Jaguars owner Khan contributes $100,000 in March to support mayor's re-election

[thelakelander]

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan put up $100,000 for Mayor Brown's re-election bid last month, bringing Khan's total support for Brown to $200,000 in the high-spending battle for mayor, according to the latest campaign finance reports.
Total campaign contributions from all donors have topped $5 million for Brown and challenger Lenny Curry combined. The amount for Brown's re-election is $2.53 million through the end of March, and the amount for Curry is $2.5 million through March 27, putting them in a virtual dead heat in fundraising.

Khan is the top-dollar contributor in the hard-fought contest between Brown, the Democratic incumbent, and Curry, the Republican.

"As someone who is committed to Jacksonville, as a citizen, businessperson and owner of the Jaguars, I am going to be active in the political process here," Khan said in a statement. "I believe in Mayor Brown and am proud to support him.

"This is a critical time in the history of Jacksonville and it's important to maintain the momentum we've experienced in job growth and the resulting economic upturn, all under the leadership of Mayor Brown."

Curry's quest also has drawn hefty contributions from backers, such as Peter Rummell, a real estate developer active in civic affairs. Rummell and his wife have contributed $171,000 to help Curry.

Rummell backed Brown in 2011 but later said Brown had proven to be a weak leader on the big challenges facing the city.

Full article: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2015-04-14/story/jacksonville-jaguars-owner-shad-khan-contributes-100000-march-support

[JeffreyS]

I will guess Khan wants to keep Curry out.

[Tacachale]

Or rather, that he knows that if Brown wins, he'll be miserable to work with for anyone who didn't kiss his ring with utmost enthusiasm, whereas Curry, being the new guy, won't care.

And of course, at this point Khan knows how to work Brown to get what he wants. This quote says it all:

...

Khan also is interested in becoming the master developer of The Shipyards, which covers 46 acres of vacant, city-owned land on the downtown riverfront. The deadline for developers to submit their proposals for The Shipyards is 2 p.m. Wednesday.

In Khan's statement Tuesday, he said he is "particularly impressed by Mayor Brown's vision to revitalize downtown Jacksonville, which is home to the Jaguars and central to the identity of our community. I also have ambition for downtown Jacksonville, as evidenced by our recent proposal to develop The Shipyards. I am optimistic we will see this project through with Mayor Brown in office."

...

[I-10east]

Curry already described himself as an underdog in this mayoral race. He said that Brown is backed by the 'Clinton machine'. Khan isn't exactly making things easy for him either.

[thelakelander]

They are both backed by machines for obvious reasons.

[RattlerGator]

Shad Khan is making the smart political play and I doubt if many will be mad at him for doing so. There is far less downside to very publicly supporting the current Mayor if Curry wins. However, very publicly supporting Curry could be problematic if Alvin Brown wins. Especially with respect to street credibility or Shad's vibe in town. Right now, Shad is unassailable. People on this board can talk some yang about him (and have) but no one really gives a damn about that kind of yang.

Shad has been very savvy, politically.

Stay the course, Shad. Develop The Shipyards under Mayor Brown or Mayor Curry.