A.G. Gancarski
Fireworks emerged in Tuesday’s meeting of the Jacksonville City Council Rules Committee when Councilman Tommy Hazouri stood in opposition to the appointment of Kirk Wendland as Economic Development Officer during what otherwise was an uncontroversial group of appointments.
Hazouri has not been thrilled with Mayor Lenny Curry‘s approach to composition of independent boards, yet this particular matter had a different genesis.
Hazouri put Curry’s Economic Development Officer appointee Kirk Wendland on blast for his part in a previous Shipyards development attempt, for “losing $40 million” and not demonstrating accountability.
“It was very disconcerting to me,” Hazouri said, who observed that $40 million would have put a dent into the pension obligation.
Wendland, prompted by Chairman Matt Schellenberg, responded that the money was allocated per the development agreement. “I will stand by what the Delaney administration said at the time … the developer breached the contract,” Wendland said, who added that the office of General Counsel “enforced the contract to its fullest extent.”
“The project didn’t turn out how any of us wanted,” said Wendland. The goal: a “viable mixed-use development.”
The lawsuit has been settled, and there is $13 million in a fund for environmental remediation.
Hazouri was not mollified: “I don’t know how you can stand by losing $40 million … for you to stand by it is disappointing to me.”
Hazouri added that losing that money is “unfathomable” and if he had lost it, he’d be “excommunicated” from government.
Hazouri voted against the Wendland appointment, which was approved 6-1.
Hazouri said before the vote that “I changed my mind” when it came to supporting Wendland’s appointment.
After the meeting adjourned, Florida Politics asked Hazouri what the deal-breaker was.
Hazouri pointed out that he gave Wendland the “benefit of the doubt at the beginning,” but was troubled by the lack of “ownership” and “accountability” in Wendland’s remarks.
The councilman went on to describe the Auditor General’s report on what happened as “devastating,” and said effectively that Wendland standing by what happened meant that Hazouri couldn’t stand by him.
