California Dreamin....What I would do as mayor.

[duvalbill]

I would make the St. Johns a major priority and increase funding to the Riverkeeper.  Further, I would provide for police subsidies in the downtown area and springfield.  Also, I would help to facilitate better public transportation and require better utilization of our waterfront.

[stephendare]

Lol.  Sure.  But I would be the most colorful and controversial candidate or mayor in the history of the city.

I smell the makings of a write-in candidacy! 

I bet I could inspire a write-out counterinsurgency as well.!  In fact I would expect that River would be willing to offer a first signature!

[Eazy E]

It really is shameful that no one in charge has the political courage or brains to see that light rail would pay for itself in a few years, tops.

[stephendare]

It really is shameful that no one in charge has the political courage or brains to see that light rail would pay for itself in a few years, tops.

Its a conflict of interest, Easy E.   When your family and/or backing comes from Road Building and highway maintenance, then your kind of biting the hand that feeds you with the Rail situation.

It cuts the money out of the people closest too you.

The savings come from somewhere obviously, and in our present case, it comes from the relatives and financial backers of all our leaders.

The trick is to create rail in such a way that everyones interests are served.

[jacksonvilleconfidential]

Lol.  Sure.  But I would be the most colorful and controversial candidate or mayor in the history of the city.

Aint THAT the truth!

[BridgeTroll]

More campaign planks?  How about a decent self sufficient county wide recycling program... work programs for our county jail prisoners cleaning up the city

[Eazy E]

More campaign planks?  How about a decent self sufficient county wide recycling program... work programs for our county jail prisoners cleaning up the city

I often see prisoners cleaning up downtown when I go on my early saturday morning jogs.

[stephendare]

Incentives for building intelligently and on high ground, and the conversion of lower lying grounds to agribusiness or recreational use.

Encouraging smart safe growth of the nightlife in the downtown to provide actual quality of life reasons for people to return to the central areas.

Building the Courthouse immediately, remove the Detention Center, perhaps to the eastside or closer to tallyrand.

Establish a cabinet level position to promote trade with other cities and nations.

[gatorback]

Create an City manager position or does JAX have one?  Austin has one.  Most other cities have them right? 

[stephendare]

Create an City manager position or does JAX have one?  Austin has one.  Most other cities have them right? 

City managers are awesome. but lets be honest, Gator.  We have had an almost complete collapse of leadership across the board in Jax.   The Sheriff is probably our most effective public servant.

We need new blood and a new direction.  Badly.

[Eazy E]

Create an City manager position or does JAX have one?  Austin has one.  Most other cities have them right? 

City managers are awesome. but lets be honest, Gator.  We have had an almost complete collapse of leadership across the board in Jax.   The Sheriff is probably our most effective public servant.

We need new blood and a new direction.  Badly.

City Council President (i think?) Daniel Davis, for instance, could not get his around a little thing called free speech: he kept asking the Office of the General Counsel how he could ban people from e-mailing him who had, in the past, used the word 'vagina' in e-mails to him.  And not using the word as an insult (as in "DD must be a real vagina if he gest so worked up about an S&M article in Folio"), but the use of the word in its literal sense and meaning.  That this guy leads our city council is unbelievable to me.

[stephendare]

Semantics over substance Easy E.

Meanwhile literally NOTHING is being done to move this city forward.

Not on any level.

Mayors Office.  Asleep and panicked over the budget.

City Council  Too Damned inexperienced to know how to wield their power

School Board   Too busy posing.

Governor  Too busy trying to figure out how to appear like the marrying type.

JTA.  (at least they are doing SOMETHING, even if half of its wrong)

In all my life this is without a doubt the worst government that the city has ever had the misfortune to suffer under.  Systemically its fumbling zombie like.

It would be hard to find a single person of vision in the whole lot.....which is NOT the Jacksonville that I have known these past 40 years.

[gatorback]

But we liked what the JEA has done...or is doing correct?

[stephendare]

The JEA transformed itself into a for profit energy predator a couple of years ago.  Couldnt get anyone interested in it at the time, Its hard to fault them for figuring out how to steal from the public since they now have our blessing.

[gatorback]

But you enjoy the lowest electric bills in the nation because of it?