2 Republican Councilmen Endorse Alvin Brown

[TheCat]

From News4Jax:

Two Republican City Council members appeared with Mayor Alvin Brown Monday morning to strongly support his re-election.
Stephen Joost and Ray Holt appeared with Brown at a news conference on the Northbank Riverwalk

http://www.news4jax.com/politics/2-city-council-members-endorse-brown-for-mayor/32210114

[tufsu1]

this speaks volumes about Lenny Curry

[Tacachale]

Or rather, about Joost and Holt:

...

Holt said Brown and his staff have been very responsive to constituent issues in District 11, which Holt represents, such as filling potholes and trimming trees.

Joost said Brown is the only candidate who has a detailed plan for fixing Jacksonville's pension crisis.

...

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2015-04-06/story/jacksonville-city-council-members-joost-holt-cross-party-lines-endorse

They appear to be living in a different city, or universe, than the rest of us.

[pierre]

this speaks volumes about Lenny Curry

He is an empty suit.

[mtraininjax]

2 LAME DUCK City Council reps come out and support Brown, Did I say LAME?

Hey "I'm with Alvin" crown, get Denise Lee out there to support you, or Lori Boyer or someone who gives a damn.

Or ask 2 LAME City Council reps, who cannot run due to term limits to support you. Geez, should we get Curry to parade out all the people he helped get elected as the head of the Florida Republican Party? Who else will Lame Brown bring out of the closet? Maybe Jake will get on a mike and speak.

[mtraininjax]

yawn, mtrain. these rants are so tendentious.

Especially after your pre election gloating about the Hogan win during the last election.

One might think you would be a little more circumspect.

How does that tilted vote for "I'm With Alvin" sit now, 4 years later..........painful!

Jacksonville cannot afford 4 more years of ineptitude of a man we already know does not lead and with 4 more years will allow his Chief of Neighborhoods to destroy the rest of Springfield she has not destroyed yet. Springfield deserves better! Surely you have a penchant to see Springfield survive?

The absentmindedness of the Brown campaign is unbelievable:

Mayor Alvin Brown is flip-flopping on which debates he'll take part in.

Friday, he only accepted one invitation from one TV station, then Sunday, Brown said his campaign "incorrectly declined" a debate invitation from another local station.

Brown has declined an invitation to debate on WJAX CBS47 Action News and 104.5 WOKV on May 6.

Action News' debate will air live at 7 p.m., a time slot where we average about 26,000 viewers on CBS, and those are voters who will not get a chance to hear from Mayor Brown himself.

Meanwhile, Republican candidate Lenny Curry has accepted Action News' invitation. As it stands right now, he'll have the floor to himself.

"In 2011, Mayor Brown said about his then-opponent 'we ought to be seen as much as possible together side by side; people ought to see us, hear from us,' so I would just echo what he said then about his then-opponent," said Curry.

Vice President and General Manager of WFOX/WJAX Jim Zerwekh released this statement:

"I am surprised and disappointed that, once again, Mayor Alvin Brown has declined our invitation to participate in a televised debate, in front of the CBS audience on WJAX.   Action News, along with its partners FSCJ and WOKV 104.5, believe the broadcast of local political debates is a vital public service and it is a basic function of our commitment to this community. The Brown Campaign appears to be strategically excluding WJAX CBS47 and WOKV 104.5, prohibiting us from bringing viewers and listeners this important public service.

We can only assume our fair but dogged coverage of Mayor Alvin Brown's administration has contributed to his unwillingness to appear in a debate. I hope the Mayor reconsiders our offer to appear May 6th, in what will be Jacksonville's first televised debate between the two candidates ahead of the May election."

Action News reporter Lorena Inclán tried asking Mayor Brown why he's shutting out Action News, but he (Brown) said he would not answer campaign questions on city time.

"I don't need any more ethics complaints filed against me, so we can talk to the campaign later but I can't do any questions on the campaign on official time, never have, can't do it," said Brown.

The man is running for his job, and he is concerned with ETHICS COMPLAINTS?

"Do you mind if I ask you and then if..." said Inclán.

"You cannot, it'll be a problem," replied Brown.

Instead, Brown campaign manager Isaiah Nelson sent us this statement:

"The mayor was honored to participate in two televised debates before the March election, and he will again participate in two televised debates before the May election. No one in Jacksonville speaks to citizens and the media more than Mayor Brown, and he will continue to share his vision for our community's future."

