Jacksonville Mayoral Election 2023

[jaxlongtimer]

Nate Monroe gives a lengthy analysis of the mayor's race at this point in time.  Doesn't leave many stones unturned in revealing many of the dynamics for each significant candidate:

Nate Monroe: In quest for mayor, challengers hope to derail coronation for establishment scion

...Jacksonville city elections feature a jungle primary in March in which all candidates regardless of party affiliation compete against one another for votes, followed by a runoff in May among the top two vote-getters if no one wins an outright majority. It's a recipe that complicates conventional electoral math and can lead to surprises, and it makes larger fields with multiple viable candidates, as this year appears to feature, difficult to handicap....

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/columns/nate-monroe/2023/01/20/analysis-republican-democratic-heavyweights-vie-for-jacksonville-mayor/69820673007/

[Charles Hunter]

What are the chances that Daniels and Cumber will cancel out each other in the primary? Like Mullany and Moran did in 2011.

[jaxlongtimer]

Big time mud slinging between Cumber and Davis... latest in the article below:

Jacksonville mayor candidates charge the other cannot be trusted after JEA sales attempt

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2023/01/27/jacksonville-mayor-candidates-husband-involved-in-firms-jea-bid/69820709007/

[Florida Power And Light]

I remember when Joe Carlucci was faced with redistrict....... he wuz  gonna have to represent Clay County..... Florida Times Union article: “ Over My Dead Body ! “
Well ..... Clay Happened...... and Joe dug in, support for Brannon/ Chaffee ( First Coast Beltway)
State Farm Agents inextricably involved in Growth Management/ Development scenarios.

Next!?
What does Cuban History/ Father  have to do with running Jacksonville Government?
I fled South Florida Cuban Influx. Does that qualify me for political office??

[fieldafm]

I fled South Florida Cuban Influx. Does that qualify me for political office??

Nope, just a racist prick.

[Charles Hunter]

I fled South Florida Cuban Influx. Does that qualify me for political office??

Nope, just a racist prick.

Doesn't that qualify him to be Governor?

[jaxlongtimer]

Two interesting articles in the Florida Times Union to contrast.

Nate Monroe highlights the huge fiscal issues facing the City over the next 3 or 4 years thanks to Curry's mismanagement and kicking the can down the road.  Highlights include the underfunded solid waste fund, the underfunded pension fund, increased debt principal and interest payments, more needed infrastructure improvements, demands for more police funding, new police HQ's and/or jail, Khan's inevitable request for stadium improvements and the lingering desire for a new convention center.

Then, Sheriff TK Waters endorses Curry 2.0, Daniel Davis, for mayor based on Davis' promise to hire more police, increase hiring incentives and salaries and, amazingly, maybe even reinstating the police pension fund, underfunded already by $2.6 billion.  Davis, like so many past mayors, is buying his police endorsement at the expense of the taxpayers, which is why we have some of our largest budget problems.  Davis doesn't explain how he will live up to these promises while dealing with all the budget issues highlighted by Monroe but borrowing more money is just mortgaging the City's future (see Lenny Curry's favorite ploy and why Davis is Curry 2.0) and will increase debt service costs due to higher leveraging by the City.  The real solution is raising previously lowered property taxes but I don't expect Davis to come close to admitting to that.

Daniel Davis pledges to expand police force as he accepts Jacksonville sheriff's endorsement

Jacksonville mayoral candidate Daniel Davis said he will work with Sheriff T.K. Waters to add more patrol officers as Davis accepted an endorsement by Waters in the mayor's race....

....“Sheriff, you’ve asked for more manpower," Davis told Waters during the endorsement announcement Tuesday. "You mark it down today – we will add more police officers to our streets.”

Davis did not put a specific number on officers. He said Waters is "the expert" and as mayor, he would make sure the sheriff has the necessary resources for the Sheriff's Office, which is the single biggest portion of the city's budget

Davis also said he would seek to provide employment benefits that will help the Sheriff's Office recruit and retain officers....

