A.G. Gancarski
In a move that will not strike observers of the Bill Bishop campaign apparatus as a complete surprise, Rob and Jill Storey of the RLS Group, who were among the senior leadership of the Bishop campaign, have joined the Alvin Brown campaign in consultant roles as of Monday afternoon. The Brown campaign cites this as proof of their non-partisan approach.
“I’m excited to welcome Bill Bishop’s former senior leadership to the team,” Isaiah Nelson, Brown’s Campaign Manager, said. “Their experience, talent, and love of Jacksonville will help spread the message that—together—we can make our community safer, create jobs, and strengthen our future.”
In a joint statement, the Storeys describe Brown as “more aligned with our values and philosophies on how to move Jacksonville forward” than Curry. Adding that “since Mayor Brown took office, crime is down and Jacksonville has become a hotbed of job growth,” cynics might wonder why exactly the Bishop campaign spent a year running against the incumbent Mayor.
Brown spokesman Yianni Varonis asserts that this move delinates a “difference between Alvin Brown and Lenny Curry” that “couldn’t be clearer.”
“On the same day that Mayor Brown announced that he is bringing former opponents together for a common cause—to make Jacksonville a better place to live for every citizen—Lenny is holding a partisan rally to throw jabs at anyone who isn’t a member of his political party,” Varonis said.
“We shouldn’t be surprised, though. This is the same role he played for years as chair of the Florida Republican Party. If he was mayor, Curry would be the same divisive figure, to the detriment of Jacksonville’s citizens,” Varonis added.
The Storeys’ defection to the Brown camp comes on the heels of Jesse Leigh Wilson, a former Bishop supporter, renouncing his Republican party identification and endorsing Mayor Brown last week.
UPDATE [2:00 p.m]: From the Lenny Curry campaign, spokesman Brian Hughes had this to say regarding the Storeys joining Team Brown.
“Pay to play endorsements are nothing new to Alvin’s campaign, but maybe the new out-of-state campaign managers haven’t caught up yet. They tout paid political operatives supporting the person paying them, but I also recall twelve million dollar man Toney Sleiman doing TV spots in exchange for taxpayer money going to The Landing.”
Sleiman, locals will recall, was a staunch Mike Hogan supporter in 2011, who has been an equally staunch Alvin Brown supporter as his term in office has progressed.
When asked if the Storeys would be financially compensated for their work with the Brown campaign, Yianni Varonis said that they “are in a contract with the Florida Democratic Party, who will be in kinding their services to us.”