Typical for the Brown Mayor Administration......let someone else take care of it....

[Tacachale]

I voted for Brown in 2011, and other than talk I don't see much difference between how he's governed, and how Hogan would have governed.

[Jax native]

I'm just enjoying the thought of local GOP, Robin Lumb's head exploding each time a R endorses  a D.  "Loyalty Oath"?

[Tacachale]

This says all that needs to be said about this endorsement.

...
Brian Hughes, spokesman for the Curry campaign, responded that both Republicans and Democrats were on the side that rejected Brown's attempts at pension reform in 2013 and last month.

"On two occasions, bipartisan votes have led City Council to reject Alvin Brown's so-called pension plan due to a lack of faith in the numbers," Hughes said. "In the meantime auditors are calling the city books a disaster, and Alvin Brown's budgets led to 147 fewer police on the streets and increases in violent crime."

...

[Brown] said Joost and Holt wouldn't "stand up here and endorse the mayor if the city's finances were in shambles."

Yeah, ok Alvin.

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2015-04-06/story/jacksonville-city-council-members-joost-holt-cross-party-lines-endorse

[tufsu1]

^ Come on...his slogan is better than that....It is "90-day Emergency Audit"

[fieldafm]

I voted for Brown in 2011, and other than talk I don't see much difference between how he's governed, and how Hogan would have governed.

MoCA nude photographs controversy that involved threats of removing funding. (As Councilman, Hogan was one of four authors of a bill to completely defund all arts funding in the city of Jacksonville, and ending the Cultural Council (which was called the Arts Assembly)

The Ahmed Parvez fiasco on council.  (obviously)

The DIA

One SPARK (Public drinking and vending, support of the arts, city investment in the project. Hogan voted to cut funds from the Jazz Festival in committee)

Friends of Hemming Park (Voted to cut Parks and Recreation funding multiple times on Council)

The Bostwick Building (remember that Hogan voted against the Historic Preservation Ordinance.)

Many of those things you are giving credit to Alvin Brown were done by everyday people and started from the bottom up... they weren't top down directives dreamed up by the Mayor.

Iran got a new president during Mayor Brown's term. You should probably give him credit for that too.

[fieldafm]

i suppose the same thing could be said about anything that you or I have done in our careers Mike.

Alvin Brown has been responsible for exactly ZERO things in my career. You've gone beyond the absurd now.

[-jerrycornwell]

I voted for Brown in 2011, and other than talk I don't see much difference between how he's governed, and how Hogan would have governed.

MoCA nude photographs controversy that involved threats of removing funding. (As Councilman, Hogan was one of four authors of a bill to completely defund all arts funding in the city of Jacksonville, and ending the Cultural Council (which was called the Arts Assembly)

The Ahmed Parvez fiasco on council.  (obviously)

The DIA

One SPARK (Public drinking and vending, support of the arts, city investment in the project. Hogan voted to cut funds from the Jazz Festival in committee)

Friends of Hemming Park (Voted to cut Parks and Recreation funding multiple times on Council)

The Bostwick Building (remember that Hogan voted against the Historic Preservation Ordinance.)

Jeez guys, you gotta vote for Brown just to keep Sarah Palin, Rick Perry, Ted Cruz, Ted Nugent, the whole clown corps out of the Mayors lap during 2016!

[Jaxson]

Two outgoing city council members chose to endorse a candidate for mayor.  While it is true that they are 'lame ducks,' they still managed to get elected twice to the city council.  That accomplishment is not something to glibly write off.  IMHO, I think that the two outgoing city council members made an endorsement in favor of someone who will best continue the work that they are term limited from doing. 

[fieldafm]

Two outgoing city council members chose to endorse a candidate for mayor.  While it is true that they are 'lame ducks,' they still managed to get elected twice to the city council.  That accomplishment is not something to glibly write off.  IMHO, I think that the two outgoing city council members made an endorsement in favor of someone who will best continue the work that they are term limited from doing.

OR.... one of the two has a business partnership with one of Brown's major backers (who is also trying to get taxpayer aid on several projects), and one is trying to get an appointed position on the 4th Floor of City Hall once their time on Council is over.

Brown is great at spin. If you look below the surface though, the picture isn't as rosy as the press release.