....Davis did not rule out bringing back pensions as a retirement benefit. The city stopped providing pensions to all city employees hired after Oct. 1, 2017, and replaced that benefit with 401(k) style retirement accounts....

....At the urging of Mayor Lenny Curry, Duval County voters approved a half-cent sales tax in 2016 to help pay down the city's massive pension debt. The biggest portion of the financial obligation is in the Police and Fire Pension Fund....

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/politics/elections/local/2023/01/24/jacksonville-sheriff-endorses-daniel-davis-in-mayors-race/69836378007/?itm_medium=recirc&itm_source=taboola&itm_campaign=internal&itm_content=BelowArticleFeed-FeedRedesign

Nate Monroe: Next Jacksonville mayor could feel squeeze with Jags stadium, jail relocation

COMMENTARY | The next Jacksonville mayor and City Council are on course to confront a pile of thorny financial problems that could box them into weighing painful decisions first-term elected officials are usually desperate to avoid: tax or fee increases, deep spending cuts, large borrowing that could harm the city's financial health, or simply scaling back their policy ambitions...

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/columns/nate-monroe/2023/01/27/jags-stadium-downtown-are-big-knots-for-next-mayor-to-untangle/69847231007/

[Jax_Developer]

Two interesting articles in the Florida Times Union to contrast.

Nate Monroe highlights the huge fiscal issues facing the City over the next 3 or 4 years thanks to Curry's mismanagement and kicking the can down the road.  Highlights include the underfunded solid waste fund, the underfunded pension fund, increased debt principal and interest payments, more needed infrastructure improvements, demands for more police funding, new police HQ's and/or jail, Khan's inevitable request for stadium improvements and the lingering desire for a new convention center.

Then, Sheriff TK Waters endorses Curry 2.0, Daniel Davis, for mayor based on Davis' promise to hire more police, increase hiring incentives and salaries and, amazingly, maybe even reinstating the police pension fund, underfunded already by $2.6 billion.  Davis, like so many past mayors, is buying his police endorsement at the expense of the taxpayers, which is why we have some of our largest budget problems.  Davis doesn't explain how he will live up to these promises while dealing with all the budget issues highlighted by Monroe but borrowing more money is just mortgaging the City's future (see Lenny Curry's favorite ploy and why Davis is Curry 2.0) and will increase debt service costs due to higher leveraging by the City.  The real solution is raising previously lowered property taxes but I don't expect Davis to come close to admitting to that.

Daniel Davis pledges to expand police force as he accepts Jacksonville sheriff's endorsement

Jacksonville mayoral candidate Daniel Davis said he will work with Sheriff T.K. Waters to add more patrol officers as Davis accepted an endorsement by Waters in the mayor's race....

....“Sheriff, you’ve asked for more manpower," Davis told Waters during the endorsement announcement Tuesday. "You mark it down today – we will add more police officers to our streets.”

Davis did not put a specific number on officers. He said Waters is "the expert" and as mayor, he would make sure the sheriff has the necessary resources for the Sheriff's Office, which is the single biggest portion of the city's budget

Davis also said he would seek to provide employment benefits that will help the Sheriff's Office recruit and retain officers....

....Davis did not rule out bringing back pensions as a retirement benefit. The city stopped providing pensions to all city employees hired after Oct. 1, 2017, and replaced that benefit with 401(k) style retirement accounts....

....At the urging of Mayor Lenny Curry, Duval County voters approved a half-cent sales tax in 2016 to help pay down the city's massive pension debt. The biggest portion of the financial obligation is in the Police and Fire Pension Fund....

