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

[stephendare]

actually the tennessee valley authority has always had that distinction, Gator.

But even that perk of a well run JEA has changed, our bills are creeping inexorably upwards.

This is such a crucial time to be effectively without a mayor.

[gatorback]

Can't that be said about everything these days. It's the times we live in.  Has JEA price increase, compared to the rest of the nation, outpaced the industry?

[stephendare]

And eventually, the entire universe will collapse in a general malaise due to entropy, gatorback.  Its hopeless.  I say we all become hermits in the mountains of South America and wait for the general apocalypse.

[gatorback]

That’s not very romantic Stephen.  Perhaps a stately pleasure-dome where Olivia Newton John would be singing down by the river would help us till the end.

[stephendare]

Or reasonably administered public institutions despite the 'times we live in'

[Ocklawaha]

And eventually, the entire universe will collapse in a general malaise due to entropy, gatorback.  Its hopeless.  I say we all become hermits in the mountains of South America and wait for the general apocalypse

.

Hey I know a good place... a how to say this... "branch office"


EL RETIRO, ANTIOQUIA, COLOMBIA


TEQUENDAMITA FALLS, EL RETIRO


WHAT CAN I SAY?

hee hee

Ocklawaha

[stephendare]

great locations Ock.

Any suggestions for Jacksonville before such an extreme branch office is necessary?

[Ocklawaha]

Yeah, this City needs to quit shopping amoung other cities for ideas, like a buffet of "also rans" and "me too's". We have some of the most fantastic history in America, OLDER then St. Augustine! The Civil War 150 year memorial celebration is coming, are we ready? Largest Confederate and Largest Union City in the State.
Battles fought at Brick Church, Springfield, Mc Coys Creek (fairly large), Broad Street-Hemming Plaza, Camp Milton... At one time over 50,000 men faced off in this city, the Confederates with 450 cannons! (I didn't even know the whole South had that many), then slowly both sides drew down. Pirates, plagues, fire, earthquakes (2 of note {St Augustine and Charleston}) damaged the city. Port, navy, iron clads, "Davids" possible submarine pioneering. WWI training, largest Streetcar System, Tons of music, actors and artisits of note. Home of the National Negro Leagues. Buckle on the Bible Belt. Heart of Southern Music/Rock and Blues.
Queen of the Winter Resorts. Miami before there was a Miami.

So what to do?

Shop in our own DAMN BACK YARD for a change and do something... ANYTHING!

OCKLAWAHA

[stephendare]

Besides keep the press awash in scandal and turpitude, of course.

All the leaves are brown, and the sky is grey.

Lets build a dream mayor.

If I was Mayor, I would immediately do the following.......

Create a partnership to implement rail based transit and finally extend the skyway to the stadium, san marco, riverside and Shands.

Personally use a sawsall and cut up every single parking meter in the downtown.   Send a 'your fired' note to everyone in the department.

Open up the St Johns River to sports recreation and fishing.

Repair the port and open trade embassies, beg John Delaney to partner UNF with the Port to create a logistics partnership without paralell in the southeast.  Return Jacksonville to a shipping powerhouse.   Have weekly cabinet meetings on the issue.

Reconnect and reopen all the east side of downtown so that the financial center of the city and the source of raw wealth represented at the port were a cohesive unit.

Sell the empty buildings presently crumbling to dust under the city's terrible stewardship

Abolish the Downtown Traffic Loop and return Main Street to Two Way Traffic.

Implement green initiatives in every department possible.

Open the Mayor's Office to the public, step away from the imperial mayordom, pull a John Delaney and talk to the crazy rasta white boy with the bullhorn trying to legalize pot ever now and then.

Demand that the Sheriff come hang out with me after nightfall in unmarked ways in the bloody block and the crime terrorized neighborhoods.

Revisit the Masterplan and make sure that it is in keeping with a smarter growth intent.

Put an immediate end to the dynamiting of the historic buildings.  Send Jack Dynamite a 'thanks for all your service" note.

Take away all cars from JTA administrators until their damned system worked.

Hang out with Al Letson in the Mayors office, Put Tiffany Duhart in charge of the the City's Marketing and Promotions.

Actively preserve the cool history along fort caroline and Arlington.

Make sure that Harriet Beecher Stowe, Stephen Crane, and Zora Neal Hurston were appropriately honored out in Mandarin.

Encourage Green Industry to relocate to Jacksonville's North and Southside.

Fund the Arts and the Cultural Life of the City.

Look at the writing on the wall and encourage the four beaches communities to go full steam ahead with their chosen directions:   Full Scale condo development of the beach in Jax Beach, Uppity residential in Atlantic.  Working class residential in Neptune.

Ponte Vedra would pay through its ass to use duval county roads, as would all the rest of the tax avoiders who relocated on the other side of duval county borders in order to enjoy our services without having to pay a dime for them.

Pursue Smart, rail based growth policies and retrofit all of our building codes to deal with an enhanced possibility of flooding.

What else?

What would our perfect mayor do?.....

[Ethylene]

Dayor for Mare, er I mean, Dare for Mayor! Yeah, that's it!