Bill Bishop endorses Mayor Alvin Brown for re-election

[thelakelander]

Looks like Bishop changed his mind on not endorsing Brown or Curry. I wonder what happened?

City Councilman Bill Bishop, who finished third in the March mayor's race, endorsed Mayor Alvin Brown on Thursday for re-election.
Bishop previously had opted not to endorse either Brown or challenger Lenny Curry, who finished one-two in the March contest.

Brown and Curry face off May 19.

In the March "first election," Brown won 43 percent, Curry captured 38 percent, and Bishop corralled 17 percent of the vote.

Full article: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2015-04-30/story/bill-bishop-endorses-mayor-alvin-brown-re-election

[thelakelander]

Here's the email from the Brown campaign that just came in:

IN MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT, BILL BISHOP ENDORSES ALVIN BROWN,
ASKS HIS SUPPORTERS TO HELP RE-ELECT MAYOR

Bishop Endorsement Promises to Impact Election's Trajectory, Impact Decision of Undecided and Independent Voters


JACKSONVILLE, FL—Today, in a major announcement, former mayoral candidate and current city councilman Bill Bishop is endorsing Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown. Bishop joined Brown in front of City Hall to ask his supporters to help re-elect the mayor. Bishop's endorsement promises to impact the election's trajectory along with the decision of undecided and independent voters.   

"I am proud to be endorsed by Councilman Bill Bishop, a true public servant who has dedicated his life to Jacksonville and the people of our great city," Brown said. "We both share a vision for growing our downtown; protecting our greatest natural treasure, the St. John's River; and working across party lines to grow Jacksonville's economy and make it a safer place to live for our families and loved ones. With the help of Councilman Bishop's former supporters, I hope to serve Jacksonville for another four years and finish taking Jacksonville to the next level."

"This election is about who is most qualified to be mayor for all of Jacksonville to move our city forward," Bishop said. "I've concluded that the best mayor for the next four years is the man who's held the office for the last four, Alvin Brown. Under Mayor Brown's leadership, a number of key economic developments have occurred that have improved and will continue to improve our local economy. I was proud to receive the confidence of tens of thousands of voters in Jacksonville on March 24. I encourage every one of them that shares our vision for Jacksonville to vote for Mayor Alvin Brown and keep our city moving forward."

Today's endorsement follows the recent announcement that Bishop's former staff has joined the Brown campaign. Earlier this month, Rob and Jill Storey, Bishop's senior leadership and owners of the RLS Group, joined Team Brown as consultants. Former Bishop social media manager, Jesse Wilson, also recently endorsed Brown in an op-ed in Metro Jacksonville. Their hiring, along with Bishop's endorsement, are examples of Brown's efforts to serve Jacksonville without playing partisan politics.

Brown has spent four years in City Hall bringing all parties together for the benefit of Jacksonville's citizens. Under Brown's leadership, 36,000 new jobs have been created; unemployment has been cut in half; and Forbes has consistently ranked Jacksonville among the top five cities in the country to find a job.

Lenny Curry, on the other hand, continues to make partisan attacks to divide the city and win favor with only his most extreme supporters. According to the Florida Times-Union, Curry "hasn't done the kind of politics that might be valuable as mayor (actual governing)," but "he has been involved in perhaps the worst part of politics, the partisan games played by leadership on both sides of the aisle." In fact, the Times-Union also argues that "if a candidate can be judged by his campaign, then Curry has made a dreadful mistake. His supporters are using crude and negative campaign tactics."

[MEGATRON]

Looks like Bishop changed his mind on not endorsing Brown or Curry. I wonder what happened?

I assume it's because: (1) he hated not being in the spot light anymore and (2) if Brown wins, he would not face an incumbent in 2019.

That's some #nextlevel strategy.

[Cheshire Cat]

Spotlight isn't important to him.  I personally would love to see him run for mayor again after Alvin if he makes it through the election.

[MEGATRON]

Spotlight isn't important to him.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

From JBJ:

...With the press conference announcing the endorsement coming shortly after Chief of Staff Chris Hand announced he wouldn't be staying on if Brown won a second term, the Business Journal asked Bishop if he had been offered the job.
Bishop, a Republican, said he wasn't concerned about anything that happened after the election. "I'm focused on the election," he said.

As someone who supported Bishop the first time around, and was planning on backing Brown for one of the reasons mentioned above, I can't say I dislike this, if there's any substance to this theory at all.

Basically a huge FU to the REC and a potential opportunity to begin injecting some of his influence from behind the scenes instead of a council member. 

And it's av1,000% do or die move, IMO.  I don't know the protocol regarding running for mayor as an active chief of staff, so my comments may be more pointless than usual.  But if he can run, and the next 4 years go smoothly, his transition to mayor would be almost a lock; if they're a disaster, then it would be nearly pointless to run.

[Steve]

Personally, I think it's just that if Brown wins, there would be no incumbent in 2019.

And....perhaps there is a cabinet level appointment riding on this if Brown wins.

[I-10east]

Looks like Bishop changed his mind on not endorsing Brown or Curry. I wonder what happened?

Brown's study on non-discrimination protections maybe?

[Jumpinjack]

News media reporting that Chris Hand has announced his resignation to take place in near future.