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/politics/elections/local/2023/01/24/jacksonville-sheriff-endorses-daniel-davis-in-mayors-race/69836378007/?itm_medium=recirc&itm_source=taboola&itm_campaign=internal&itm_content=BelowArticleFeed-FeedRedesign

Nate Monroe: Next Jacksonville mayor could feel squeeze with Jags stadium, jail relocation

COMMENTARY | The next Jacksonville mayor and City Council are on course to confront a pile of thorny financial problems that could box them into weighing painful decisions first-term elected officials are usually desperate to avoid: tax or fee increases, deep spending cuts, large borrowing that could harm the city's financial health, or simply scaling back their policy ambitions...

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/columns/nate-monroe/2023/01/27/jags-stadium-downtown-are-big-knots-for-next-mayor-to-untangle/69847231007/

Funny how in several years they are still working on the original three neighborhoods outlined in the Septic Phase Out Program. I called JEA in February of 2022, and they stated they would be starting the resident outreach in areas surrounding Riverview before the end of 2023. Still no word. Did all those funds get moved elsewhere? There has been essentially zero update from JEA. The webpage for the phaseout has literally not been updated in years. The situation is comical. A several $100M project doesn't warrant community updates I guess.

[Florida Power And Light]

I will work very hard to make sure DeSantis Political Aspirations are squelched.
Starting with Susie Wiles.More.
And nothing more here on this Endless Poop Thread.
FP&L

[fsu813]

Two interesting articles in the Florida Times Union to contrast.

Nate Monroe highlights the huge fiscal issues facing the City over the next 3 or 4 years thanks to Curry's mismanagement and kicking the can down the road.  Highlights include the underfunded solid waste fund, the underfunded pension fund, increased debt principal and interest payments, more needed infrastructure improvements, demands for more police funding, new police HQ's and/or jail, Khan's inevitable request for stadium improvements and the lingering desire for a new convention center.

Then, Sheriff TK Waters endorses Curry 2.0, Daniel Davis, for mayor based on Davis' promise to hire more police, increase hiring incentives and salaries and, amazingly, maybe even reinstating the police pension fund, underfunded already by $2.6 billion.  Davis, like so many past mayors, is buying his police endorsement at the expense of the taxpayers, which is why we have some of our largest budget problems.  Davis doesn't explain how he will live up to these promises while dealing with all the budget issues highlighted by Monroe but borrowing more money is just mortgaging the City's future (see Lenny Curry's favorite ploy and why Davis is Curry 2.0) and will increase debt service costs due to higher leveraging by the City.  The real solution is raising previously lowered property taxes but I don't expect Davis to come close to admitting to that.

Daniel Davis pledges to expand police force as he accepts Jacksonville sheriff's endorsement

Jacksonville mayoral candidate Daniel Davis said he will work with Sheriff T.K. Waters to add more patrol officers as Davis accepted an endorsement by Waters in the mayor's race....

....“Sheriff, you’ve asked for more manpower," Davis told Waters during the endorsement announcement Tuesday. "You mark it down today – we will add more police officers to our streets.”

Davis did not put a specific number on officers. He said Waters is "the expert" and as mayor, he would make sure the sheriff has the necessary resources for the Sheriff's Office, which is the single biggest portion of the city's budget

Davis also said he would seek to provide employment benefits that will help the Sheriff's Office recruit and retain officers....

....Davis did not rule out bringing back pensions as a retirement benefit. The city stopped providing pensions to all city employees hired after Oct. 1, 2017, and replaced that benefit with 401(k) style retirement accounts....

....At the urging of Mayor Lenny Curry, Duval County voters approved a half-cent sales tax in 2016 to help pay down the city's massive pension debt. The biggest portion of the financial obligation is in the Police and Fire Pension Fund....

