Rummell: One Spark is not a 'turning point' for Downtown Jacksonville

[Cheshire Cat]

^^^Well, Rummell is at least putting his money where his mouth is.  We can't overlook the fact that Rummell is the driving force behind One Spark's creation, organization, and funding.  He may not be the hipster 25 year old who serves as the point guard for rallying the troops, but he got that 25 year old hipster's attention in the first place and pitched in the money needed to organize the event.

Has anyone seen the movie Jobs?  Horrible horrible movie.  But it showcases the relationship between $$$ and idea.  You need both.  Rummell is more on the $$$ side, and that's ok.  Perhaps he has an end goal, but I think even he realizes that he'll be old and senile before downtown is a ripe playground for what he would probably like to do real estate wise there.  But his heart and intentions are good.  Maybe not in his time, but he can be a force of change that gets us there with stuff like One Spark.

Any idea/concept that sticks from One Spark could spur a start up.  That start up will need seed money (likely to come a little bit from guys like Rummell...he's probably so envious of the VC environments of the Bay Area and Boston where guys like him go from millionaires to billionaires by funding "the next big ideas").  That start up will also need office space.  They'd probably prefer cool brick and timber space that can be leased/renovated in buildings downtown.

So One Spark could also fuel revitalization that way.  I think it all kind of ties together.

Of course he is because he is a developer who has plans for downtown which include a development he envisions that will grow his wealth. A vibrant downtown enhances his own real estate and business investments.  Not dissing that, just stating that this is not all about creating a better downtown for the city, that may be an adjunct to his actions though.  It is rather about firming up investments and creating new ones with himself and his new development idea at the top of the list. He is a hard core business man first and foremost, never forget that.  Again, not saying anything about this other than pointing out there are many reasons for his efforts and not all of them have to do with philanthropy.   I would venture to say that most of the folks who comment on this site, do so because they care about the future of the core and city out of the goodness of their heart for lack of better words.  It is a mistake to believe however that this is the motivating factor of all who show interest or invest funds. 

[ronchamblin]

The fact that we've not made significant progress in achieving a vibrant and "building occupied" core, after thirty years of attempting it, is almost amazing, given all the talk of it, and the effort to it.

Surely this indicates a systemic problem somewhere in the mix, a problem never addressed.  What is the nature of the systemic problem?  Surely there is something hindering progress ... hidden ...  underlying the apparent.

Some occasionally point to the First Baptist Church.  But that idea has gotten old.  How about the "old guard" ... the rightists? ... the good ol boys?  ... the entrenched power .... who just might, being wealthy ..be too comfortable? ....  and therefore complacent as a consequence of being too comfortable?
 
The young in body and mind see what could be, and are restless to achieve it.  They are not complacent.  Set them free. 

[Cheshire Cat]

There are several underlying problems Ron and you are on the money when you say that a good portion of those problems are systematic.  I have some insights to share on this perhaps in a new thread but not tonight.  I am tuckered out.  Perhaps tomorrow. 

[CityLife]

Cheshire Cat, you do realize the One Spark folks also have their own plans for profiting from downtown revitalization and from the festival right? I don't think they have released their financials, but I doubt they are working for free out of the goodness of their heart...and I don't think the key goal of KYN is to provide a public service. And that is great. I hope they get rich as shit, while improving downtown along the way. Just like we should all hope that if Peter Rummell decides to invest downtown, that he also makes a killing doing so and improves downtown at the same time.

[simms3]

Diane,

Of course Rummell is a businessman.  That's kind of my whole point.

Behind every idea is backing.  Backing outside of events like Burning Man usually comes in the form of Mula.  Not Bitcoin.  Not weed.  Not sex.  One or all of those could be in the mix, but typically in America the USD is in the mix. 

Rummell also probably doesn't have any major schemes for downtown.  He's doing better than throwing money at some concoction.  He's throwing money at a new "culture" in the city that can benefit downtown and the local economy more sustainably.  Whether you want to demonize his "businessman" approach because he's not the 25 year old in the flannel shirt pointing to a trifold board with graphs and pictures is up to you.  But the guy who does have the trifold board and the flannel shirt is there because of Rummell's $$$.

My point is that Rummell sees a bigger picture.  Sure he put his foot in his mouth by making the whole thing about downtown in one quote for the Business Journal (they probably asked him a downtown-specific question at the time), but I think he sees a bigger picture.  He has his own visions in his head, and probably realizes that he'll be an old man before his vision really cements.  That's ok.  He is making a positive name for himself by doing positive for the community.  I'm ok giving him credit that is actually due. 

