Mincy Pollock doubles down on criticism of Tommy Hazouri

We’ve written before about Mincy Pollock calling out his opponent in the At Large City Council Group 3 race, Tommy Hazouri, for not voting to change the name of Nathan B. Forrest High School in 2008 when Hazouri was on the Duval County School Board. Hazouri has not wanted to address that controversy and Pollock does not want to let it go, if a press release yesterday is any indication.

Claiming that Hazouri’s “silence on the School Board vote angers members of the black community,” the release quotes two prominent blacks who take umbrage at the former Jacksonville mayor’s position.

“Frankly, it’s appalling and it’s a slap in the face to the black community in Jacksonville.” said the Rev. Anthony Beeks, pastor at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church and assistant secretary of the Baptist Ministers Conference of Duval and Adjacent Counties.

Orian Benjamin Reddick, a local civil rights activist, said, “I learned living in the South that white men who wore sheets and had titles like Grand Wizard were part of the KKK. Hazouri grew up in Jacksonville and knew this also. To tell me different and then refuse to comment on the issue is a bigger slap in the face than voting to keep the name.”

Hazouri is not commenting on the issue. With many major endorsements in the bag, ranging from those of the Jax Chamber to U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, the candidate is opting to let his mailers do the talking ahead of the March 24 election.

The campaign between Pollock and Hazouri, two Democrats, has been surprisingly contentious. Pollock has referred to Hazouri as his “grandma’s favorite mayor.” Some say that the bad blood stems from Hazouri adherents advising Pollock to drop his candidacy once Hazouri decided to announce. The two Democrats face Republican Geoff Youngblood, and unless one gets a majority of votes, the top two vote-getters will face off in a runoff.