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/politics/elections/local/2023/01/24/jacksonville-sheriff-endorses-daniel-davis-in-mayors-race/69836378007/?itm_medium=recirc&itm_source=taboola&itm_campaign=internal&itm_content=BelowArticleFeed-FeedRedesign

Nate Monroe: Next Jacksonville mayor could feel squeeze with Jags stadium, jail relocation

COMMENTARY | The next Jacksonville mayor and City Council are on course to confront a pile of thorny financial problems that could box them into weighing painful decisions first-term elected officials are usually desperate to avoid: tax or fee increases, deep spending cuts, large borrowing that could harm the city's financial health, or simply scaling back their policy ambitions...

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/columns/nate-monroe/2023/01/27/jags-stadium-downtown-are-big-knots-for-next-mayor-to-untangle/69847231007/

Davis is pragmatic, not an ideologue. He and Peyton are very close, so look at that hx to read the tea leaves.

[jaxlongtimer]

^ As I recall, Peyton brown nosed the police and fire personnel to build his base and while mayor, rewarded them handsomely.  Looks like Davis is on the same track.  Not sure of timing, but I seem to recall Peyton also either refused to raise property taxes or actually lowered them.  With either strategy, it dug the City's financial hole bigger.  Of course, Peyton also blew $360 million dollars on the Courthouse that should have cost less than half if he followed the Fed's lead and built up instead of out.  But, he wanted to appease the judges so, again, no backbone.  Not impressed if Davis is a clone of Peyton or Curry or both.  We need a new approach to leadership, not more of our past.

[marcuscnelson]

Then, Sheriff TK Waters endorses Curry 2.0, Daniel Davis, for mayor based on Davis' promise to hire more police, increase hiring incentives and salaries and, amazingly, maybe even reinstating the police pension fund, underfunded already by $2.6 billion.  Davis, like so many past mayors, is buying his police endorsement at the expense of the taxpayers, which is why we have some of our largest budget problems.  Davis doesn't explain how he will live up to these promises while dealing with all the budget issues highlighted by Monroe but borrowing more money is just mortgaging the City's future (see Lenny Curry's favorite ploy and why Davis is Curry 2.0) and will increase debt service costs due to higher leveraging by the City.  The real solution is raising previously lowered property taxes but I don't expect Davis to come close to admitting to that.

Daniel Davis pledges to expand police force as he accepts Jacksonville sheriff's endorsement

Jacksonville mayoral candidate Daniel Davis said he will work with Sheriff T.K. Waters to add more patrol officers as Davis accepted an endorsement by Waters in the mayor's race....

....“Sheriff, you’ve asked for more manpower," Davis told Waters during the endorsement announcement Tuesday. "You mark it down today – we will add more police officers to our streets.”

Davis did not put a specific number on officers. He said Waters is "the expert" and as mayor, he would make sure the sheriff has the necessary resources for the Sheriff's Office, which is the single biggest portion of the city's budget

Davis also said he would seek to provide employment benefits that will help the Sheriff's Office recruit and retain officers....

....Davis did not rule out bringing back pensions as a retirement benefit. The city stopped providing pensions to all city employees hired after Oct. 1, 2017, and replaced that benefit with 401(k) style retirement accounts....

....At the urging of Mayor Lenny Curry, Duval County voters approved a half-cent sales tax in 2016 to help pay down the city's massive pension debt. The biggest portion of the financial obligation is in the Police and Fire Pension Fund....

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/politics/elections/local/2023/01/24/jacksonville-sheriff-endorses-daniel-davis-in-mayors-race/69836378007/?itm_medium=recirc&itm_source=taboola&itm_campaign=internal&itm_content=BelowArticleFeed-FeedRedesign

I'm… incredibly confused how with a budget that has grown to more than half a billion dollars, JSO is somehow in need of even more money. We've already tried this strategy for 8 years and it clearly doesn't appear to have provided results. It seems long past time to put the money we could have spent on even more officers towards both paying down a bit more of the pension debt and investing in actual prevention before officers are actually needed to respond.

