A.G. Gancarski
The race to succeed termed-out Republican Jim Love in Jacksonville City Council District 14 got more crowded Tuesday, with Democrat Jimmy Peluso entering the scrum.
Peluso, a former Naval officer, is now a reservist in the same branch.
“I will be a strong advocate for smart development that respects the unique attributes of the district, including our historic neighborhoods. I will stand by our men and women in the JSO and JFRD, who protect our streets each day, by ensuring pension security for our first responders. As a veteran, I understand the needs of servicemembers who transition from military to civilian life and I’ll make it a priority to keep these well-trained and civic-minded individuals in Jacksonville once they retire,” Peluso asserted.
“I’m in this race to win,” Peluso continued. “District 14 needs effective representation that carries on the best traditions of its prior council members. No one can successfully represent District 14 without understanding and appreciating all of its diversity. Here we have retirees, young professionals, veterans, teachers, CEOs, salaried workers, tipped workers, and everything in between. Our neighbors are multi-generational and come from different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Each of them will be looking for a council member who is aware of, and can advocate for, their needs.”
Peluso will have to make up ground against the two leading fundraisers in the race, Republican Randy DeFoor and Democrat Sunny Gettinger.
Gettinger has over $43,000 on hand. Defoor has over $91,000 on hand.
The fourth candidate in the race, Republican Earl Testy, is not a factor in terms of fundraising.
The first election in this race is in March 2019. The top two votegetters move on to the general election.
