A.G. Gancarski
A media conference call on Monday afternoon with Alvin Brown, which wrapped just five hours before the second debate with Lenny Curry is slated to begin, reveals an incumbent mayor who intends to open up the playbook, by messaging simultaneously about the rewarding experiences of campaigning and governing in a bipartisan way, while drawing voters’ attention to Lenny Curry’s tenure as Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida.
Saying that the “campaign has been a trying experience, but one of the most rewarding” of his career, Brown described himself as a mayor determined to fight to give everyone a chance to succeed, who has worked with “Democrats and Republicans to deliver” on his promises, which he asserts is a reason he was endorsed by Bill Bishop.
Brown is determined to see Jacksonville become a “21st century city where everyone has a chance to succeed,” which he sees as a stark contrast to his opponent, who “hasn’t proven that he shares the same values” during his tenure as RPOF Chair, which campaign advertising has been messaging hard on in recent weeks.
“Lenny Curry is Missing In Action,” said Brown, regarding the GOP position on UF Health. “He would rather risk the well being of citizens than challenge his party.”
Brown asserts that Curry should be held to the same standards that he is, and challenged on his tenure as Party Chair. He also doubts that Curry can say that the economy is not better off than it was 4 years ago, a contention that the Curry side has and will counter by linking it into the economic boom Rick Scott brought to the state.
Mayor Brown took a few questions from reporters on the call. The first involved Curry’s recent talking point that Brown is a “nice person, but failed to lead.”
Brown responded that “facts are facts,” and the facts are that he has provided “strong leadership” in Jacksonville, he said, before going on to cite familiar talking points to support his claim.
I then asked him about the decision to message hard against Curry’s tenure as RPOF Chair in this debate, as that was an argument the campaign would make in press releases and conversations, but the Mayor has not done so explicitly up until now.
“This election is about the future,” Brown responded. “He has to be judged on his leadership role, just as I am as Mayor.”
If this attack is launched, it will represent an important rhetorical shift, establishing functional parity between the two leadership positions for purposes of comparison.
The mayor went on to say that “as chair [of the RPOF], [Curry] has been supportive of colleagues” on City Council who “slashed” the Jacksonville Journey, taking aim at a recurrent Curry talking point.
“If he had an issue [with it], he should have reached out” then. The mayor added that it was “disingenuous” for Curry to say something about the Jacksonville Journey funding cut when he hasn’t in the past.
This also represents deviation from the mayor’s tropes in the first debate, which kept coming back to there being funding for “Jacksonville Journey-like programs.”
Mayor Brown was then asked about his support of Rick Scott, which could be construed as support of the GOP concurrent with Curry’s tenure as party chair.
Brown said that he is “open and supportive of great ideas” regardless of the source, and that he is “focused on putting Jacksonville first.”
I spoke with Curry about his plans for the second debate on Monday morning; he was somewhat less detailed in exposing his playbook, saying that he would do “exactly what I’ve been doing since day one,” incorporating the lessons learned from meeting with individuals and business owners.
“What I say on front porches and at businesses is what I’ll say in the debate. There are real fundamental problems that we have to solve,” Curry added.
Reacting to the Brown plan to message strongly about Curry’s tenure as Republican Party Chairman, Brian Hughes offered this written statement.
“Lenny Curry is a Republican. He has been an activist for conservative causes and conservative candidates. As such he helped reelect Governor Rick Scott and the Republican legislature who have cut taxes, rejected Obamacare, and ensured people get back to work. But understand that Lenny is going to be a mayor for all of Jacksonville. Dangerous spikes in violent crime, $500 million of accounting errors in the city budget, and even water taxi contracts are not Democrat or Republican issues. They are challenges that require a leader who has the experience to solve them. That’s Lenny Curry.”
