Phil Ammann
It’s not over yet. Before Jacksonville knows who its next mayor will be, residents must got to the polls once again. This time voters will decide a May 19 runoff between incumbent Alvin Brown and challenger Lenny Curry.
Brown, the first Democrat elected to the office since Ed Austin in 1991, took a 5-point lead in Tuesday’s election over former Republican Party of Florida Chair Curry, 43 to 38 percent, according to the Duval County Supervisor of elections website. The runoff is necessary because neither received a majority.
Jacksonville City Councilman Bill Bishop, another Republican, came in third with 17 percent, while Omega Allen, running with no party affiliation, took 2 percent. With 190 of the 199 precincts reporting, 175,267 votes were cast, a 32 percent turnout.
Prevailing issues in the race were the city budget and crime.
“Mayor Brown submitted a budget to that council that had more spending than revenue,” Curry said at a March 12 candidate forum.
“If he were serious about not raising taxes,” Curry said, “the budget would have added up.”
Curry also touched on the number of law enforcement officers taken off the streets by Sheriff John Rutherford, who said the cuts were necessary because of Brown’s budget.
Brown countered that he’s proud of his administration’s work and that he fulfilled the campaign promises that won him the 2011 mayoral race as a long-shot candidate. He also vows to make the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office a priority in his next term.
In addition to Jacksonville mayor, sheriff, and other city leaders were decided.
