Who becomes the next mayor?

[Noone]

Lenny Curry

[johncb]

Well,Ive read every thread about the mayors race,and I must say,I still have no idea what to do ! I loathe Brown,but Curry makes me equally nauseous ! What in the hell am I going to do ?!?

[Jax native]

Well,Ive read every thread about the mayors race,and I must say,I still have no idea what to do ! I loathe Brown,but Curry makes me equally nauseous ! What in the hell am I going to do ?!?

I sincerely wish i could help you with your contrary, but don't know where to start.  Curry and Mayor Brown are so different in some very important way, while being the same in other important issues.  To understand who represents you best takes a little study of both candidates.  I voted for Bishop in primary, so was in your position for awhile.  I decided Mayor Alvin Brown was my (second) choice because he will be so much less a liability than Curry.   A quick "cliff notes' of Curry shows an irresponsible newcomer as mayor who is indebted to the State Republican party.  Lenny Curry has no previous experience except being a "R" party leader. He was the one who pushed 'R' candidates no matter how they looked or represent.  He has no duty or responsibility to people of the city, only to Republican party.  If you want a strict Republican party guy, who relies on State officials to tell him what to do, Vote Curry.  If you have any hope, faith, and  desire for jacksonville to move forward and stop the status quo; vote Brown.  he will be around for 4 more years, with NO major damage, unlike Curry who could take us in deep dive off the cliff.  MY OPINION only. 

[ronchamblin]

The ideal is the goal.  If it is clearly apparent, destroy the candidate most likely to be, if elected, the greatest disaster for the city.  The ideal also includes a mayoral election scenario wherein the two candidates having the greatest potential to be great mayors can debate over many weeks, so as to clarify, illuminate, and raise the quality of engaging the important issues of our city.

But nooooooo ..... ... instead of choosing to have a runoff between Brown and Bishop -- the two candidates who've debated issues with reasonable substance, and who have the greatest potentials to be the best next mayor  -- the voters have chosen to have a runoff between Brown and an obvious mediocrity who failed to convince anyone that he can think with substance about any issues set before him.
 
I suspect that not enough voters saw the two debates.  Otherwise, surely Curry would not have received more than twice the votes as Bishop. 
This is scary.  Voter ignorance and the tendency to vote one's party in spite of any clown bought to run the race, might allow this mediocre pawn of the GOP machine to actually win the final vote. 

The voters ruined a chance to have debates between two competent candidates ... Brown and Bishop ... thereby improving the entire mayoral selection scenario ... and instead have chosen to endure the shallow and ultimately meaningless campaign ads --  more wasteful lies, distortions, and absurdities, meant to avoid seriously engaging the important issues before our city.   

The voters have chosen to place the city in the predicament wherein it is actually possible to have Curry as mayor.  Now ... please .. be honest .... look at the debates if you haven't done so .. or view them again.  Wouldn't Curry as mayor be an embarrassment for our city? 

Surely our city can do better than to have as mayor a man who, as far as I can determine, has failed to think with any depth on any issue set before him.  Any assistant, with good writing skills, can write a program or platform for a candidate's web site.  The debates are where the truth of a candidate's qualities emerges for all to see.  And really, the TV and radio ads are all bullshit, lies, and hogwash .. and you all know it.

The ideal goal in elections having several candidates is not necessarily to have a win on the first run but, in the interest of raising the bar via debates and constructive discourse on important issues, to have a runoff between the two best candidates .. the only two having the qualities offering the highest potential to be the best mayor.

The voters have failed to achieve the ideal in this mayoral season.

Shame on all who voted for Curry ... and to some degree .. shame on all who voted for Brown and not for Bishop -- because you ruined the path to the ideal.  Seems sorta like a chess game.  You massage the field so as to achieve a win, but the path is not necessarily direct and straight.  Voters should have destroyed Curry in the first round, but NOT given either Brown or Bishop a win, thereby giving the whole process the positive energy and gain which only debates and good sense can produce over time.

What is the ideal?  Certainly not what we are about to engage in this mayoral season. 

[strider]

It would be so easy to agree with all that believe the "devil you know" is the way to go.  But some have had a look behind the magic curtain and I for one shudder at another four years of the same people in appointed positions that caused the Federal government to announce to the world that Jacksonville "lacks the capacity" to handle the millions of Federal funds it gets. I question who is truly pulling the strings and making the decisions. 

