Some question if Mayor Alvin Brown can take the lead on heavy political lifts

[Tacachale]

Interesting take from the Times-Union:

Some question if Mayor Alvin Brown can take the lead on heavy political lifts

Applause rolled through the council chambers at Jacksonville City Hall when Mayor Alvin Brown vowed the time had come to tackle comprehensive pension reform “in a fair and sustainable way.”

“Jacksonville cannot follow the path of Stockton, Calif. and Harrisburg, Pa.,” Brown said in his July 2012 budget address, citing two cities that declared bankruptcy. “Jacksonville will not be part of America’s failures.”

Eighteen months later, Brown heads into a crucial phase of his term as he faces twin challenges that will be heavy political lifts — achieving pension reform and reviving development in the Northbank core of downtown.

Both will come with financial costs, though how much remains unclear.

On pension reform, Brown faces skeptics who question whether he can take the lead in getting it across the finish line.

http://members.jacksonville.com/news/metro/2014-01-25/story/some-question-if-mayor-alvin-brown-can-take-lead-heavy-political-lifts

[BoldBoyOfTheSouth]

Jacksonville won't become Stockton, California.

A bankruptcy judge will say that Jax is under taxed by comparison to other comparable major Florida cities & cities throughout the south.

Jax also has massive amounts of assets that could be sold.

Jax is a growing city.

A bankruptcy judge would through Jacksonville out of court if we tried to file for bankruptcy just to screw our firefighters out of their pensions.

[BoldBoyOfTheSouth]

Mayor Brown is a weak willed mayor.

Nobody truly believes he has what it takes to lead.

[JHAT76]

Mayor Brown is a weak willed mayor.

Nobody truly believes he has what it takes to lead.

I get the feeling that it is less of him being weak willed and more of him having no work ethic nor any real plan of his own.  Just floating through his time in office. 

[Tacachale]

Ouch. Not a great weekend for the mayor.

Brown, Gulliford set stage for major showdown

...

 In City Hall, the plot is thickening for what promises to be epic battles, not of wrestling and ratings, but of politics and policy.

The stars are political rivals Mayor Alvin Brown and City Council President Bill Gulliford, who squared off against each other in previous match ups.

The new clashes will be a continuation of the confrontations that began in the summer when newly crowned council President Gulliford dumped both Brown's budget and his pension reform proposal.

To set the stage for the latest battle, Gulliford filed legislation to extend the city's 6-cent gas tax, which is opposed by the mayor.

And last week, Brown's proposal to take $40 million a year more from the JEA for 14 years to help fix the city's pension crisis was quickly body slammed by Gulliford as an attempt by the mayor to "create magic out of thin air."

Gulliford taunted Brown by referring to his idea as "voodoo."

What happens with the gas tax and the pension crisis will have a major impact on Jacksonville's future economic development, quality of life and financial stability.

It's been a long time since a council president and the mayor have openly been at such obvious and public odds.

In the past when there were differing opinions, more often than not, discussions would be held in private and public utterances of opposition were not so blunt.

Most council presidents have worked with previous mayors to enact mutually agreed upon policy without the open bitterness.

But, Gulliford has made it clear that he isn't intimidated, nor is he timid when it comes to criticizing Brown's policies or his leadership.

...

From Jim Bailey at jaxdailyrecord.com

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=541692

[Charles Hunter]

Is Gulliford's opposition to Brown's ideas spurring his run for Mayor, or is Gulliford's desire to be Mayor prompting his outspoken defiance?

[fieldafm]

I think people are craving leadership. Gulliford is not to charge forward, and certainly not afraid to say and do what he thinks is right.