A.G. Gancarski
So who won the Jacksonville City Council leadership elections last week?
The prima facie answer: President-designate Lori Boyer and Vice President-designate John Crescimbeni.
Beyond those two obvious winners, some people’s stock went up, and some people’s went down.
The pitch Crescimbeni made to Danny Becton, one of his supporters in his 10-to-9 victory, was illustrative. To paraphrase: “Look at who’s on each team..”
Indeed, it was about teams.
It was about teams when Council President Greg Anderson and former Council President Bill Gulliford jumped party lines and backed Crescimbeni over three Republicans who were in the race.
And it was about teams when Crescimbeni couldn’t close the deal when he got to a half-dozen pledges, with many of those whose names had turned up in reporting on illicit texting between Council members and firefighters’ union head Randy Wyse.
Many of them thought Crescimbeni ratted them out to the media.
Some of them, like Tommy Hazouri and Garrett Dennis, backed Carter.
Yet the person who was most vocal about it, Katrina Brown, signed on in the end despite no-showing a pledge meeting with Crescimbeni last Tuesday morning.
And one of Brown’s close allies on Council, Reggie Gaffney, repudiated his signed pledge to support Carter to back Crescimbeni.
Lots of action has taken place over the last six months. And the winners and losers are worth recapping.
Stock Up
Current Council Leadership — A big reason Gulliford, Anderson, and Boyer signed on with Crescimbeni: continuity.
Crescimbeni doesn’t win popularity contests often, except with the kinds of citizens who are regulars at public comment who appreciate his ability to cut through the BS.
His other skill, though, is a willingness to wade into the weeds. From the Waterways Commission and the St. Johns River Ferry to the capital improvement committee, there is no policy issue too obscure for John Crescimbeni. He educates himself on them and he is more than willing to provide an intelligent soundbite or two for the press.
For another year, there will be philosophical continuity at the top of council on the major issues. This also means that after Crescimbeni, the class of 2015 will have to enter the leadership discussion in a more meaningful way.
Look for Anna Brosche to be in the leadership discussion early in 2017. And look for the old guard to support it. Brosche knows how this council does business. And she’s been smart enough to avoid hot quotes in her first 11 months in office.
Doyle Carter – In losing, Carter won.
In part, because he came so close, starting his campaign in an empty room with this reporter.
He persevered through the early days of the campaign as Crescimbeni amassed pledges, and Aaron Bowman and Matt Schellenberg represented threats.
He outlasted them both, and got their support, as well as support from many others who just seemed to trust and like Carter more than they did Crescimbeni.
Carter may not want to bother with another election for Council leadership. The 11 new council members who won last year are all going to want their bites of the apple. However, there were observers who thought when Gaffney went back on the pledge he’d signed after a public notice meeting that ran about as long as a TV commercial break, that Carter got jobbed out.
Carter is going to have to be a committee chair the next two years, as he is this year. And, it should be added, of a significant committee.
Stock Down
Reggie Gaffney – The story is that he “prayed on it” before changing his pledge. Lots of prayer going around. But not a lot of solid answers.
Why commit to a pledge and then flip, without notice to the person who counted on your vote?
Crescimbeni apparently wasn’t aware Gaffney was going to switch his vote. He didn’t have a speech ready. Because he was counting the votes, and it obviously looked like he was a vote or two short.
Carter’s comment was classic: “He doesn’t keep his word very well, does he?”
Indeed. If Gaffney’s word wasn’t good for his pledge, how can any future president trust him in a meaningful role?
Aaron Bowman – One media guy, unsolicited, said it to me like “he just keeps losing.”
Got jobbed on the HRO. Couldn’t get traction in his own VP race. Backed Carter, but couldn’t deliver votes.
Bowman, a JAXUSA VP, has been the avatar of the Jax Chamber’s presence on Council. So far, he hasn’t been positioned to win any legislative battles.
Some thought he was too brash in his first year. Too brash for running for VP in the first place. Will the second year see him find his footing?
Jax Chamber – A big part of the Crescimbeni pitch was that he wasn’t the candidate of the “firefighters or the Chamber.”
A big part of the 2015 campaign was the Chamber, via JAXBIZ, taking an active role in campaigns.
If Crescimbeni ascends to the council presidency in 2017, will that be a lost year for the Chamber?
