A.G. Gancarski
In the ever-evolving saga of “How many debates will incumbent Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown agree to?,” the Mayor seems to be borrowing a line from Meatloaf and saying “two out of three ain’t bad.”
That doesn’t sit well with Action News Jax, which invited the Mayor to the first proposed Mayoral debate, on May 6, only to find themselves summarily rejected by the Brown campaign. And it doesn’t sit well with Lenny Curry, who wants the third debate, and an ambitious schedule of Town Hall forums in each Council district.
However, unlike in the case of WJXT-TV‘s invitation, which was “incorrectly declined,” the Mayor and his team aren’t budging when it comes to a third debate.
Action News Jax’s Paige Kelton, one of the most credible figures in Jacksonville journalism, wonders why, as she told me in a phone conversation on Monday afternoon.
“We’re really surprised that the Mayor won’t accept our debate offer. Why shut us out? Why exclude us from this important public service? Perhaps because we’re more aggressive,” Kelton speculated, “or because we hold him accountable” on serious policy issues like the Liberty Street collapse, which Action News covered more aggressively than the other outlets.
“This weekend they reconsidered Channel 4’s offer but not ours,” added Kelton, who vowed that if the Mayor does not reconsider, Lenny Curry will get the entire hour to himself, in the first debate slot that most Jacksonville voters will see.
“In terms of providing public service, the Mayor’s refusal to debate on our station is not a good thing,” Kelton added.
Action News Jax is not the only outlet turning up the heat on Mayor Brown. The Lenny Curry campaign today released a letter from Curry to Brown signed by Curry himself, in which he called for an ambitious schedule of public appearances that would allow Jacksonville voters to make informed decisions about the two Mayoral candidates.
Curry’s letter credits Brown for accepting the WJXT offer, but notes that the Incumbent has yet to accept the Action News Jax invite.
“While two debates is certainly better than the one debate you first indicated agreement for, I think there is still too much at stake for Jacksonville’s future to limit the amount of interaction we will have together before the voters,” Curry wrote.
Reminding Brown that in 2011, he said that “voters should see [the candidates] side-by-side as many times as possible to contrast our different visions for leading Jacksonville” and that “[S]urely no appearance is more important than giving voters the chance to see us debate issues,” Curry proposed adding “a series of town hall meetings, one for each Jacksonville City Council district, from next week until the end of the campaign.”
“For 60 to 90 minutes, 3 times per week, you and I would be available not simply on television, but in a community-based venue open to the public. Being in each region would allow us to have discussions not only about the vision for the entire city, but localized consideration of special challenges facing unique areas of Jacksonville.”
Curry is ready to work with Brown’s team to begin planning these events ASAP to “serve the people of our city through an unprecedented exchange of ideas in their own communities.”
The Brown team stated its rationale for avoiding a robust schedule of debates with Curry last Friday.
Brown Campaign Manager Isaiah Nelson asserted that debates were “opportunities” for “false partisan accusations.”
“Of course Party Boss Lenny Curry wants more opportunities to spread his false partisan accusations about Mayor Brown. Mayor Brown is proud of his record of keeping his promises to Jacksonville and his vision for moving the city forward. When all is said and done, Mayor Brown will have shared his views with voters at numerous debates, community events, and forums,” Nelson said.
Right now, “numerous debates” equal just two in the runoff, as well as two before the First Election (as the Brown campaign reminded me Monday afternoon). Action News Jax will have more on this issue in its 6:00 newscast. And we will keep people apprised on what is a continually developing story.
