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Mission Accomplished: The Peyton Years

Let's check in on the status of some of Mayor Peyton's top priorities.

Published September 26, 2007 in Opinion      Digg Digg   Share this article on Facebook Share on Facebook   twitterTweet this!   Open printer friendly version of this article Print Article



Duval County Courthouse - Not Started

Laura Street Lighting Plan - Not Started - No intentions

Jacksonville Landing Redevelopment - Not Started

Friendship Fountain Repair and Redevelopment - Not Started

Northbank Riverwalk - Closed and in disrepair for a year

Southbank Riverwalk - $800,000 study to determine state of rotten wood
 

Homeless Issues - No resolution. Key figure resigns.
 

Illegal City Contracts to friends - Complete

Budget Overruns - Complete

Parking Garage Contracts guaranteeing a profit - Complete

Snyder Memorial Church - Empty and future victim of Demolition by Neglect

FSU Medical Center - Unaware and Not Pursued

Cecil Field - Boeing Promised - Tire Warehouse landed for this prime industrial site

Main Street Bridge pedestrian walk - Not Started

Hold taxpayer funded "Day of Faith" and get sued - Complete 

Greening of Main - Under Construction (including ill-advised pocket park)

Metropolitan Park converted to flex space for "next Super Bowl" - Not Started

Establish new fees to cover budget problems - In Progress

Place unqualified friends at the head of every city department - Nearing Completion

Destroy old Fuller Warren Bridge and its public pier potential - Complete 

Convert parks from Biggest to Best - Increased size of park system and fired the Parks Director.

Allow city departments to spend money without oversight - Complete

 


Let's take a short trip back in time to April of 2006.


The Cast:

Alan Mosley, City Chief Operating Officer

Ron Barton, JEDC Executive Director

Mike Saylor, Planning Department Director

John Peyton, Mayor


Their roles:

Peyton: Plans to move the planning department and JEDC -- located at City Hall Annex several blocks from City Hall -- under one roof at the old Haverty's building adjacent to City Hall. The building is undergoing extensive renovations.

Mosley: Within the next 30 days, Mosley said a new public works director should be chosen. The applicant pool has been narrowed to one out-of-towner and two locals.

Barton: Will be busy updating the Downtown master plan and implementing the changes. Four task forces led by JEDC commissioners or industry experts will focus on different areas of the master plan for Downtown and will have six months to outline a comprehensive approach.

Saylor: Is focusing on mapping out the next five years -- every week of them to help prevent the group from jumping too far too fast with their ideas for Downtown development. A true engineer, he said planning Downtown development needs to be approached like building a tall structure: build the base first, understanding everything that goes into development and matching it with budget constraints.
 

The Script:

"We're evolving out of that start-up mode," Barton said. "We're about to hit our stride in terms of executing. That's the fun part anyway."

"We came together out of necessity," Saylor said. "We just formed this little tribunal -- the 'Alan, Ron and Mike Show.' "
 

Saylor's open mind, Mosley's sense of humor and can-do personality and Peyton's goal of getting the best people and letting them do their jobs helped them immediately gel as a team, Barton said.
 

Peyton keeps the team moving. He is aggressive in maintaining momentum and implementing change, Saylor said.

 

Mission Accomplished. 



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» 8 Comments

Ocklawaha

September 26, 2007, 08:24:41 AM

Wasn't Peytons Grandpa a cigar smoker, that once worked in that fiber drying plant downtown? As I recall that was about 1901?  

Ocklawaha

copperfiend

September 26, 2007, 10:54:18 AM

I wish the citizens of Jacksonville cared. Unfortunately, I don't think most of them do.

RiversideGator

September 26, 2007, 11:02:36 AM

Peyton's incompetence knows no bounds.  This does go to prove that you can be a totally inept and visionless leader but with lots of campaign cash and the right amount of BS you can still get elected twice.

Charleston native

September 26, 2007, 01:33:46 PM

^ Well, this is the SOP for most government officials. More bureaucracy, less accomplished, and continuation of power. When will we realize that the only thing government does very well is inhibit and prevent progress?

Jason

September 26, 2007, 04:31:55 PM

Wasn't Peytons Grandpa a cigar smoker, that once worked in that fiber drying plant downtown? As I recall that was about 1901?  

Ocklawaha


HA!!!  That could explain a lot!

downtownparks

September 26, 2007, 06:36:35 PM

Oh, come on guys, you almost make this too easy... You are essentially saying "the Peyton family has made history"... its all in how you spin it my friends... Cheesy

dv8

September 28, 2007, 07:38:34 AM

you forgot

lots of pictures with 4 year olds so you look like a big man.

raheem942

November 02, 2007, 11:11:26 AM

Peyton's incompetence knows no bounds.  This does go to prove that you can be a totally inept and visionless leader but with lots of campaign cash and the right amount of BS you can still get elected twice.
i agree
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