A.G. Gancarski
The good news for Alvin Brown and Ken Jefferson: Turnout at the Beaches Watch forum on Thursday night was light. It was significantly down from 2011, said people who were at both events with perhaps 100 in an auditorium that could hold many times that number.
The bad news? Neither Democrat spoke to Beaches issues with a great deal of specificity. Given that the Beaches communities constitute a Republican stronghold, there may not be much damage done bu it, but it was not a good night for Duval Democrats.
The first sign of trouble: Before the event, Curry partisans said that the Brown camp had stipulated that not only would the two men not appear on the same stage at the same time, they actually wanted Curry out of the room when the mayor spoke.
Unlike with the sheriff candidates, who did appear on stage at the same time without any apparent damage to the time-space continuum, the mayoral candidates had separate sections of the program.
The mayor’s section was first, and it hearkened back to his shakier public appearances of the 2011 campaign. Of course, those in attendance knew he was an incumbent, but he didn’t sound like one when he talked, applying “one-size-fits-all” campaign rhetoric to a forum that required actual local specifics.
There is no open bar at the Fletcher High School auditorium. Had there been one and someone took a shot every time Brown mentioned “36,000 new jobs,” that person would have been in an alcoholic coma before Curry took the mike.
The opening statement was familiar from previous speeches and forums. From the “promises made, promises kept” litany, to the mayor’s repeated statements that he said he wouldn’t raise taxes and didn’t raise taxes in four years, Brown seemed not in control of his messaging as he recited his talking points. Throats were cleared throughout the cavernous hall as his cadence sped up, through recitations of the virtues of the Mayor’s Mentors and Learn to Earn … programs that do not resonate particularly in the beach communities.
When asked what he would do in the next four years for the Beaches, the Mayor’s remarks, again, could have been delivered anywhere in the city. He pledged to “continue to focus on jobs,” and when asked why he failed to respond to the Beaches Watch questionnaire, he said, “I believe in communication; you can never communicate too much.”
He was similarly vague on the subject of county/beach relations. “It’s important to have a proactive relationship,” he said, adding that he would commit to meeting with Beaches leaders once quarterly.
Asked about the revenue shortfall facing the city budget, which has vexed Council members and the Jax Chamber alike, he again returned to “36,000 new jobs,” saying, “Jacksonville is doing extremely well,” a faux pas considering the Beaches communities prize their individual identities.
He addressed the issue of Mayport without many policy specifics, with tentative phrasings such as “Mayport is a special place. It has a strong military presence. And a fishing presence.” From there, the Brown mentioned the high military population in Jacksonville, and then veered the discussion away from Beach infrastructural issues to having a two-star admiral in a cabinet position.
His closing remarks were a mix of stump speech tropes. He reminded voters that he’s worked with “Republicans, Democrats, and Independents,” kept his promises, created “36,000 new jobs,” that “downtown is humming,” that “education is improving.”
Then, the big finish: “I’m gonna do everything I can to take Jacksonville to the next level,” he said, adding that he wanted to “thank God for blessing me to be mayor of Jacksonville.” He turned up the wattage at the end, then quickly left the building via an aisle on the side.
Republican Councilman Bill Gulliford, re-elected without opposition in March, said observed he “didn’t pick up much in the way of specifics on the Beaches” from Brown. Gulliford pointed out that he could have brought up the work being done on the Mayport CRA, of which Gulliford “almost believed he wasn’t aware.”
Gulliford said Brown’s communication with Beaches elected officials has been a “little inadequate.” Most dealings he has with the Administration on those issues, he said, is on the staff level.
Though the Brown’s performance was the big story, three other candidates spoke as well.
Lenny Curry mentioned Beaches mayors by name, reiterating recent claims that the “Beaches cities are undervalued, underappreciated, and ignored.” He pledged, if elected, to review interlocal agreements, and said he was “committed to the cities out here” to “making sure they thrive and flourish.” Part of that, for Curry, would be building relationships with local leaders and following their leads about specific needs.
Meanwhile, the sheriff candidates had an actual debate. Mike Williams got the better of Ken Jefferson, as the questions required an attention to specific detail that played to Williams’ strengths.
When discussing the budget process, Jefferson seemed carried away by his own rhetoric regarding budget negotiation, saying he would “go to City Council and the mayor to get resources. Whatever hand is dealt to me is how I’ll handle it. If that’s not enough, we’ll go back for more.”
When the candidates were asked how the JSO could further assist Beaches police departments during times of peak tourism, their answers were revealing.
“I’m one of those people who come to the Beach, but I don’t commit crime,” Jefferson said. “Just because you’re on the other side of the ditch, you’re not forgotten by JSO.”
Williams, conversely, advocated a data-driven approach, saying that “leveraging technology” allows for effective resource allocation. It’s an approach already used by JSO, he adsaid, that has “example after example of us supporting one of Jacksonville’s great neighborhoods.”
Williams was clinically specific on the subject of hurricane evacuations, speaking a Joe Friday style combination of detail and passion on the “complex command,” zone-driven approach for evacuation when a “catastrophic hurricane” is imminent. “The Beaches has its own complex,” he said, advocating a localized response to such a potential disaster.
Jefferson’s response to that? “I’m so glad he broke it down for y’all because I can say ditto” was the part that stood out.
Williams was similarly detailed on the subject of integrating report management systems between the Beaches and Jacksonville proper, which again comes down to effectively aggregating and capitalizing on data.
“If we all can be on the same page, we can do things proactively… connect the dots and be more efficient in preventing crime,” he said.
As the two men debate, Williams seems to be learning how to effectively counter Jefferson’s unparalleled grasp of the emotional appeal. In response to Jefferson’s poetic descriptions in closing, such as a description of the “veil of violence over the city of Jacksonville,” Williams introduced his remarks with the phrase “beyond the theatrics.” That suggests the Republican will counter Jefferson’s approach in future forums with a “just the facts” approach that likely will play well with Republican voters.
The Democrats will have better nights. But this was a Republican crowd, and a Republican victory in presentation and substance.