That makes me wonder if it is not time for change even it if it is for no reason other than achieving change.  The Curry machine seems to be on a different wavelength than Brown's and so I suspect that those who actually run the government on a day to day basis will be at least mostly new.  Better?  I don't know.  Worse?  Hard to have that scenario even possible for the most part.  Yes, there are a few good ones out there and I hope that as their positions are a bit more technical than most, perhaps common sense  will prevail.  But seeing some like Kimberly Scott sent back to, in her case, the  library secretarial pool,  might actually be worth having Curry as Mayor.

Heck, Curry may not be too bad as Mayor, after all, it seems that who is behind the man often makes more of a difference than who the man is itself.

[urbanlibertarian]

"Shame on all who voted for Curry ... and to some degree .. shame on all who voted for Brown and not for Bishop"

I voted for Bishop and am leaning towards Curry because although I like the way Brown shrunk the COJ workforce and held the line on taxes, he has failed to appoint qualified people and work with the council effectively.  Curry is an unknown quantity but it is hard for me to imagine him being worse than Brown.  If I decide to go with Curry I will not be ashamed of my choice.

[Tacachale]

I'm supporting Curry because I want the candidate who will be the better manager. Curry's not an ideal candidate and his campaign has made some glaring errors in various areas, but I think he'll be the better manager and leader.

I think we have a better chance at getting our budget trainwreck under control with Curry over Brown. I think we have a better chance solving the pension crisis with Curry. I think we also have a much better shot at getting competent people back in charge of the city departments and repairing a working relationship with the City Council under Curry. And I think we have a better chance at getting the HRO passed with Curry in the mayor's office rather than Brown.

[sheclown]

SHAME on anyone who voted?  Geez.  Shame on those who didn't. 

[ronchamblin]

I can't believe that all those voters voted against my wishes ... against the ideal of narrowing the field down to two candidates who can at least behave with a reasonable show of competence in debates.  I'm depressed.   

[Dog Walker]

There is one big plus in voting for Brown.  He's term limited to one more term, Curry is not.

[Tacachale]

I'm supporting Curry because I want the candidate who will be the better manager. Curry's not an ideal candidate and his campaign has made some glaring errors in various areas, but I think he'll be the better manager and leader.

I think we have a better chance at getting our budget trainwreck under control with Curry over Brown. I think we have a better chance solving the pension crisis with Curry. I think we also have a much better shot at getting competent people back in charge of the city departments and repairing a working relationship with the City Council under Curry. And I think we have a better chance at getting the HRO passed with Curry in the mayor's office rather than Brown.

I think that it passes whoever is mayor because of the new council, which is the body that passes it anyways.

Im curious as to why you think Curry would be a better manager?  Other than an accounting firm (where he could fire people) what other experience does he have, really?  When you come right down to it?

He doesn't seem to have had much luck running the Republican Party.  Sure, he got an extremist fraudster elected governor, but at the cost of losing both Tampa and Jville to Democratic mayors as a result of the anti extremism backlash.  Doesn't seem like very wise use of resources.

For one thing, the bar's pretty low - it would be pretty tough to be a weaker manager than we've got. But Curry does have management experience - running a business for 10 years and heading a statewide and countywide party. Brown hasn't led anything, either before or since he was elected Mayor.

[Tacachale]

But I agree that we have a good shot of getting the HRO passed whoever wins as mayor. But it's not a given, depending on the council elections (we need to get Anna Brosche in and Kim Daniels out). If Alvin wins, we can count on him pulling the same backroom shenanigans he did last time to keep it off his desk, which will weaken the chances the bill passes for the four years we'd be stuck with him. Curry will be less anti-HRO, and he may just come out in support.

[mtraininjax]

This thread is better than the people watching at a Florida Georgia game. Don't stop!

[strider]

It would be so easy to agree with all that believe the "devil you know" is the way to go.  But some have had a look behind the magic curtain and I for one shudder at another four years of the same people in appointed positions that caused the Federal government to announce to the world that Jacksonville "lacks the capacity" to handle the millions of Federal funds it gets. I question who is truly pulling the strings and making the decisions. 

That makes me wonder if it is not time for change even it if it is for no reason other than achieving change.  The Curry machine seems to be on a different wavelength than Brown's and so I suspect that those who actually run the government on a day to day basis will be at least mostly new.  Better?  I don't know.  Worse? Hard to have that scenario even possible for the most part.  Yes, there are a few good ones out there and I hope that as their positions are a bit more technical than most, perhaps common sense  will prevail.  But seeing some like Kimberly Scott sent back to, in her case, the  library secretarial pool,  might actually be worth having Curry as Mayor.

