2015 Jacksonville election for Mayor

[Cheshire Cat]

Admins, this is a duplicate post and I have tried to delete it but am unable to do so.  The correct post is the one posted immediately following this one.  Please delete this one.  Thank you. 


It's 2014 and we are now facing down another election for the office of Mayor of Jacksonville.  Incumbent Alvin Brown is asking to keep the position.  So far only one viable opponent has stepped up to challenge him and that is councilman Bill Bishop.  Alvin calls himself a Democrat and Bishop is a Republican.  We learned in todays Jacksonville Daily Record that Jim Bailey will not be running against Alvin, even though man had asked him to enter the race. 

We find ourselves three years into the Brown Administration and it is time to ask ourselves what has Alvin Brown done as Mayor and why should he be re-elected.  I am not going to list all of the things that he has done that are fails or questionable, but instead will invite everyone to read the Mayor Alvin Brown's administration thread found on this forum under the heading of Politics. 

To my view there were a couple of people who could successfully challenge Brown for his seat in 2015.  Both Republicans.  That would be Audrey Moran and Lori Boyer.  Another who could potentially take him down is Bill Guilliford, but he to date has not filed to run.  We would have a better chance at a securing the needed change in the office of Mayor if any of these individuals would run  So far as the ballot currently stands we are down to Brown and Bishop.  I don't believe Bishop will carry the needed punch to take Alvin out of office.  Is this because of Brown's leadership skills?  Not by a long shot.  It is rather because Brown is not a threat to Republican control over local politics.  Brown is no problem for them as it has already been proven that he will do what he is told to do.  The Dem's will hang onto Brown because he is currently holding the office and he has that D attached to his name.  Although Brown has shown himself to be weak or simply absent in the deciding of key issues across the board.  His one biggest failing is the unresolved pension issue.  He has been unable to come up with a single doable plan to address the issue and most recently created a scandal with his "directive" given to the JEA regarding one of his most recent funding proposals.  He has been unable to come up with a true balanced budget and has left all of the heavy lifting to the City Council even to the point of allowing legislation to go through without his signature.  The medical corridor he boasted about never manifested.  The NBA team remains what it was, nothing but hot air.  He did get through the DIA organization as he promised some of his supporters but it came up short in both funding and expectations when it delivered a plan for downtown that was no plan at all.  He turned a deaf ear to the issue of Kim Scott and the many looming questions about her office as well as not only remaining silent on the human rights issue for the GLBT community by not only failing to make a commitment to the cause but according to one member of council was the person who scuttled the vote by forcing Johnny Gaffney to pull his promised support at the last meeting.  His promised educational reforms, non existent save the creation of a faux post for education in his office.  We certainly have not been taken to a "new level" in downtown or the city of Jacksonville save a mega jumbo tron for Everbank Field. 

The GOP has no interest in a serious challenge to Brown.  In fact he has proved to be a bit of a help to their own platform when he is seen and photographed with governor Rick Scott who is of course the GOP want's to remain in the office of Governor. 

Having Brown in office has certainly done one thing and that is to kick the can of financial reform and dealing with our budget crisis well down the road.  That is hurting us in ways that will not fully manifest until he is out of office and we are in greater financial crisis than ever before to the tune of billions in unfunded pensions.

Next elections for Mayor is not looking hopeful for Jacksonville at this point.  Short of a major shake up or scandal, we are likely looking at four more years of Brown photo ops and that is a frightening prospect for the future of Jacksonville

[tufsu1]

by saying "the GOP has no interest in a serious challenger", exactly what do you consider Bill Bishop?

[Charles Hunter]

Does Bishop have the support of the Party?  Especially those that supported Brown last time?

(I don't know ... hoping someone does)

[Cheshire Cat]

Short answer is no although some in the party support him.  This is pretty much a case of lets see who steps up from the Republican base.  Bill Bishop has said he "want's to be that guy".  The reality is that the local GOP did talk to a lot of people about a run against Brown in order to mount a credible race but underneath all of that there is no great urgency on the part of the GOP.  They have Brown well under control and that reality will become even stronger if Rick Scott is re-elected.  Right now there are some GOP movers and shakers urging Jim Bailey into the race.  He has not commented on it one way or the other but the grapevine is buzzing and testing the waters as it were with the idea of Bailey as a candidate.  Frankly, Bailey would be head and shoulders above Alvin Brown in the office of mayor.  I know he would promote much of the agenda that folks here embrace.  I think it will be important to review Bill Bishops voting record and the stance he took on a variety of issues.  I am not sure Bishop can negotiate the pension situation either.  A lot of bridges have been burned in that regard.  I think the demeanor of Jim Bailey would put him in much better stead when it comes to negotiating a resolve to the pension issue which is the most pressing issue facing our city.  Lets see if he gets on the ballot or not. 

[Cheshire Cat]

Two the admins.  There are two thread on this topic posted in error.  I tried to correct that by deleting one but the system will not let me.  Can you now merge the two threads?  Thanks.

[I-10east]

The Mayor's political donations reached over 1.1 million.

www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2014/05/12/alvin-browns-contributions-pushed-past-1-million.html