by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
Lake Ray may have four years on the City Council, but that may not be enough to guarantee reelection. In the upcoming election, Ray faces competition from two Democrat candidates — one a former Council member and one who ran for the same seat in 1999.
John Crescimbeni
Having already served on the Council in the 1990s, John Crescimbeni says he’s more than ready to return to City Hall.
“I’m running again because I’m not happy with my representation right now,” said Crescimbeni. “I feel like the office has become too personal and political where it should, instead, be there to serve the constituents of the district, not special interest groups.”
Crescimbeni, a Jacksonville University graduate who has lived in Arlington since coming to Jacksonville in 1964, said the representative for Dist. 1 has a responsibility to remain accessible to the public when they need him. While on the Council, Crescimbeni chaired all of the major committees and never missed a regularly scheduled meeting.
“I always took the job very seriously,” he said. “I’ve taken my break and I’m ready to come back.”
While out of office, Crescimbeni remained active in the public life, spearheading a campaign to preserve trees in the area. He also runs a small business. If elected, Crescimbeni would work to maintain regularly scheduled meetings with his constituents and also to establish a citizen-run committee to manage any periodic source funding that becomes available.
“Council person and citizen dialogue is very important,” he said. “I don’t think we have enough of that now. The people of the district are voting for someone that they want to talk to, not their aide. The job doesn’t end after you get the votes.”
Terry DiPerna
Retired police officer Terry DiPerna says his 30 years of experience as a public servant not only makes him a unique candidate, it makes him the best candidate.
“I’m running for this office because I want to make a change,” said DiPerna. “I want to be accessible to the people as I have always done in my career. I know this city well and I know how it works.”
As a member of City Council, DiPerna says he would take several courses of action, encouraging the people of his district to visit him personally, if necessary.
“I’d like to explore the idea of opening a sub-office in my district where the public can come for more information or to talk to me when they need to,” said DiPerna. “They shouldn’t have to come all the way downtown and have to worry about finding parking. Being accessible is very important.”
DiPerna, a Democrat who moved to Jacksonville nearly 50 years ago, has lived in his district ever since. In addition to his time at the Sheriff’s Office, DiPerna also served in the Army Reserves in the 1970s. He is currently a certified bailiff in the Duval County Courthouse, where he has worked for three years.
Though he has only campaigned once before (for the Dist. 1 seat in 1999), DiPerna already has big plans if he wins an office at City Hall.
“Some of the issues that I’m really concerned about are living wages, safety in our schools and the easing of traffic,” said DiPerna. “I have made that known since I first decided to run over a year ago. If you look at what the mayoral candidates are talking about now, it’s easy to see that we definitely have common goals for our city. I think that’s wonderful.”
Lake Ray
As the incumbent, Republican Lake Ray said he’s running again, mainly because he has plenty of unfinished business.
“I think I owe it to my constituents to provide a sense of continuity,” said Ray. “There are several projects that I have started while in office and I am still very excited about.”
Both on a smaller and larger scale, Ray has devoted his time to improving Jacksonville. In addition to working towards the construction of a new branch library and town center in Arlington, Ray has also been an advocate for the implementation of an Intelligent Transportation System, which would alleviate traffic flow throughout Jacksonville.
“We’re the only major city in this part of the country without the appropriate technology to monitor traffic patterns,” said Ray. “Essentially, ITS would create a reduction in travel times throughout the city by making sure that traffic lights are functioning properly and synchronized and also by letting people know, ahead of time, how long it will take to reach a certain destination.”
Ray, a civil engineer who has lived in Arlington for his entire life, has also been involved in community service projects, including the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board, the Exchange Club, the Greater Arlington Civic Council and the Florida Engineering Society.
“Having lived in Jacksonville for so long, I feel that I have built a very strong community connection,” said Ray. “And while campaigning for the past two months, it has been wonderful to be able to go out and renew contacts that I have made throughout my district. It has been a great honor to serve and I look forward to another four years.”