Author Topic: Mike Saylor Appointed to the Downtown Investment Authority  (Read 8601 times)

Sigsbee LeGrande

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Mike Saylor Appointed to the Downtown Investment Authority
« on: January 07, 2013, 02:53:27 PM »
It's definitely Saylor, according to Facebook.com/JaxDailyRecord.

CityLife

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thelakelander

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Re: Mike Saylor Appointed to the Downtown Investment Authority
« Reply #2 on: January 07, 2013, 03:10:58 PM »
For those who don't remember, Mike was the planning director of the city before Bill Killingsworth and Brad Thoburn.
"A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” - Muhammad Ali

strider

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Re: Mike Saylor Appointed to the Downtown Investment Authority
« Reply #3 on: January 07, 2013, 07:11:19 PM »
So the question is, is he a good choice or a bad one that will help continue the mistakes of the past?  Being the past planning director is not necessarily a nod to him being a good choice.
"My father says that almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you know. Everybody you see. Everybody you talk to. He says that only a few people are awake and they live in a state of constant total amazement." Patrica, Joe VS the Volcano.

xplanner

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Re: Mike Saylor Appointed to the Downtown Investment Authority
« Reply #4 on: January 08, 2013, 09:14:05 AM »
A note on how having been Planning Director may or may not have implications on how good or bad an Authority member might be.

When I arrived at P&DD, the Department had become somewhat the pointy-end of a wedge between the Office of the Mayor and City Council. I agreed to tackle the organizational aspects of a Department whose collective morale and professional self esteem were in the tank, and to try to help mend some political fences. Accomplished the mission and left after the year that I committed I would serve. Along the way I think I also helped build some trust and collaboration between Planning and JEDC staffers.

A more important point of my resume to sit on this new Authority is possibly my 40+ years experience in planning and visioning in the State of Florida, throughout the US, and offshore. Over 30 of those years have been as a resident, practitioner of planning, and close observer of this town of ours. I hope to act as an unofficial Planning Historian of sorts for the DIA...to remind the members, our elected officials, and the public, of the paths, and deals, and smoke and mirrors, and dead-ends, and success stories we've pursued in this town for more than three decades. Hopefully a clear view of our past will help us short-circuit the likelihood of repeating mistakes.

But in the end, the likely best shot at my being rated a "good" DIA member is the fact that I have, in five previous appointments under three different Mayors, presided-over more than 2000 public hearings, workshops, and brainstorming sessions and I have always placed emphasis on the rational process, fairness to opposing viewpoints and a willingness to be a good listener.

As in any new endeavor, we shall see.

fieldafm

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Re: Mike Saylor Appointed to the Downtown Investment Authority
« Reply #5 on: January 08, 2013, 09:50:21 AM »
A note on how having been Planning Director may or may not have implications on how good or bad an Authority member might be.

When I arrived at P&DD, the Department had become somewhat the pointy-end of a wedge between the Office of the Mayor and City Council. I agreed to tackle the organizational aspects of a Department whose collective morale and professional self esteem were in the tank, and to try to help mend some political fences. Accomplished the mission and left after the year that I committed I would serve. Along the way I think I also helped build some trust and collaboration between Planning and JEDC staffers.

A more important point of my resume to sit on this new Authority is possibly my 40+ years experience in planning and visioning in the State of Florida, throughout the US, and offshore. Over 30 of those years have been as a resident, practitioner of planning, and close observer of this town of ours. I hope to act as an unofficial Planning Historian of sorts for the DIA...to remind the members, our elected officials, and the public, of the paths, and deals, and smoke and mirrors, and dead-ends, and success stories we've pursued in this town for more than three decades. Hopefully a clear view of our past will help us short-circuit the likelihood of repeating mistakes.

But in the end, the likely best shot at my being rated a "good" DIA member is the fact that I have, in five previous appointments under three different Mayors, presided-over more than 2000 public hearings, workshops, and brainstorming sessions and I have always placed emphasis on the rational process, fairness to opposing viewpoints and a willingness to be a good listener.

As in any new endeavor, we shall see.

Mike, in your opinion, what are the main issues holding downtown jacksonville back?

thelakelander

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Re: Mike Saylor Appointed to the Downtown Investment Authority
« Reply #6 on: January 08, 2013, 09:55:57 AM »
Quote
A more important point of my resume to sit on this new Authority is possibly my 40+ years experience in planning and visioning in the State of Florida, throughout the US, and offshore. Over 30 of those years have been as a resident, practitioner of planning, and close observer of this town of ours. I hope to act as an unofficial Planning Historian of sorts for the DIA...to remind the members, our elected officials, and the public, of the paths, and deals, and smoke and mirrors, and dead-ends, and success stories we've pursued in this town for more than three decades. Hopefully a clear view of our past will help us short-circuit the likelihood of repeating mistakes.

Great point! Congrats, xplanner.
"A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” - Muhammad Ali

tufsu1

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Re: Mike Saylor Appointed to the Downtown Investment Authority
« Reply #7 on: January 08, 2013, 10:35:14 AM »
Quote
A more important point of my resume to sit on this new Authority is possibly my 40+ years experience in planning and visioning in the State of Florida, throughout the US, and offshore. Over 30 of those years have been as a resident, practitioner of planning, and close observer of this town of ours. I hope to act as an unofficial Planning Historian of sorts for the DIA...to remind the members, our elected officials, and the public, of the paths, and deals, and smoke and mirrors, and dead-ends, and success stories we've pursued in this town for more than three decades. Hopefully a clear view of our past will help us short-circuit the likelihood of repeating mistakes.

