Peter Schorsch
Dear Mayor Curry:
Long time no talk.
Looks like it could be a decent season for your Jags. Of course, betting on Nick Foles might be the riskiest proposition in the NFL. And the AFC South is a very competitive division.
The Jaguars kinda sorta remind me of you and your time in City Hall. Only two years ago, the Jags, like you, were on top of the world and with a bright future ahead. But that was then and this is now and both the Jags and you face an uncertain future this fall.
I won’t pretend to know what’s gonna happen to an NFL football team, just as I don’t know what’s gonna happen in your city. Despite all of the issues currently facing you, you still have the second most powerful political job in Florida. And, unlike the Jags, who have to worry about the Colts, Texans, and Titans, there’s no one on the other side of the ball who can stop you.
Still, with so many controversies raging in the Bold City (and I have the distinct feeling what’s happening now is only the start of a torrent of issues you will face), it may occur to you to switch quarterbacks, just like the Jags did when they signed Foles.
After all, consider where your city … your administration … your poll numbers … your political future were BEFORE Brian Hughes decamped to Jacksonville to become your chief of staff.
Admittedly, you parting ways with Hughes is about as likely as me playing cornerback for my Dallas Cowboys, but who knows what you will be forced to do to stop the damage being done to your administration — and your ambition to one day run for statewide office. Even if you have to bench Brian, you’d still have Tim Baker and who’s better under pressure than Baker?
However, before it gets to that point, I am writing this, not just on my behalf, but on behalf of dozens of people involved in The Process.
And they are terrified of Hughes exiting your administration.
Mind you, they’re not terrified out of any concern for you or your administration or the City of Jacksonville. No, they are petrified because if Hughes leaves Jacksonville City Hall, he might return to Tallahassee and political consulting.
I know you love Brian. And for a long time, I really enjoyed his, um, frenemyship and his generosity with his clients’ budgets. But the rest of Tallahassee (and beyond) is terrified by the prospect of his returning to town.
They remember – quite vividly – all of his screaming and yelling and belittling.
They remember his willingness to prop up candidates like Baxter Troutman and Todd Wilcox simply because they were willing to spend their own money on their long-shot candidacies.
They remember Brian’s unending machinations, like the time he thought it was a good idea if Mike Hill were House Speaker.
Tallahassee remembers all of this and so much more. There are people who work in the Capitol and along Adams Street who still suffer from post traumatic stress from the time Hughes was around.
So, please, have some consideration for those beyond your city’s borders. Suggest that Brian take a couple of weeks of vacation so he can get out of town until the heat dies down.
Do whatever you have to do so that Brian puts that chip on his shoulder on a shelf long enough that his place in City Hall is no longer in jeopardy.
As for what to do about the Jags, maybe Andrew Luck will forget where he put his helmet.
9 comments
Seber Newsome III
August 22, 2019 at 11:43 am
Mike Hill would be a great choice to be the House Speaker. I guess you dont like a Veteran and a Christian or a Black man, which is it?
Blondell Riggins
August 22, 2019 at 12:45 pm
Outside of the house speaker comment, did you disseminate anything else? Or does your ignorance take over time and time again??? Brian AND Lenny need to go, they are robbing this city blind.
Lance Ball
August 22, 2019 at 3:51 pm
No one in Tallahassee is “terrified” of Brian, more like weary of his Brooklyn antics.
The people who should be terrified are those that have depended on him for guidance. Anyone who was considered close to him is already suffering from guilt by association. There are at least two people in the administration that were passed over for private sector jobs due to their association with Brian.
One thing you did get right is that there is more coming. Whether you are at the River Club or the Governor’s Club it really is all anyone talks about anymore when they talk about Jacksonville politics.
TallyGuy
August 22, 2019 at 7:19 pm
Terrified.
No.
Amused.
Yes.
Frankie M.
August 23, 2019 at 6:14 pm
Lenny will never get rid of Hughes. Who’s gonna do his dirty work for him? You know Lenny doesn’t like getting his staff dirty. Can you see Lenny yelling at a female staffer outside of closed doors? No that’s a job for Brian.
lyn
August 24, 2019 at 10:20 am
It’s a sad place when administrators are allowed to rob the city blind. Mr. Mousa has bragged several times the City of Jacksonville is his cow to F@%k, by now his back should be out. Hughes is just a pence bully to make sure he gets his cut. Ethics doesn’t exist anymore or it’s only for the villagers to adhere to. Have you ever heard of waving ethics so someone can not only consult Lot J, but their design company J.B. Design (a company Mousa created while V.P. at J.B. Coxwell) will get the majority if not all the design work) Soliciting contracts while working isn’t new to Mr. Mousa, researcj Folio. This is sickening the greed and arrogance and sexual intercourse or should I say rape of the city coffers will bring this city down. The mayor has become a mini Trump and his administration is following the same course. It’s time for Jacksonville to WTF up! Bullies are weak, however who will stand. The I.G. and Ethics offices aren’t independent they are dependent on the administration and do what their told. The big question is where is City Council with all these violations or is it we no longer have a council for the people and the chambers have become slave quarters!
lyn
August 24, 2019 at 10:24 am
It’s a sad place when administrators are allowed to rob the city blind. Mr. Mousa has bragged several times the City of Jacksonville is his cow to F@%k, by now his back should be out. Hughes is just a pence bully to make sure he gets his cut. Ethics doesn’t exist anymore or it’s only for the villagers to adhere to. Have you ever heard of waving ethics so someone can not only consult Lot J, but their design company J.B. Design (a company Mousa created while V.P. at J.B. Coxwell) will get the majority if not all the design work) Soliciting contracts while working isn’t new to Mr. Mousa, research Folio. This is sickening the greed and arrogance and sexual intercourse or should I say rape of the city coffers will bring this city down. The mayor has become a mini Trump and his administration is following the same course. It’s time for Jacksonville to WTF up! Bullies are weak, however who will stand. The I.G. and Ethics offices aren’t independent they are dependent on the administration and do what their told. The big question is where is City Council with all these violations or is it we no longer have a council for the people and the chambers have become slave quarters!
Jennifer
August 24, 2019 at 12:49 pm
While it may have seemed like an exercise of PR savvy for Brian to conjure up this exaggerated commentary about himself, it is unavailable (and just plain laughable). The only thing people hope as far as Brian is concerned is that he finds a hobby or two to occupy the seemingly abundant luxury of free time at his disposal.
In sum: Get a life, Brian.
Jennifer
August 24, 2019 at 12:56 pm
While it may have seemed like an exercise of PR savvy for Brian to conjure up this exaggerated commentary about himself, it is unavailing (and just plain laughable). The only hope people have in Brian’s regard is that he finds a hobby or two to occupy the seemingly abundant luxury of free time at his disposal.
In sum: Get a life, Brian.
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