[Cheshire Cat]

It really isn't megatron. lol  He is interested in sanity in government in conjunction with not handing our city over to the far right GOP hardliners.  In all his time in office he has never been about putting the focus on himself as opposed to issues impacting our city.  My guess is this may also be partially a message to the local RNC about their behaviors and uncool manipulaions. He of course did not tell me that, just my view.   You notice there was no big to do with them when two republican councilmembers endorsed Brown, that being Holt and Joost. We got the sound of silence.  For me this is a hard race to vote in.  Really hard.  I do not dislike either Brown or Curry personally but both have me seriously concerned about where Jacksonville is headed under their watch.  At least we have an idea about who Brown is and we will still have some very competent people on the council to balance out his leadership as it were and that gives me some hope.  I am extremely worried about the GOP machine stepping into office with Curry in a way never seen before.  Very worried.  At least with Brown we know we are only tied down for 4 years as opposed to eight.  To my view Bill Bishop was and remains the most experienced and competent person that was in the race for mayor but did not have the money or the system in place to get the needed name recognition and backing.  I hope in four plus years he has that.

[Cheshire Cat]

News media reporting that Chris Hand has announced his resignation to take place in near future.

Ah, this is likely the key then. 

[Noone]

Transparency is the last thing that is happening in the Brown administration. Total Backroom deals.
2014-412
2014-305
2014-190
Anyone else feeling sorry for the ............Guys?
Free Parking.

[Cheshire Cat]

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2015/04/30/heres-why-bill-bishop-is-endorsing-alvin-brown.html?ana=twt

[strider]

Bill Bishop earned an apology from his former election staff just about two weeks ago for implying in e-mails that he endorsed Brown.  Yet today he is actually doing what was suggested.  It is politics, nothing more.  He has learned a lesson from this past primary and will be playing these political moves more and more.  Some of us had hoped for more from him, but this is how things work.  Can't blame him one bit.  Doesn't make Brown nor Curry any better of a choice for Mayor.

I can't see that anything Curry and those behind him can do is any worse that what Brown and those behind him are doing and will do.  And fours years only?  No, I think we have had years and years of the same stuff through several Mayors and will have the same stuff regardless of who gets elected in the future.  I now firmly believe there is very little we can do about all of the big stuff.  The facts seem to be that Sleiman will get his new Landing, Khan will get his Shipyards deal and ...well, I'm sure there will be many more things just like them happening in the next four years.  Frankly, the only positive that we tax payers get from those types of deals are incidental to the power people's plans.

That leaves the small stuff and I do truly think that we can affect the small stuff in many places.  The one I am going to focus on is the new appointees.  If Brown is elected, the appointees who do most of the street level decision making and work will still be here for at least four years.  If Curry gets elected, then I believe the majority of those appointees will be new.  If Curry replaced Scott and Prado, then there will be hope for a new and improved MCCD.  That in itself may be enough of a reason to vote for Curry.

[Cheshire Cat]

Bill Bishop earned an apology from his former election staff just about two weeks ago for implying in e-mails that he endorsed Brown.  Yet today he is actually doing what was suggested.  It is politics, nothing more.  He has learned a lesson from this past primary and will be playing these political moves more and more.  Some of us had hoped for more from him, but this is how things work.  Can't blame him one bit.  Doesn't make Brown nor Curry any better of a choice for Mayor.

I can't see that anything Curry and those behind him can do is any worse that what Brown and those behind him are doing and will do.  And fours years only?  No, I think we have had years and years of the same stuff through several Mayors and will have the same stuff regardless of who gets elected in the future.  I now firmly believe there is very little we can do about all of the big stuff.  The facts seem to be that Sleiman will get his new Landing, Khan will get his Shipyards deal and ...well, I'm sure there will be many more things just like them happening in the next four years.  Frankly, the only positive that we tax payers get from those types of deals are incidental to the power people's plans.

That leaves the small stuff and I do truly think that we can affect the small stuff in many places.  The one I am going to focus on is the new appointees.  If Brown is elected, the appointees who do most of the street level decision making and work will still be here for at least four years.  If Curry gets elected, then I believe the majority of those appointees will be new.  If Curry replaced Scott and Prado, then there will be hope for a new and improved MCCD.  That in itself may be enough of a reason to vote for Curry.

Except there is no knowing whether Curry would replace either.  I am very conflicted over all of this actually.  Bill has learned that you have to make some moves you might rather not in order to work toward a larger goal.  If Curry is elected there will be no taking him on in four years as an incumbent.  The question is what will the influence of the likes of Rick Scott, Romney, Rubio, Rick Perry and his ilk have on our city?  The possible negatives connected to those politicalyl biased players concerns me greatly, that in tandem with what will be a majority republican council.

As to the Sleiman and Khan deals.  They better not get everything that are banking on.  That would be a major sell out of the taxpayers current and future interests.  I am not saying the landing and the shipyard do not need investment or attention.  I am saying we the taxpayers better not see the greatest interest of these projects simply being to enhance the wealth of private business.  As to the rest after Khan and Sleiman being small stuff.  I don't agree at all.  We have crime, infant mortality, Aids epidemic, crumbling infrastructure and citywide blight issues, closed libraries etc. 

At the time of the emails in support of Brown issue came up, Bill had not made his decision to publically support Brown.  His staff was right to apologize at that point.  What is former campaign staff did after the first election cycle was not in his control.  The key is they were "former" staff speaking as individuals