History often repeats, and there are often parallels between the news of today and 50 years ago. Here are some of the top news stories of this week in 1967 compiled from the Jacksonville Public Library’s periodical archives by Associate Editor Max Marbut.
Disagreement over electing or appointing the sheriff
The proposed consolidated government in Jacksonville and Duval County would have an appointed, instead of an elected, chief law enforcement officer if the opinion of the International Association of Chiefs of Police carried any weight.
Quinn Tamm, executive director of the group, said the group was “unequivocally opposed to an elected police chief at any level of government.”
The Duval County Legislative Delegation was preparing the consolidation plan, scheduled to be put on the ballot in a July 11 referendum.
The delegation was in favor of making the sheriff an elected official, believing it would make merging city and county governments more acceptable to voters.
“The chief executive position in a law enforcement agency should be based on merit and professional competence,” Tamm wrote in a letter to the study commission.
He said elected officials should make policy, as opposed to appointed executives whose duty was to carry out policy and enforce laws and ordinances.
Further, he pointed out that an appointed sheriff could be removed from office quickly if he was unfit, usually at the discretion of the appointing authority, to guard against “capricious action.”
A deal for two steak dinners
Fred Abood’s Green Derby at 576 Riverside Ave., near Roselle Street, was described as “where the elite meet to eat.”
For $7.40, you got two cocktails and two sirloin steaks along with Derby cheese mix, “Abood’s famous salad tossed at your table,” a baked potato or French fries.
The price seems like a deal, although $7.40 in 1967 is about $54 in 2017 after inflation — still a value in today’s dollars.