by David Chapman
Staff Writer
One vote.
That’s what Democratic mayoral candidate Alvin Brown received in a straw poll from members of the Southside Business Men’s Club following a Feb. 2 mayoral debate featuring Republican candidate Mike Hogan and then-candidates Audrey Moran and Rick Mullaney.
Brown was unable to attend that event. Hogan received 15 votes, coming in third.
Brown visited the club Wednesday and introduced himself in-depth to the members of the business club while laying out his vision for Jacksonville.
The meeting originally was intended to be a debate moderated by Financial News & Daily Record Publisher Jim Bailey, but Hogan was unable to attend.
Campaign spokeswoman Erin Isaac said the club invited him to another meeting. The club reported that it invited Hogan for May 4.
“We are currently working to rearrange some things so Mike can attend,” said Isaac.
Brown had the floor Wednesday to attempt to improve upon the single vote cast in February.
“The key is getting out and explaining my message to everyone,” said Brown, “so we can unite this city.”
Brown told more than 70 members of the organization of his plans to “get Jacksonville back to work” and create jobs, balance the budget and improve both education and public safety.
On the job front, he focused much of his time on port development and his desire to create public-private partnerships.
He said he wants to work with members of the Duval Delegation and state and federal officials to lay out a plan to assist in acquiring funds needed to deepen the channel of the St. Johns River to accommodate post-Panamax ships.
The port plan would generate 35,000 jobs and Brown said he would become the port’s “chief marketing officer” to ensure political leaders understood its importance to the area.
As for how he would fund such a project on the local level, Brown said taxes and fee increases were off the table.
“Alvin Brown won’t raise your taxes, won’t raise your fees,” he said.
As for plans to revitalize Downtown, Brown said the neighborhood “will be one of the jewels of his administration” and voiced support for a Downtown Development Authority to help leverage its assets to grow and attract business in a holistic manner.
Such an authority, he said, would be similar to the one pushed by the Jacksonville Civic Council and advocated by Moran during her campaign, although Brown said it would need to be set up to be effective and efficient and to yield a return on investment without hurting taxpayers.
“A Downtown Development Authority is key to ensuring we have a vibrant Downtown,” he said.
Asked a hypothetical question regarding the Jacksonville Jaguars and seeing an empty skybox at EverBank Field, Brown said he considers an unleased corporate suite to be a loss of money and opportunity.
He said he would work with the Jaguars organization to “keep them here” by reaching out to local business and he spoke of the team’s importance to the community.
Brown said after the meeting that he would continue to meet with such groups, whether they were supportive or not, to spread his message leading up to the May 17 general election.
“Just keep getting out there,” he said.
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