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Staff ReportsNovember 16, 2018

A cottage industry among Northeast Florida political observers this year has revolved around the same question it did in 2015, 2016, and 2017. Did Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry go too far? In 2015, he capsized a popular Mayor. In 2016, he stumped for President Donald Trump and got pension reform through (which ticked off the […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 2, 2018

Months back, a code enforcement issue became global news, when a city of Jacksonville employee cited a local business for flying military flags. Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry overruled his employee. “Let them fly,” he tweeted. And so they did at the business. And now those flags will fly, permanently, at City Hall, after a ceremonial raising […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 20, 2018

A familiar face is assuming the helm of Jacksonville’s Downtown Investment Authority, if only in a transitional role. https://twitter.com/GoMeteoric/status/1042541797824712705 Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry‘s chief of staff Brian Hughes will assume the interim CEO role, while pulling double duty as chief of staff until a new permanent DIA head is found. Though many members of the community saw a […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 20, 2018

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry made another late-game endorsement in a statewide race Monday, backing Rep. Baxter Troutman for Agriculture Commissioner. This endorsement indicates the value of relationships. Curry’s chief of staff Brian Hughes had been running the Troutman campaign before Hughes took a city job. Now, the operation is run by another Jacksonville op, Carlo Fassi. The timing of the endorsement’s […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 9, 2018

State Rep. Baxter Troutman, in a competitive three-way race for Agriculture Commissioner, picked up a straw poll win at a meeting of the Jacksonville Young Republicans Monday — and scored five local endorsements while in town. Worth noting: all five endorsers were at the straw poll event, where Troutman and opponent Sen. Denise Grimsley both spoke. Troutman […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 29, 2018

Aaron-Bowman-and-Scott-Wilson-will-lead-the-Council-starting-July-1..jpg

Mayor Lenny Curry‘s man — Councilman Aaron Bowman — will run the City Council for the next year, presumably with the same no-nonsense efficiency he demonstrated running Mayport. Curry is on board with Bowman’s plans. Good stuff From @AaronAbowman. Goal and plan focused. https://t.co/SQzZOtQifT — Lenny Curry (@lennycurry) June 29, 2018 As well, one of the best-received […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 23, 2018

Two weeks ago, the Jacksonville City Council passed a resolution at the request of School Board member Ashley Smith-Juarez backing up its position that a change in state concordance testing changes would lower the city’s graduation rate. Per WJCT, the new rules would raise minimum standardized test scores needed for graduation, but Mayor Lenny Curry objected to the […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 5, 2018

On Wednesday’s episode of First Coast Connect on Jacksonville’s WJCT-FM, Jacksonville City Council President Anna Brosche charged that her meetings were being followed and that someone in city government was snooping on the computer of her Council assistant. Citing a “trust issue,” Brosche mentioned that she was “not allowed to have meetings with department heads without clearing […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 3, 2018

Media was not allowed in the meeting room where JEA linemen met with Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry Tuesday. Yet all reports from the meeting (at least, thus far) were that it was positive for both the utility workers and the Mayor. Curry Chief of Staff Brian Hughes noted that the mayor’s “meeting with JEA linemen this morning was […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 26, 2018

Via 2018-133, Jacksonville City Council President Anna Brosche seeks to establish a task force to look at transparency in local government. The bill will be on Tuesday’s Council agenda. “The Task Force on Open Government” will “undertake an in-depth review of Jacksonville’s legislative process and the methods by which the public accesses government” and “make recommendations for […]

Tag: Brian Hughes

Jacksonville Bold for 11.16.18 — A very good year.

Flag flap dispatched: Jacksonville raises military flags across from City Hall

Former Jacksonville mayors see no issue with Brian Hughes helming DIA

Lenny Curry backs Baxter Troutman for Ag Commissioner

Five Jacksonville City Councilmen back Baxter Troutman for Ag Commissioner

Subtext the story at Jacksonville City Council leadership installation

Concordance discord: Lenny Curry pilloried for not signing education resolution

‘Twisted political game’: Cybersnooping, surveillance charges roil Jacksonville City Hall

JEA linemen, Lenny Curry discuss ‘future of JEA’

‘Open government task force’ bill to be introduced to Jacksonville City Council Tuesday