Congressional candidate Bill McClure opposes Jax pension tax

It was only a matter of time until a candidate for the House of Representatives from Florida’s 4th Congressional District opposed Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry‘s key initiative this summer: getting a yes vote on the referendum to authorize an extension of the half-cent “Better Jacksonville Plan” to pay for the $2.7 billion unfunded liability on the city’s pension costs.

St. Johns County Commissioner Bill McClure is that candidate. And in expressing opposition to the pension tax, he hit the entire political class with a broadside in a press release.

“This is what politicians do — whether it is here at home in Northwest Florida or up on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. They ignore problems, refuse to make the tough decisions, spend money they do not have and then come back to taxpayers demanding more and more. It has to stop. Families and seniors can’t afford another tax increase,” said McClure.

The press release frames the effort as one of a convergence of special interests and pork: noting the tax would “fund a $2.87 billion bailout of the municipality’s massive pension debt which will benefit about 2,600 people in Jacksonville. The debacle stems from the excessive guaranteed benefit contracts negotiated by previous administrators and sheriffs in Jacksonville.

The current administration said if not passed, property taxes would have to be raised 30 percent to fund the liabilities. “

“In St. John’s County, I heard the same Chicken-Little warnings from the political elites. If we didn’t pass the sales tax increase, the sky would fall. But, the sky didn’t fall. Instead, we said no to an increase in the sales tax and got serious about implementing conservative reforms. This year, we have $3.4 million dollars in excess cash flow on a $700 million budget without cutting required services. When I was elected in 2012, we used more than $10 million of reserves to balance the budget. The results speak for themselves,” said McClure.

McClure wasn’t finished, though, offering two more paragraphs of quotes.

“Just last year, many special interests were pushing for a one-cent sales tax on our local residents and businesses in our county, which would have meant less money for their employees and higher costs of goods and services for the residents of the city. I stood up to the career politicians and special interests. I presented data showing the relationship between lower taxes and higher property tax values and cast the vote to kill the referendum that would have directly lead to a sales tax increase and resulted in a fundamental shift from Republican values. I have proved I can stop tax increases in St. John’s County and I will fight to stop them in Washington,” McClure said, before implying supporters of the referendum comprise the tax-and-spend crowd that increases government’s coffers and decreases personal freedom.

“If you support a tax increase here in Northeast Florida, then you might support a tax increase in Washington. Higher taxes mean smaller economic growth, less freedom, and fewer opportunities. For too long, politicians and special interest groups have wasted more and more of the hard-earned money of the American people and then passed the buck by raising taxes on them,” McClure concluded.

The crowded field in CD 4 includes a cornucopia of Republicans:  former Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford, Hans “Rawhide” Tanzler, state Rep. Lake Ray, perennial candidate Deborah Pueschel, McClure, and Riverside PR man Stephen Kaufman.

CD 4 includes parts of Duval and St. Johns counties, as well as Nassau.

Worth noting: Rutherford’s political team is also involved in the marketing of the “Yes for Jacksonville” initiative, to sell the pension tax referendum.