[simms3]

^and that kind of tit for tat is why I haven't posted in a long time.  It really is a disservice to the issues under discussion to have the conversation derailed with personal sparring. imo I had hoped that had changed.

sorry about the trolling cheshire cat.

He doesnt really break our rules, so....

doesnt make it any less offputting or more intelligent.

You can change the rules, as admin, to create a bounds where you must post a certain percentage of your posts on the actual topic or anything at hand where the subject of your post isn't someone else's post or a specific individual poster or group of posters.  All you have to do is set that bar at 10% and I-10 East would fail.  More than 90% of his posts are griping about other posts or posters, and 0% of his posts are contributing.  I would say just as we have "non-contributing" structures that can be torn down, we have non-contributing posters that make the rest of our posting lives more exhausting.

I almost feel bad saying this, but this particular poster fails to think about what he posts, grasp what other people post, or even "accidentally" post something intelligible or interesting.  I mean out of 3,095 posts, one would think he/she would have "stumbled upon" writing something worth the rest of our reading time.

[ProjectMaximus]

Cheshire, your thoughts are well-constructed and very rational but I disagree with you here and don't really understand from where your agitation is coming. 

First, it sounds like the article in question was written from an interview that included Elton Rivas and Michael Munz. The quotes attributed to Rummell came from conversation with Rivas. It's not like Rummell was bashing the event in front of him.

Secondly, I have heard Elton, Dennis and Varick (the three co-founders) talk numerous times of the opportunity to reinvent the city and the urban core. I have no doubt that all three hoped the organization and the festival would contribute to downtown revitalization. Not that it would be the one cure all, and not that this was their only objective, but yes, it's an important byproduct.

[Cheshire Cat]

ProjectMaximus.  Do I sound agitated?  lol  Truly I am not agitated but I will share that there is some frustration on my part which is born of years of being on both the inside and outside of big business and local government. It also comes from the inability at times to share some insights with folks as to why things happen the way they do by discussing the role business and politics play in what happens in Jacksonville only to have those insights seen as a threat, snark or worse, throw some into a defensive posture.    The frustration this time around came from viewing a lead article which in it's tone was dismissive in some ways of the positive impact of the "One Spark" event and it's stated purpose.  I have tried my best to impart the sentiment that it's peachy that Rummell put money into the One Spark event, bravo. Can we all be clear on that at least? lol

If we are ever going to understand how Jacksonville and it's politics fail us and how the main players impact this city and our future, we have to open our eyes to the reality of who is leading the dialog on everything from downtown to the borders of Duval.  We can't always be awe struck by the shinny objects, in this case Rummells funding and by doing so miss the opportunity to understand that for top tier business folks the use of money is often only a way to heighten a persons public persona and personal business dealings. Again, there is nothing wrong with that. I am just saying see the actions for what they are as opposed to embellishing them to elevate one persons giving or influence in our city.  Jacksonville can be such a cheap date and those who know how to play us emotionally and politically know that very well.  Yes Rummell gave a sizable sum of money to the One Spark and it is my view that he did so because he wanted to bring attention to downtown in order to move his personal vision for our city forward. HIS PERSONAL VISION, but is it a vision that is good for all of us?  We should know that I would think.   When we refuse to see the actions of the players for what they are, we weaken our own input and impact when it comes to who sits where at the table when deciding the future of Jacksonville and downtown.  It impacts how our collective resources and tax monies are spent.  Rummells seed money was sizable but when reflected by his total wealth was not all that great.  The truth is that there are many others who gave much more of their time and personal wealth to this effort than Rummell on a comparative basis.  Without a collective community effort One Spark would never have happened either, regardless of Rummells funding. It was clearly a collaborative effort.

The other part of the frustration comes from the fact that we as a city so readily applaud the giving of money on one hand  to an event and then turn a blind eye to the fact that the same person who invested in this event also bought a mayor who has been lousy for Jacksonville.  Somehow that financial influence is not seen for what it is and how it impacts our city.  Understanding how things work in Jacksonville who is pulling the strings is paramount to creating the positive change so many wish for.  We for years had the nifty fifty driving our city at many levels and that morphed into the Civic Council of which Rummell is a major player. I am pointing out who is deciding how our collective future should look that's all and then saying we should ask ourselves how and if those decisions benefit us all. It is important we remember who is who and how they benefit from funding in our city one way or another.  We are seeing the same star struck response when it comes to the investments of Shad Khan.  It's business first people and public service falls beneath that and business at the top levels in this city turns on tax dollars and city assets.  Those assets belong to all of us as does the vision of what our city should become.

