A.G. Gancarski
In one of the long form pieces where he truly shines as a writer, Nate Monroe had what amounts to an exit interview with outgoing Jacksonville mayor Alvin Brown in The Florida Times-Union.
As these things go, it wasn’t exactly a thorough debriefing. Mayor Brown took Monroe to the Corner Bakery in Riverside, and the memes were as pallid as the menu. “I’m working like there’s no tomorrow … I’m showing up to work every day focused like a laser,” he told Monroe.
It was a friendly article: a valediction. And there was a section that seemed to require further inquiry.
Brown’s penchant for traveling — he spent roughly a total of 3 1/2 months away from Jacksonville during his four years as mayor — has been a topic of debate, particularly during the election. Critics called Brown’s travel a “political perk,” noting he had a far more active traveling schedule than his predecessor, John Peyton.
But Brown, who argues his travels have resulted in numerous grants and other benefits, shows no signs of slowing down in his remaining weeks. He plans to fly to Washington, D.C., next week in hopes of meeting with U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx over a competitive federal grant the Jacksonville Transportation Authority is hoping to get, as well as lobbying for efforts to fund dredging JaxPort’s shipping channel.
Additionally, Brown plans to attend the U.S. Conference of Mayors for its annual meeting in San Francisco from June 19-22, about a week before his term ends. David DeCamp, his spokesman, said Brown is going to “complete his duties as a trustee and a task force chairman” for the organization.
I wanted to get more details about these trips, especially the benefit to the taxpayers, so I reached out to Chris Hand, the mayor’s chief of staff, for details.
Hand said there are tangible benefits to the mayor’s travel during his final days in office.
“He is going to Washington this month to meet with U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and other federal officials to advocate for the Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s application for a 2015 TIGER [Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery] Grant , which could result in up to $20 million for Jacksonville. He will also talk to Secretary Foxx about the need for federal funding for the JAXPORT channel deepening,” Hand said.
“Mayor Brown has been a consistent TIGER grant advocate since he took office. In 2011, he worked closely with the Jacksonville Port Authority to help JAXPORT win a $10 million TIGER grant for its Intermodal Transfer Container Facility (ICTF). He went to Washington and met with then-US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to advocate for the grant, which was awarded less than a week later,” Hand said.
“He is taking the same approach in working closely with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority on its 2015 TIGER grant application. The JTA proposal connects economically challenged neighborhoods to key education, healthcare and business centers. It works to break down transportation barriers to economic and academic success faced by residents living in targeted neighborhoods where the mayor’s administration has placed special focus on through programs as initiatives such as Renew JAX,” Hand said.
“As you know, Mayor Brown has led the way in making investments in long-neglected Jacksonville neighborhoods. Renew Jax is a major citywide initiative with public-private partnerships that will empower Jacksonville neighborhoods, improve quality of life and expand economic opportunities. This JTA TIGER grant proposal looks to build on Renew Jax,” Hand said.
Hand had a similarly detailed defense of the San Francisco trip, pointing out Brown’s “leadership roles” with the National Conference of Mayors, and citing that the relationship “had paid significant dividends for Jacksonville,” including “work on port issues through the USCM [that] was helpful to Jacksonville winning federal authorization for the channel deepening project.”
Brown’s travel schedule and frequency have, claimed his supporters, been essential to moving Jacksonville to “the Next Level.” The irony is that if Lenny Curry does not continue that kind of travel schedule, he very well may be criticized for not marketing Jacksonville aggressively enough.
