Alvin Brown: “God is in control”

One of the interesting phenomena related to the term of Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown is that he has never been below 55 percent approval ratings. That said,  according to the latest St. Pete’s Poll, he is in a dead heat with challenger Lenny Curry on Election Day. Despite the uncertainty of the outcome of today’s Jacksonville election, Mayor Brown was ebullient on Tuesday morning, talking to local reporters after he and his family voted at their Arlington precinct.

“I feel really good,” the mayor said, believing that his “positive message” has resonated with voters.

“I ran a great, positive campaign,” he added, “unlike my opponent, who was very negative.”

“God is in control,” Mayor Brown emphasized.

Brown’s remarks on Tuesday morning seemed tailored to the Faith Based Community, as exemplified when he followed up a comment about getting “four hours of sleep every night” with being “excited about the future in Jesus’ name.”

We were able to ask him about the latest poll, mentioned in the lede, that finds this race too close to call. Should he have moved left earlier in the campaign? Brown reframed the question.

“The election’s about the future,” he said, emphasizing his desire over the next four years to “build,” which includes his newfound commitment to increasing the minimum wage, to making college affordable for all, and to “equal pay for women.”

Another area in which the mayor intends to build: a recommitment to public safety, which has been a criticism from the Curry campaign. If re-elected, Mayor Brown intends to “sit down with the Sheriff Elect” on Wednesday, and intends to have weekly meetings with the new Sheriff in a second term.

Brown, who was accompanied to the polls with his family, was asked about the importance of family values, and he related that concept to his anti-crime strategy.

“Violent crime develops over a long period of time,” he said, pointing out some root causes, such as “abject poverty.”

One fix, in his eyes, is found within the religious community, as he name dropped many area churches: Evangel Temple, First Baptist Church, and 1122 among them. Though he and Curry are both men of faith, Brown has used religious rhetoric with increasing frequency throughout the runoff period of this election. Will that make a difference in the results? Jacksonville voters will find out starting at 7:00 p.m.