A.G. Gancarski
The Arlington area of Jacksonville has seen better days, and the enclave of mid-century apartment buildings on Justina Road is no exception.
That’s where Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry went on Tuesday afternoon, on one of his regular neighborhood walks in areas that have localized challenges.
“There’s a lot of people that come to my office on any given day with ideas,” said Curry, “but the best input I get is in these neighborhood walks.”
Curry chose this part of Arlington, he said, because it’s seen “decline over the years … issues in terms of income here … crime issues.”
“I want these people to know that we’re here for them. I want to hear directly from them. This is the kind of information I can take back,” Curry said, with an eye toward crafting future budgets from the mayor’s office.
“It’s the most powerful information that I get from anywhere,” said Curry about these walks.
“When I’m out talking to people at their front doors in their neighborhoods, that’s when it gets real. You get to see families, hear them say what they like, what they’re struggling with, and what I can do in my role to make their lives better.”
Curry was greeted with hugs from the young and the old, amidst a series of appraising handshakes from locals who are not used to such attention from politicians when they aren’t running for office.
Some of the interactions were heartwarming, such as the mayor talking to a grandmother, who was sitting on a bus stop bench with a puzzle book, looking like a throwback from a pre-digital era.
And then there was the series of hugs from a elementary school girl who sported a Batman crest — one of Curry’s favorite totems — on her backpack.
“I wish my own kids were this happy to see me,” the mayor exclaimed.
But it wasn’t all sunshine and bon homie for the mayor.
The downside of the struggling neighborhood was brought into relief by a young woman, a mother of three, who spoke with great specificity about the issues in the neighborhood.
“It’s crazy out here,” she told the mayor, “and getting worse all around here.”
A story was told about a futile one-woman war against street crime, which ended up making her a “target.”
“They slash my tires, key my car,” the woman said.
Police response?
“Sometimes they come,” she said, “and sometimes they don’t.”
The woman’s suggestion: a police substation in the area.
It is precisely that kind of insight Curry will consider as his team works through its third budget later this year.
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Curry was expected to be accompanied on this walk by Rep. Al Lawson, who cited a last-minute schedule conflict by way of no-showing the event.
When asked about this, Curry noted that he reached out to the congressman a couple of weeks ago, and asked him to do a neighborhood walk with him.
“A couple of hours ago I found out there was a scheduling conflict,” Curry said, “and I look forward to walking with him in the future.”
Curry had also hoped to introduce Lawson to members of the “business community,” but that hasn’t come to pass.
