On Tuesday night the City Council approved Brad Thoburn for Planning Director.  The only council members to vote against our Great Leader's appointment was Mia Jones, Glorious Johnson and Warren Alvarez.

The following is a letter sent by Metro Jacksonville to the Jacksonville City Council regarding the Brad Thoburn appointment.
 

In two weeks, the Jacksonville City Council will hear a proposal to waive the official qualifications for the position of Planning Department Director, so that Brad Thoburn may be appointed to the position. Much discussion has taken place surrounding this issue and The Metro Jacksonville Group has been one of the parties leading the discussion.

There was no national search for a Planning Director.  In viewing the documents related to the search - and the applications/resumes received - it is very obvious that mainly only Florida was targeted.  Additionally, Susie Wiles has cited the reason for not even interviewing another candidate as the fact that no resumes were received from candidates that were Planning Directors of cities larger than Jacksonville.  First, that qualification was not posted on any of the advertisements for the position and second, those resumes are difficult to receive when you are not making a concerted effort to request them or advertise the position outside of your home state.

While the cronyism (yes, it's a strong word, but let's have a contest - can you think of a more accurate one?) of this administration continues, we thought we would help out whomever will be tasked with finding a Planning Director once the mayor's political annointee - Brad Thoburn – is rejected by our integrity-filled City Council.  To whomever you are out there, here is a free leads list… please note that it consists of only a few contacts in the southeast. You are on your own to do the work for the other major cities across the U.S. (and please do it this time, even if Peyton tells you not to).

Rebecca Salter was the individual in Human Resources for the City of Jacksonville that directed the failed, pseudo "national search" for a new Planning Director. In an apparent reward for her high level of service, our mayor has given her a promotion to the Director of Human Resources (see: Thoburn to Lead Planning Department ).

This is a long report because there is a lot at stake.  And as the mayor kicks into high-gear for damage control, we can only expect more smoke and mirrors.

Today we'll start with just the facts.

Some say, "Jacksonville is a diamond that wants to remain coal". What would it be like if Jacksonville were a city that didn’t hate itself...led by people who look down their noses at its achievements?

Here are a few things that possibly would have happened in New York, Rome, London Paris, Seattle, or San Francisco, if they and the leaders that made them into Great Cities had been given our city and history.

Today is Halloween, a holiday full of scares and fright.  People dressed in costumes of characters like Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhies and that weird looking guy from Scream mark the occasion.  Some will be trick-or-treating with their kids, some will be watching their favorite horror movie on the couch, and some will break out the Ouija Board and attempt to communicate with those that have left us.  I will be doing neither.  Instead, I will go where few dare to go on a dark Tuesday Night: Downtown Jacksonville.  For those who want to be one with scary characters and haunting people, one can look no further than downtown’s deserted streets on a dark weeknight and get all the scare they need to last then through at least next spring.