Heck, Curry may not be too bad as Mayor, after all, it seems that who is behind the man often makes more of a difference than who the man is itself.

Godwins Law.  Im sure that people felt the same way about Hindenburg.

Who exactly will Curry appoint, strider?  And what are his plans for the historic neighborhoods?  If you don't think that Curry would appoint the like of Jack Meeks (and remember there are far worse)  and that the developers would be calling the shots then I would suspect that myopia competes with your bitterness in a race a giant Ocean of Naivety.

I don't know who Curry would appoint.  I do know that Brown already did appoint Jack Meeks.  And got Kim Scott promoted.  And got rid of Bill Killingsworth.  And appointed Burney.  And then he also...the list goes on.  Mayor Brown's appointments have not always been exactly top notch. And I do know Mayor Brown's plan for historic neighborhoods and it isn't too good.

As far as the developers, it is you who is wallowing around in an "Ocean of Naivety" if you truly think the same issues are not here and now with Mayor Brown.  All you have to do is read the threads about him on this very forum. 

Godwin's law.....not very original Stephen ... certainly since I don't think it applied for my post in any way - so you are the one evoking it?  I am a bit disappointed.

Meanwhile, let's decide to take a chance on change and vote for Lenny Curry.  How bad can it be after a few decades of the Corrine Brown troupe?

[ronchamblin]

"Heck, Curry may not be too bad as Mayor.  After all, it seems that who is behind the man often makes more of a difference than who man is himself."

The above statement from Strider is perhaps the way its supposed to be these days ... when money in politics  ... lots of it, from the right people ... actually determines who is going to be the mayor.  This is very sad and troublesome, as the process allows for control, and the governing process, to pass to those in the background ... to those to whom the elected candidate owes favors and allegiance.

This tendency and accepted habit in our elections over recent decades is actually shameful because most citizens accept it.  Must things get so bad ... must the city's debt climb another billion or two, before increased poverty, disorder, and fear forces the citizens to pay attention to what counts in elections .. which is certainly not the absurd TV and radio ads, and the election placards placed all over?  Debates ... several, are the key to determining who is fit, and who is not.

The habit of accepting the nonsense of media ads and placards, the quantity of which determines, apparently, the outcome of the elections, is making it unlikely that anyone with real abilities in leadership and sound vision will ever succeed in being elected.  It seems that media ads and placards are used aggressively by those who shun debates because the debates will allow any viewers to perceive their real nature, including any deficiencies in leadership, vision, and problem solving abilities --- things that one doesn't actually need if they are supported as pawns by one or two moneyed entities such as a Rommel or a Kahn. 

Our elections are jokes because of the money trails.  Who cares about how much money a candidate has, gathers, or spends?  The amount only shows how much money he or she has, or how many favors is owed to the moneyed who gifted the large funds.  WTF?  What about qualities in thinking about the realities of critical issues?  What about that rare thing called leadership ... real leadership ... which emerges from the individual's mind and soul, and not from those who paid for his or her election?  I suspect that most citizens don't know what the fuck real leadership is in Jacksonville.  It so rare, I suspect most would not recognize it ... such has for so long been the trend of bought pawns in the electoral process.   

And we do it again in this election.  We have discarded a man with the potential to be a great mayor, and have instead chosen the route of habit; that is, of allowing classic politicians ... mediocrities ... to play the same game of politicking.  Even though Bill Bishop is not perfect, he has shown strength in vision, in actually thinking about issues, and in honesty and directness in seeking solutions. 

For example ... the city's debt.  The other two candidates only talked about "not raising taxes".  Bullshit.  Get real citizens.  Bishop discussed the idea of raising some taxes, in some form, so as to reduce the debt, resolve the pension fund issue, and so as to achieve some objectives in city projects.  I pay lots of taxes.  But I don't mind paying more taxes "if" the spending is necessary and makes good sense.  Many of us know that in order to maintain and improve our city, we citizens must pay by way of reasonable and fair taxes.  One purpose of government is to ensure that our tax dollars are utilized responsibly, for the benefit of all the citizens who actually contribute, and not for any special interests who happened to contribute to their political favorite or pawn.  We've seen tax money wasted as a consequence of poor and weak government ... perhaps a government partially bought by those who benefited from the wasted money.

Real leadership.  We need a hard nosed, hard assed mean sonavabitch as mayor so that all the bullshit can be forced out with drive and decisiveness.  Maybe Bishop can practice being so .. so he will be ready for the next mayoral election.  I sense that Bishop's tendency to speak forcefully and direct about issues is just practice to become a mean sonavabitchin mayor.