Great point! Congrats, xplanner.


I agree...congrats xplanner (Mike)!

xplanner

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Re: Mike Saylor Appointed to the Downtown Investment Authority
« Reply #8 on: January 08, 2013, 10:47:22 AM »
Appreciate the support. Actually I have been, as a good listener should, reading these Forum postings all along.

I don't want to try to impose a personal agenda through a public trust, but my last go-round at this Downtown big-idea thing wasn't, frankly, big enough, and I have felt badly about that ever since. Time to correct that.

The canvas is pretty big and pretty empty. We need to do a lot of things. I have always touted myself as an "infrastructure guy" and right now I am on a steep learning curve on the issue of Gigabit infrastructure as a tool for economic development (or not). Jury is out yet in Kansas City and elsewhere (I think I like the New Zealand model), but I plan to become an expert in that topic. On the first look it seems like something Downtown should already be deeply into, leveraging more private bandwidth capacity off the huge data demands created by government, FSCJ, and the close-in medical facilities.

Walkability and other non-automobile circulation are key to making density work and we need density. At the same time it would be a shot in the arm to have something (fun, desirable, attractive, DAILY destinations) to walk and circulate to and from. Like I said, we have a big and largely empty canvas, but there are very positive elements that need to be leveraged to make the infill happen. I'm supercharged about this appointment.

tufsu1

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Re: Mike Saylor Appointed to the Downtown Investment Authority
« Reply #9 on: January 08, 2013, 10:53:27 AM »
One of those "big ideas" that I think got a bad rap was the idea of reducing traffic lanes on the Main Street bridge....there's plenty of extra capacity on the Acosta to handle the diversion, so it seems entirely reasonable to me that the bridge could be reduced to 2 lanes with the extra space made available for transit and/or bikes

CityLife

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Re: Mike Saylor Appointed to the Downtown Investment Authority
« Reply #10 on: January 08, 2013, 11:28:57 AM »
Congrats Mike and thanks for taking the time to come chat here. Being a former Planning Director with experience working with the Mayor's Office, City Council, and JEDC, how do you see the DIA working with the Mayor's Office, City Council, Planning Department, Office of Economic Development, and DVI? What will you be looking for in a Director?

xplanner

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Re: Mike Saylor Appointed to the Downtown Investment Authority
« Reply #11 on: January 08, 2013, 12:57:10 PM »
Wow. Really good questions. And I will continue to share and elaborate on this Forum as I get further into my understanding of the process of building this new entity, virtually from scratch. I will admit, at this moment I'm behind the power curve.

Consolidated government, and particularly so in this town, is tough to "get your arms around"until you are literally into the thick of day to day governance. In college, I researched and wrote a thesis (1970) on Jacksonville's Consolidated Government. Coincidentally, I ended up here in 1977. There was a bit of a gap between the concept of Consolidated Government and the reality. If you really want to understand it all...run for office. Great learning experience. Better than Grad-school.

I have a little bit of a head start, given my previous roles in local government, but the DIA is already underway with several important initiatives that will result in City Council delegating much of their authority over Downtown redevelopment to the DIA itself. I see DIA as a moderator, even mediator, in the tricky business of building consensus, but remember, the DIA is going to wind up with project implementation and fiscal responsibilities too. Effective two-way communication and cooperation with Council, Office of the Mayor, Planning, OED, DVI, and all the other urban stakeholders is a mandate or the whole org-chart collapses. I think I'm pretty good at that stuff.

The Council and DIA have already established their qualifications guidelines for a CEO. I hope that I will be involved in the CEO search and interviews. Having seen and heard a thousand or more slick presentations on projects, and programs, and initiatives by out of town prospects, I will be looking for substance in this CEO. A resume of brick and mortar proof of the visioning and management capacities we are about to put out as an advert in the marketplace.

You will hear more from me as it all develops. Assuming of course, that I get confirmed. As Yogi used to say, "it ain't over 'til it's over".

Debbie Thompson

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Re: Mike Saylor Appointed to the Downtown Investment Authority
« Reply #12 on: January 08, 2013, 08:59:03 PM »
Hire Ennis

Noone

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Re: Mike Saylor Appointed to the Downtown Investment Authority
« Reply #13 on: January 09, 2013, 04:58:08 AM »
Appreciate the support. Actually I have been, as a good listener should, reading these Forum postings all along.



The canvas is pretty big and pretty empty. We need to do a lot of things.

I love Metro Jacksonville.
Mike saw you last night at city council. My first thought Shipyards III
Between you, Bailey and Mayor Brown this community, region, and state has to believe that the Historic Promised 680' Downtown Public Pier will now happen.

Instead of mitigating a salt marsh we can mitigate an historic building. LMAO (Inside joke) Mike, I'm picturing you cracking a smile.

Ben Warner JCCI, we definitely need to kayak Downtown before 2025.