[tufsu1]

Of course he is because he is a developer who has plans for downtown which include a development he envisions that will grow his wealth.

the only "downtown" development idea that Rummell has put forth is for the old JEA generating station on the southbank...making a connection between that and his significant funding and other support of the original One Spark festival is really reaching.

[CityLife]

Of course he is because he is a developer who has plans for downtown which include a development he envisions that will grow his wealth.

the only "downtown" development idea that Rummell has put forth is for the old JEA generating station on the southbank...making a connection between that and his significant funding and other support of the original One Spark festival is really reaching.

I'd personally go a little further than "reaching", but I'll bite my tongue.

My favorite part was her downplaying the amount of money he gave, because its not sizable compared to his total wealth.

I'll back my earlier statement. The thread got worthless real quick....

[Steve]

Bottom line is that if he didn't donate his money to One Spark 2013, the event wouldn't be what it is today. For that I'm appreciative. Oh and, when did it become a unique thing for a rich guy to donate to a political campaign? Let's not crucify him for that one, because if you want to crucify everyone who donates large sums of money to political candidates, Wr will be here for a while.

On that note, while Alvin Brown has had his ups and downs, to this day I still take him over Mike Hogan. His large donation came during the runoff, so from my perspective, given the two candidates, I say thank you.

Now, how did we get here from a discussion on an article in which he was quoted regarding One Spark and Downtown. While I've never met the man, I do agree with him. Now, discuss your thoughts on his opinion in the article....go.

[Cheshire Cat]

Bottom line is that One Spark was not the creation of Peter Rummell. As I said, Rummell tagged himself financially to a concept and event that was not his idea.  Three names were at the forefront of the creation as it originated and none of them was Rummells.  From the original business journal article and I quote,

Our Story & Some History

One Spark, Inc. is a nonprofit organization working to foster an environment of innovation. It was created in 2011 by three friends (Elton Rivas, Dennis Eusebio, and Varick Rosete) who wanted to connect ideas with resources. Despite its name, there was no single "spark" that inspired the nonprofit, but rather a number of small coffee shop conversations that blew up into something big

[CityLife]

Sorry to say Chesire Cat, but you don't even have the correct three men. One Spark (the event) started as the Epoch Project and Wayne Wood, Dolf James, and Doug Coleman were the original creators of the concept.

http://jacksonville.com/entertainment/arts/2012-03-13/story/project-aims-draw-big-crowds-downtown-jacksonville

[Cheshire Cat]

CL and others in defensive mode....It is a known strategy of top tier business to leverage private money against public money in business. It strengthens their own investments and gives them leverage in important discussions.  In this situation Rummell leveraged his initial personal financial investment in One Spark with good reason and I am sure there was more than one.  I never said he was not a smart man, quite the contrary, he is smart enough to know a good opportunity when he sees one.  Clearly tho CL, you are completely naive about the doings of business and investments at such a level.  Is the aim to place adoration upon one man regarding the efforts of many?  He did not create the idea and certainly is not the reason the event was so successful.  The success came from the creators sharing their ideas and those attending the event.  He funded what was an idea spawned by others.  Let's keep it real to some degree.  If you paid any attention at all to Rummells agenda, or even really understood the article that began this thread, you and others will see that Rummell is using One Spark as leverage in order to garner city funding in the form of incentives for development.  I did not say that is a bad thing, I said there is a method to his madness as it were.  I still stand firmly on the premise that Jacksonville and it's citizens are too easily side tracked by dollar signs and readily fall into some bizarre type of worship of those with high finance.  High finance attached itself to the ideas  of Elton Rivas, Dennis Eusebio and Varick Rosete along with "rather a number of coffee shop conversations that blew up into something big.  One Spark was happening with or without Rummell.  Would the first event had seen the success it did without him?  Hard to say really, but the ideas were born of regular folk.  Again, the real and long lasting changes in Jacksonville will be organic in nature and spawned of creative thinking and approaches to who is driving the positive change in Jacksonville.  For those who chose to see Rummell as the father of this effort because he put money in it, of course you are free to do so.  I think however that creating a story line about it's success as a direct result of Rummells interest undermines the value of the original effort by taking that creation from the streets and making it about one man and his money and opinion of what is needed to change downtown. 

[Cheshire Cat]

Sorry to say Chesire Cat, but you don't even have the correct three men. One Spark started as the Epoch Project and Wayne Wood, Dolf James, and Doug Coleman were the original creators of the concept.

http://jacksonville.com/entertainment/arts/2012-03-13/story/project-aims-draw-big-crowds-downtown-jacksonville

Sorry to say CL but I did not author the article that discussed who created it, the Business Journal did.  This is the three names given at the origin.  However I do note that in the three names you give as originators, not one of them is Rummell.  That is the point.