A.G. Gancarski
At Large Jacksonville Councilman Tommy Hazouri experienced numerous budget processes as mayor, as state legislator, and as Duval County School Board member.
However, Monday night’s budget was his first as Jacksonville City Council member.
During the floor amendments portion of the program, he scored a coup after a reconsideration. A shift of $330,779 from drainage rehabilitation funds to restore the salaries and positions of 17 Jacksonville firefighters.
And Hazouri recognized the positions of those who thought the need for drainage rehabilitation trumped his desire to ensure the financial security of firefighters potentially affected.
“Drainage and public safety are always the No. 1 issues” for a city, but $330,000 is not going to go very far when it comes to drainage projects.
During the heated debate about the efficacy of the proposal, Councilman John Crescimbeni accused Hazouri of taking a union position. That didn’t sit well with Hazouri during the meeting, and it didn’t sit particularly well with him later during an interview.
Similarly, the former Jacksonville mayor rejected Bill Gulliford‘s contention that the newer council members didn’t understand the city’s infrastructure crisis.
“I may be a new councilman,” Hazouri said, “but I know budget and infrastructure needs. There are drainage problems all over Jacksonville.” He said that although “infrastructure has been left behind for too long,” drainage rehabilitation funds were the only source of revenue.
From there, the interview pivoted to a familiar subject: the Human Rights Ordinance.
“That issue’s not going away,” said Hazouri, who stressed, “It needs to be resolved sooner than later.”
Hazouri urges Mayor Lenny Curry to “take initiative” now that the “budget is over.”
“We’re all cheering him on,” Hazouri said. “He’s got a group behind him,” including former mayors “who are willing to give him an opportunity to lead on this issue.”
If not? Hazouri’s worry is that “where Florida begins is where equality ends.”
Hazouri has no intention of waiting indefinitely for Curry to move on meaningful action on this front.
Hazouri noted Jacksonville’s outlier status. Tampa, where his friend Bob Buckhorn is mayor, passed similar legislation in 1993. Miami/Dade, Monroe County, and Orange County all have similar laws on the books.
Hazouri, who has been talking with Equality Florida and Human Rights Campaign representatives in Jacksonville, notes that “we’re not leading right now” and that “other cities are ahead.”
Hazouri notes that Buckhorn told him that there have been “no problems” as a result of protections for LGBT people on the books in Tampa.
“I want Curry to be successful,” said Hazouri, even as “we are not always going to agree on issues.”
One issue that there might be divergence on: the much ballyhooed controversy about the “scripted comments” from the JEA Board meetings.
Hazouri notes that many boards provide talking points or scripted comments for executive directors and chairmen as a way of “trying to limit the time the meeting goes on,” and that it shouldn’t be an issue as long as it’s public record.
“In many cases with boards, chair comments are generally scripted,” Hazouri said.
From there, the conversation pivoted back to future budget processes, which many speculatewill be more fractious than the one just concluded.
“We’re not going to have a catastrophic budget as in the past,” Hazouri said. “Hopefully, growth gives us the money we need to move forward.”
Of all the Democrats on council, Hazouri may be the toughest out for Curry. He’s been in the game for a half century, and has seen it all. The next 3.5 years will be ones to watch in the St. James Building, in no small part because Hazouri is the opposition party, almost literally distilled into one man. But his voice carries far and wide.
