A.G. Gancarski
On Twitter on Monday, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry tweeted out a question that qualifies as real talk.
“If today were the last day of your life, would you want to be doing what you’re doing?”
Curry devotes himself to affirmatively answering that question as much as anyone in Jacksonville politics in recent memory. His joie de vivre is the quality that people first notice about him. A mayor willing to talk to people in Hemming Park after a midday run in 100 degree heat is a rarity; he clearly loves life, in a way that confounds the dwindling number of his critics.
Curry said during his inauguration that love can transform Jacksonville. Some accepted that at face value.
Others demanded that MLC show and prove.
He is silencing the doubters.
On Tuesday, Curry and Williama hosted a group of young men from the ages of 14 to 26, under the aegis of Operation Save Our Sons, brought to the mayor’s office by Bishop John Guns. As they walked into the Mayor’s Office Tuesday afternoon, Curry called out to the group that he saw some familiar faces.
He and Sheriff Mike Williams both, fully committed to the One City One Jacksonville theme, proved it yet again on Tuesday, in a closed door meeting with a group of men with one clear goal in mind: forging a connection, communicating.
Showing love.
Guns told Curry, via Twitter, that his “message of love is resonating with these young men” and that this was a “historic moment.”
Media was not allowed in the room; however, I exchanged messages with Guns on Tuesday evening, and he was gracious enough to provide insight as to what went on in the conference room between the politicians and the men he brought with him.
“It was a moment in time as our Mayor and our Sheriff bridged the gap between AA young men and the wider community. Today we witnessed One City, One Jacksonville. Grateful and excited about our future as a city,” Guns wrote.
The most striking moment?
“One of the young men, 26 years old, a lifelong [Jacksonville] resident says when he was asked to come to the meeting he had to ask for the address because he had NEVER Been there and didn’t know where it was. Eye opening moment.”
Jacksonville wrestles with profound challenges, and people can and will fall through the cracks. However, the bet that Guns is making, and has gotten city officials to buy into, is that everyone in public life has a responsibility to reach out a hand and be a role model, especially for those who haven’t had the blessing of positive role models in their formative years.
Remarkably, Curry and Williams, whose decision to have a joint inauguration flew largely below the radar, have managed to embody the inspirational rhetoric of their inauguration theme. In doing so, they have transcended party label and side of town, working toward unity in meaningful ways. If they are able to continue this momentum for the next few years, their re-elections will be practically assured.
