Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiAugust 17, 2015

The Jacksonville City Council special ad hoc committee on Neighborhood Improvement and Community Enhancement discussed, as did Finance earlier on Monday, 2015-322, which Chief of Staff Kerri Stewart called a “three-year strategy” for fund allocation for affordable housing programs. Councilman John Crescimbeni asked Stewart interesting questions about Mayor Lenny Curry being on the Housing Commission, noting a “lot […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 30, 2015

Internal emails from the Lenny Curry administration spotlight a TIGER grant application from the Jacksonville Transportation Authority. The email, forwarded from Mike Hightower of Holland & Knight to Chief of Staff Kerri Stewart, shows both the purpose of the grant application, and the lobbying strategy that will be employed. The $15.24 million grant application is a “request for a bike, pedestrian […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 30, 2015

As Jacksonville’s City Council wrestles with Mayor Lenny Curry’s first budget, most of what the mayor wants is clear. However, one question I’ve heard from people both in and outside the St. James Building regards more specifics about the Jacksonville Journey budget. The proposed budget is almost $5.1 million, up from a little more than $2 […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 27, 2015

Every weekday morning, I have a tradition. I look into the soulful eyes of President Richard Nixon and Vice President Spiro Agnew as I decide what to have for breakfast. No, it’s not because I have a Nixon/Agnew fetish; that’s beside the point. It’s more because I like to eat breakfast on the cheap and convenient to Jacksonville’s […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 16, 2015

A topic of interest among reporters covering the Lenny Curry administration has been its commitment to transparency in its early stages. Speaking Thursday with one of the most plugged-in reporters in recent Jacksonville history at city hall, he remarked upon the transparency he saw regarding the budget draft, distributed to media so they could get a […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 10, 2015

The man who chaired the Duval GOP to resounding electoral success in the just concluded campaign will be an integral part of the Lenny Curry administration. The Jacksonville mayor announced on Friday that he has appointed Robin Lumb as his Director of Policy at a salary of $92K per annum. Lumb – a former At-Large Jacksonville City […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 30, 2015

As we reported on Monday, Denise Lee will be serving in the Lenny Curry administration as Director of Blight Initiatives. After her Blight Committee meeting as part of the Curry transition operation at Jacksonville University, we were able to sit her down for an interview, in which she talked about working with Chief Administrative Officer Sam Mousa, about where […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 30, 2015

As regular readers of this site know, we have been in attendance for a number of the Lenny Curry Transition Committee meetings at Jacksonville University. Tuesday’s meeting of the Operations, Human Resources, and Productivity Committee is the third we’ve covered involving this group. This is the first, however, after Committee Chair Kerri Stewart was picked as Chief […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 29, 2015

One veteran Democratic city council member endorsed Lenny Curry. The other one vilified Alvin Brown‘s ads accusing Curry of wanting to “turn back the clock” as “race-baiting.” They were together on the council. Now Johnny Gaffney and Denise Lee will be together on Curry’s staff. Gaffney was appointed as the mayor’s liaison to Boards and Commissions and Lee was […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 29, 2015

The second Lenny Curry transition committee of Monday morning discussed budget and finance. One big change in the offing looks to be structural, in terms of reporting. The first major discussion involved the mayor’s cabinet. In previous administrations prior to Mayor Alvin Brown, only the Chief Administrative Officer and the Chief of Staff reported directly to […]

Tag: Kerri Stewart

Jax NICE Committee mulls housing, “junk cars”

JTA applying for $15.24M TIGER Grant

Questions remain about Jacksonville Journey budget

Chamblin’s Uptown remains a Jacksonville original

Lenny Curry administration emphasizes its commitment to transparency

Robin Lumb appointed COJ policy director

Denise Lee talks blight and her new administration role

Kerri Stewart discusses new role as Jax chief of staff

Lenny Curry appoints Kerri Stewart chief of staff, Denise Lee, Johnny Gaffney to staff jobs

Lenny Curry Operations transition committee discusses budget and finance