A.G. Gancarski
All politics is local. Except for the Jacksonville mayoral race, in which the Florida Democratic Party has taken a lead in messaging since the First Election in March and the subsequent “amicable” departure of Deputy Campaign Manager Fabien Levy, a Louisiana operative who handled most of the media outreach up until that point.
These days, Campaign Manager Isaiah Nelson features in some of the quotes. As well, Joshua Karp from the Florida Democratic Party is handling a great deal of the messaging these days, and he and Max Steele are the points of contact for a searing email from the Florida Dems that rehearses memes for the inevitable attack ads, titled “Boss Curry in Hiding? Mayoral Candidate Hasn’t Held a Public Event in 2 Weeks.”
“Why is Party Boss Curry hiding from the people of Jacksonville? It’s been two weeks since Boss Curry’s last public appearance, and a pattern has emerged. Curry skipped out on his job on Jacksonville’s Housing Commission, resigned after failing to show up for his State Boxing Commission appointment, and walked away from his role as party chair. That’s not leadership — that’s a record of laziness and failure,” Florida Democratic Party spokesman Steele said.
“A mayor doesn’t get to walk away when times are tough, and its clear Lenny Curry simply isn’t up for the job. Jacksonville deserves better than a partisan party hack who cannot be bothered to show up for work,” Steele said.
Unsurprisingly, the Curry camp disputes the claims. I spoke with Brian Hughes on Tuesday and his criticism of the email was pointed: He called it the “height of hypocrisy.”
“While Democrat Alvin Brown is inventing law to avoid the press, he and Allison Tant are allowing attack dogs to write delusional statements,” Hughes said.
“Lenny Curry does voter events every single day,” Hughes said. “Yesterday alone he had a 1 1/2 hour meeting with elected officials out at the beaches.”
The picture of that meeting, as well as documentary evidence of Curry’s other public appearances in recent days, including the sojourn to One Spark where Curry talked with Jack Welch, is on the Lenny Curry for Mayor Facebook page.
Hughes said, “Both the local housing commission and boxing commission at the state level have been addressed by The Florida Times-Union” already.
“Both were volunteer positions that he was asked to be part of” by elected officials, Hughes said. His participation was limited by the fact that “his business required attention” during the most recent economic downturn, as did his two children of preschool age.
“John Peyton sought him for reappointment to the housing commission, even though his job and family requirements” were heavier than Curry expected. Curry resigned both positions when he became chairman of the Republican Party of Florida.
Regarding that role, Hughes said, “Lenny left the state Republican Party stronger than it had been in years. He positioned the party for the re-election of the governor and the Cabinet, strengthened the legislative majority, and put resources in place for unprecedented growth.”
The dispatch from the Florida Democratic Party strikes Hughes as “the height of hypocrisy, given that Alvin Brown is inventing reasons to hide from the press and the public.”
The runoff election between Alvin Brown and Lenny Curry is May 19. Can the back and forth between the campaigns get more pyrotechnic in the next 41 days? Jacksonville voters will find out.
