A.G. Gancarski
One of the more interesting results of the 2011 Jacksonville City Council elections: Matt Schellenberg beating Jack Webb.
Schellenberg, in his second term, is pushing legislation for a referendum to extend consecutive terms for Council members, constitutional officers, and the mayor to three terms.
This would, as the bill now stands, allow Schellenberg to stand for re-election.
Webb told FloridaPolitics.com on Monday to “tell Matt that if his bill passes, I’m running against him.”
On Tuesday morning, we did just that.
Schellenberg didn’t take the bait.
“Every citizen has the right to run against [a sitting Councilman] at any time,” because the voters deserve “the best possible people” in office.
“Everyone has the right to run.”
Schellenberg, who has not decided whether he would run again should the opportunity arise, noted that “people always have the right to vote people out.”
The subtext of Schellenberg’s comments: Five years ago, Mandarin made that decision regarding Webb.
The question, ultimately, would be whether the voters of Mandarin would want to reverse that decision three years hence.
Notable: Schellenberg is now locked in a struggle for the Council vice president role, the track to the Council presidency.
Webb has already had that role.
