by Bailey White
Staff Writer
Two Democrats and a Republican are challenging incumbent and current City Council vice president Lad Daniels for the At-large, Group 3 seat.
Cathy Chadeayne-Goldman
Cathy Chadeayne-Goldman said she was raised not to complain if she saw a problem.
“I was raised to get in there and fix it,” she said.
Chadeayne-Goldman spent 17 years in the State Attorney’s Office, serving as a paralegal investigator, a victim’s rights coordinator and a specialist in juvenile justice.
“I’m passionate about putting our kids and families on the front burner,” she said. “I saw so much that I didn’t see being addressed by the local government. I’ve been a community activist for 20 years, but this is my way of bumping it up to the next level.”
Currently the executive director for the Kesler Mentoring Connection, Chadeayne-Goldman said that since July, the program has placed over 840 new mentors into the school system.
“Other people talk about what they’re doing for education, but I’ve been doing it,” she said. “Those one-to-one mentors have such a great impact and it’s a very effective and inexpensive way for businesses to get involved in the school system.”
She also plans to help children who don’t plan on going to college find apprenticeships and jobs in the trade unions and technology fields.
And she’ll be a voice for the environment if elected.
“I don’t like to see trees cut down to erect billboards,” she said. “We need to do more long-term planning for the environment.”
Regarding her competition: “In my race there are three men and one woman. May the best woman win.”
Lad Daniels
Council vice president Lad Daniels is seeking a second term because of unfinished business.
“I really want to complete the work that I started,” he said. “When I was elected in 1999, I had the idea that I would serve for eight years.”
In the past four years, Daniels, also the president of the First Coast Manufacturer’s Association, said he has focused on economic development and wants to continue that work.
“I feel like I have been able to look at bigger issues, particularly financial issues that will be facing the city in the future,” he said. “In our community, we have an income disparity problem. Compared to the national average, our per capita wage hasn’t grown as much as other cities that we compete against. We need to make sure we have prepared our work force to accept higher paying jobs.”
He also sees a need to improve education.
“I will continue to work to develop programs to increase the educational and skill levels of our existing workers,” he said.
In four years, Daniels would like to see Jacksonville receive more international recognition.
“Certainly, I think the Super Bowl will help put us there and so will our focus on the military,” he said. “I want us to become more recognized as an international trading center, using our port to its potential.”
“I feel like I’ve served the city well,” Daniels added, “and I’d like to be able to continue to serve for an additional four years. We’re a blessed community in that our quality of life is unsurpassed and we want to keep it that way.”
Leslie Hardy
Leslie Hardy said his decision to run for Council is simple.
“I want to advocate for all the citizens of Jacksonville,” he said.
Through his work as co-director of the AIDS Care and Education Program of Lutheran Social Services and his work on local human rights groups, Hardy has been doing just that for eight years.
“I’ve served on the Mayor’s Disability Council and the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission and I’ve been able to fight in the areas of better housing and access,” said Hardy. “The people I was representing began telling me they felt disconnected and said they felt they would get the representation they needed if I ran.”
Hardy said his work can affect the entire community.
“There is not enough affordable housing and there is a large group of the population that needs it,” he said.
Originally from Ohio, Hardy has lived in Jacksonville since 1991. He was prompted to run for office because his hectic schedule has lightened.
“I have been taking night courses and will graduate with a bachelor’s [degree] in business administration in May and my two terms with the Human Rights Commission are coming to an end, so I’ll have more time to devote to the issues.”
His vision for the city includes affordable housing and more jobs.
“I see a downtown that is thriving, I see communities in the Westside and the Northside with self-sustaining and affordable housing and I see improvement in our employment base,” said Hardy, adding that his campaign slogan says it all: “You get more with Les.”
Ernie Perez
Ernie Perez said his love for serving the community and for democracy inspired him to run for Council.
“Since I got my citizenship in 1987, I have not missed a single vote,” said the Philippines native. “I truly want to participate in the democratic process.”
The director of finance at the Jacksonville Urban League, Perez said being involved in the Council’s budgetary process will be a natural for him.
“The City Council has the responsibility of approving the mayor’s budget every year,” he said. “I want to make sure our tax dollars are being allocated to quality of life services for the people of the community.”
Also on Perez’s platform is economic development.
“Jacksonville needs to make sure companies are coming here and can provide us with good jobs and wages,” said Perez. “And we need to train our working people, because if they are not equipped with skills and knowledge, then no matter what we do, it won’t help.”
Perez added that education was something that needed to be addressed to improve the economy.
“We can develop programs supporting the district, helping them get ready for the work place,” he said. “There’s no such thing as economic development without education.”
He will also encourage affordable housing for the community.
As for his decision to run against an incumbent, Perez said he didn’t hesitate.
“Someone like me who truly wants to help the community isn’t deterred by an incumbent,” he said. “Regardless of who’s in the race, I believe I am the right and qualified candidate for the position.”