A.G. Gancarski
In Jacksonville politics, the mood in recent months has been the Era of Good Feeling. The budget process went as smoothly as could be hoped during the Finance Committee meetings of August. A lot of positive momentum was in play. As the board removals and replacements have mounted in Jacksonville’s independent commissions and boards in recent weeks, there have been those who have questioned the One City One Jacksonville concept.
They say what’s in play is politics. Meanwhile, those familiar with administration thinking note that these independent boards and commissions need to align with the administration’s priorities and vision. Time is a finite resource, and the Lenny Curry administration recognizes that there is a limited time in which a policy vision is implemented.
Four years in Jacksonville’s City Hall is a short time. Even eight, depending on who you ask.
With this in mind, it’s instructive to look at the situation presented by Lisa King, a Planning Commission member who is slated to be replaced by legislation introduced by the Curry administration, yet who is complicating matters by refusing to tender the requested resignation.
Florida Politics obtained a letter from King to Mayor Curry telling him, “I respectfully decline to resign from the Planning Commission.”
“I am convinced that the unprecedented appointment of four new members simultaneously will slow the work of the Commission to a degree that it will negatively impact the development pipeline and job creation in our City. I know that streamlining government operations is of major concern to you as it is to me,” King writes, before noting that her work has been used by his administration already.
“When I presented ideas to speed the work of the Planning Commission to your Transition Committee they were adopted into your final report. Today’s action seems to be in direct conflict with your stated goals and objectives,” King wrote.
Well, King’s not going quietly; she is showing up at the Planning Commission meeting at noon today, when she may be nominated to run for Vice Chair. Another prominent Democrat who was asked to resign but who will show nonetheless: Joey McKinnon, an activist Democrat with a strong history in the local party.
“I’m happy to have had the chance to serve my city during the brief few months that I have been a Planning Commissioner and the opportunity to bring to the Planning Commission a needed dynamic through my professional experience in the environmental consulting industry and with land use issues as a Professional Geologist. I didn’t actually get the request from the Mayor’s office for my resignation,” McKinnon told me Wednesday evening.
“I didn’t actually get the request from the Mayor’s office for my resignation until after 5pm today (9/16/2015) and over a day after my fellow Commissioners, so this has come as a bit of a surprise and it requires some time to consider,” McKinnon continued.
“The discussion with the Mayor’s office indicated that they are looking for new vision ‘fresh faces’—having been on the Planning Commission for barely four months, I’d say my face is pretty fresh,” McKinnon quipped.
McKinnon seeks a dialogue with Mayor Curry; describing himself as “pro-business” and devoted to “compact development that makes sense,” he notes that he was voted Commissioner of the Year this year by his colleagues in the Keep Jacksonville Beautiful Commission.
It’s unmistakable that politics play a role in these moves. Are they R & D politics or are they something deeper? Does it come down to larger vision for the city? Philosophical bent? Personal comfort level? These are questions for whom most observers have subjective answers.
King’s stance, in theory, gives Council latitude to flex its muscles as a “policy making body.” Perhaps it’s coincidental that a few Council members, during committee meetings, have either said “One City, One Jacksonville” a bit sharply or mangled the phrase. Perhaps, though, there are a few people on Council who might want to throw a brushback pitch, for reasons of principle or reasons of expedience, at the administration.
And if you’re going to do that, why not force the question with someone like King, who was a moderate, Chamber-approved Democrat who wasn’t yoked at the hip with the Alvin Brown administration, one who has a proven record of understanding of city government and the grant process?
Lots of smart people don’t see Council has having the wherewithal to buck Curry on this issue. But those closest to the process seem the most confident that drama could actually ensue. They speculate that most Democrats will stand by her, with maybe one or two outliers with their own agendas. And that some Republicans may assert Council prerogative as well. It may end up being a matter of who most effectively whips votes.
Another issue worth mentioning: there are rumors afoot, stemming from a recent Tourism Development Council meeting where the members appointed by Council overruled the Council members themselves on a certain issue. Word is that Council may value the prerogative to make changes when necessary also.
So, beyond the Republican Versus Democrat debate, what has emerged is a power struggle between the Legislative and Executive branches, and elected officials and appointed boards. And there are those who say Jacksonville politics are boring.
Obscured in all this drama, meanwhile, the unassailable appointments of Abel Harding and Ben Davis to the Planning Commission. If the story weren’t one of meta-politics, their appointments would merit headlines in and of themselves.
