turned on the will of an Avondale woman who felt uncomfortable with other community members who came to the meeting and were then asked to leave.  Apparently she felt someone was "pissing" on her orange trees. 

There is another thread called "What happened to Jim Love" that is an ongoing discussion by some on the forum.  You may want to take a look (or scan) that.