A.G. Gancarski
Message to Mayor Alvin Brown: When dealing with veterans, you always want to be prompt.
There was grousing in the crowd of about two dozen veterans who showed up for an endorsement at the Maritime Heritage Center at the Jacksonville Landing when the mayor was a couple of minutes late.
“Got to get out of here pretty damn quick,” rasped one vet. “Got my meter running; I’m serious.”
“It’s about to get rowdy,” said a female veteran.
That’s how it is when you “get some veterans together” and have them stand for a few minutes behind an empty lectern, waiting.
Soon enough, though, the mayor made his way into the room, and the business of political endorsements began in front of a smattering of reporters from First Coast News, the Florida Times-Union, the Daily Record, and of course, yours truly.
The first speaker, Tracy B. Raulerson, was an Aviation ordnanceman in the Navy and she spoke of Brown as “one of the strongest mayors for veterans” with a “commitment to veterans that is real,” including hiring two-star Adm. Vic Guillory in the Military and Veterans Affairs Office (which he elevated to a cabinet-level position) to “build a connection” between the city and its veterans — especially female veterans, whom Mayor Brown points out have comprised an increasing amount of America’s post-9/11 fighting forces.
“Over the last four years, Mayor Brown has shown his passion for Jacksonville’s veterans community by connecting more veterans with employment and social services, raising awareness about veterans needs, and making veterans a top priority in his Administration,” Raulerson said. “He’s also given special recognition to women veterans for the unique challenges they face in the military.”
Continuing on the theme, the second speaker, retired Navy Adm. Patricia Wolfe, who extolled the mayor’s ability to “bring different stakeholders together” and “integrate veterans and active duty service members into the greater Jacksonville community.” The city’s efforts have been nationally recognized, she said, for “best practices” in bridging the concerns of the military and civilian spheres.
“As a veteran and former military leader I am proud to support Mayor Brown for re-election,” Wolfe said. “Mayor Brown has been a superb leader for our veteran community in Jacksonville over the past four years. He has done an outstanding job at integrating military families and veterans into the greater Jacksonville community and his leadership on issues important to service members, veterans, and their families has made Jacksonville a great place for us to call home.
Brown then took the mike.
“I made a commitment from day one to put veterans first,” he said. “I want Jacksonville to be a great city for veterans.
“My goal is to make sure every veteran has a job to put food on the table and take care of their family. They love America and they love Jacksonville.”
Brown’s administration has dealt with such under-reported veteran’s issues as homelessness and suicide prevention — real public policy issues in the wake of the Afghanistan and Iraq campaigns.
If re-elected, the mayor hopes to “continue to make sure we build on the progress made” addressing the “challenges veterans face” in Jacksonville, which he described as a “strong military city.”
The mayor also sees tangible benefit in military personnel retiring here, noting that “skilled work force” has helped to attract G.E. and other companies in relocation bids. He mentioned that more than 250 companies support his initiatives to ensure a smooth transition between the service and civilian life.
“I’m very proud of the work we’ve done,” he said, “but there’s still work to do.”