Nate Monroe highlights the huge fiscal issues facing the City over the next 3 or 4 years thanks to Curry's mismanagement and kicking the can down the road.  Highlights include the underfunded solid waste fund, the underfunded pension fund, increased debt principal and interest payments, more needed infrastructure improvements, demands for more police funding, new police HQ's and/or jail, Khan's inevitable request for stadium improvements and the lingering desire for a new convention center.

Nate Monroe: Next Jacksonville mayor could feel squeeze with Jags stadium, jail relocation

COMMENTARY | The next Jacksonville mayor and City Council are on course to confront a pile of thorny financial problems that could box them into weighing painful decisions first-term elected officials are usually desperate to avoid: tax or fee increases, deep spending cuts, large borrowing that could harm the city's financial health, or simply scaling back their policy ambitions...

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/columns/nate-monroe/2023/01/27/jags-stadium-downtown-are-big-knots-for-next-mayor-to-untangle/69847231007/

I imagine the true plan this whole time was that Curry was supposed to sell JEA to FPL or whoever, and yield $8 billion in cash with which to pay off the pension debt, buy the stadium, jail, and convention center, plus whatever other favors would have been needed to clear the path for Davis. With the JEA sale scuttled, all Curry could do was just smooth things over long enough for Davis to hopefully slip through.

I think ever since the idea of the Jail/Convention Center swap became clear last year, most of us here have been pretty dismayed about the concept. It's just such an easier thing to kick down the road compared to smaller investments with bigger impacts. I feel like a BJP-style sales tax plan (maybe separate referendums on infrastructure and transportation plans) and finally fixing the trash fee get us most of the way there from a revenue standpoint.

[Tacachale]

I fled South Florida Cuban Influx. Does that qualify me for political office??

Nope, just a racist prick.

Hahaha

[jaxlongtimer]

I imagine the true plan this whole time was that Curry was supposed to sell JEA to FPL or whoever, and yield $8 billion in cash with which to pay off the pension debt, buy the stadium, jail, and convention center, plus whatever other favors would have been needed to clear the path for Davis. With the JEA sale scuttled, all Curry could do was just smooth things over long enough for Davis to hopefully slip through.

I think ever since the idea of the Jail/Convention Center swap became clear last year, most of us here have been pretty dismayed about the concept. It's just such an easier thing to kick down the road compared to smaller investments with bigger impacts. I feel like a BJP-style sales tax plan (maybe separate referendums on infrastructure and transportation plans) and finally fixing the trash fee get us most of the way there from a revenue standpoint.

Agree, Curry was going to hoc JEA so he could solve all the financial issues of his making while making it appear that he did much good for the City, albeit at taxpayer expense.  The Pension Fund, Gas Tax, Renaissance and Better Jacksonville bond issues were variations on this same theme... spend a bundle of money today and let future taxpayers and mayors deal with the fallout.

Doing another sales tax funded bond may not be good for several reasons.  I think the City has used its full 1 percent local sales tax option for the gas tax and BJP bonds and can't do more under State law.  Also, sales tax is very regressive.  And, not sure the City can do more bonding without endangering its credit rating raising its cost of borrowing (see Nate Monroe's full article).  The best answer is raising property tax rates which have been lowered or held for the last 15 to 20 years keeping revenues too low.  Property tax revenue has also been eroded by all the exemptions the State keeps adding.

I might add, the City has squandered much of its bond money on worthless or patronage projects and/or overpaying for same.  Exhibit A: Giving JTA money for autonomous vehicles.

[thelakelander]

I think ever since the idea of the Jail/Convention Center swap became clear last year, most of us here have been pretty dismayed about the concept. It's just such an easier thing to kick down the road compared to smaller investments with bigger impacts. I feel like a BJP-style sales tax plan (maybe separate referendums on infrastructure and transportation plans) and finally fixing the trash fee get us most of the way there from a revenue standpoint.

I haven't read Nate's column but if there is a desire to save money.......skip the idea of spending $400-$500 million on a new jail within the next four to eight years. That cash is better spent elsewhere.