A.G. Gancarski
On Friday, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry defended the use of uniformed law enforcement members in a political ad that has been on air for weeks.
“Cops for Curry” featured uniformed Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office members saying Curry is a “strong leader” who works together with the Sheriff and is “leading on the right priorities.”
Local Pastor R.L. Gundy said last month he filed a Hatch Act complaint, also asserting the endorsement spots violated state and local code.
When asked for comment weeks back, Curry’s campaign referred us to Jacksonville’s Office of General Counsel. OGC contended that there was no violation of municipal code.
The story has moved since then. Last week, the Jacksonville Ethics Commission asserted that using cops in ads “erodes public trust in government.”
“The Sheriff and the General Counsel validated the right of free speech for off-duty law enforcement officers,” Curry said. “I believe in free speech. I’m proud to have earned the support of law enforcement.”
“I have a record. Not every incumbent is supported by law enforcement,” Curry said. “I’m very proud to have them speaking on my behalf and setting the record straight.”
The Mayor’s public safety record has been a talking point of the campaign, with opponent Anna Brosche messaging heavily against the “Curry crime wave,” a reference to murder rates still elevated after four years of increased public safety spending.
In an ad release last month, Brosche, a Republican serving on the City Council, said Curry had “nothing to say” about violent crime, as he was more focused on disparaging her.
Law enforcement, including the police union and the Sheriff, back Curry officially and have hammered Brosche over what they see as a newfound election-eve interest in public safety.
The latest poll from the University of North Florida reveals that for the 62 percent of voters preoccupied with crime, most back Curry.
Curry was also ahead of Brosche by 38 points in a public poll of the race conducted last month.
Early voting is underway, with the election Mar. 19. Curry needs 50 percent to avoid a runoff against the second-place finisher
3 comments
Frankie M.
February 15, 2019 at 12:24 pm
Of course JSO loves him. He gives them a blank check every year. Unfortunately criminals love Lenny too.
Frankie M.
February 21, 2019 at 6:29 pm
Reminiscent of Angela Corey abusing her position to cut campaign ads. Didn’t work out too well for her. This on top of violating copyright law? Clearly Lenny is anti-crime in spirit only. He’s more worried about a statistic that only brings more attention to how out of control crime is in Jax than in actually stopping it. This proving Anna’s point that he is more concerned with her campaign than stopping the Curry crime wave. Clearly Lenny can dish it but he can’t take it.
On a side note what’s up with Gundy? I thought they were friends? Is there trouble in paradise?
Richard
March 12, 2019 at 11:08 am
Get used to it. Not long ago it would have been reprehensible on the parts of both the Officers and the Mayor to do this. And with good reason. The Police should not be part of a partisan effort. They should not “pick a side”. It’s acceptable today because as a community we’ve lowered our standards and the bar for what is and is not acceptable behavior in Law Enforcement. When I see a Cop jumping into a political contest I have to wonder what that Officer would do if he or she pulls over a car with a political bumper sticker that opposes the officers announced political views.
Mayor Curry would be called a failure in other times. He jumped into the Mayor’s race dog whitelisting incompetence on the behalf of his predecessors and he was the man to fix it. The murder rate is going up as we know but all his campaign spots in the current race feature the phrase “violent crime” in excess. The Police Officers that support him use the phrase excessively too. Everyone read the memo it seems.
You can put a million Officers on the street. And give them equipment that will let them hear guns right when they’re being fired. Unless they can beat the bullet to it’s target and deflect it another person dies and the Cop’s do what they always do. Investigate. The Police are not the tool to stop violent crime. They clean up the mess. Education ( always cut to increase police budgets ) is the way out. As we’ve seen increasing police presence doesn’t lead to a reduction in murder. How could it? Ill bet there’s been an increase in seat belt tickets and the number of offices skulking out at the bottom of bridges with radar guns though. Until we end out love affair with authority ( something our Founders detested ) we’ll keep cutting teachers, adding Cops and going nowhere.
As I said, Mayor Currey has the rhetoric down. Tough talk. And he’s sure to be reelected but by any objective measure he failed in his signature promise. His campaign is also one of the most disgustingly negative ones I’ve seen in near 70 years.
Comments are closed.