by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Ann Shorstein’s resume is as varied as it is impressive.
Teacher.
Speech pathologist.
Campaign manager.
Real estate agent.
Deputy chief administrator under former Mayor Tommy Hazouri.
Attorney for Holland & Knight.
And, of course, the ever important blank date to present: professor at the Florida Coastal School of Law. About the only thing missing is serving as an elected public official and she just may fill that soon.
A few years ago, Shorstein gave serious thought to running against Ernie Mastroianni for Duval County property appraiser. Her interest received rave reviews from friends and even garnered a bit of media attention. Then reality set in; Shorstein looked at the situation closely and opted not to run for a couple of important reasons.
“I did not want to run against Ernie and running against an incumbent is not a wise idea,” said Shorstein, wife of State Attorney Harry Shorstein, who has been mentioned as a possible Democratic candidate for mayor. “I’m a Democrat and that’s not too good in this town.”
In May 2003, neither of Shorstein’s causes for apprehension in 1999 will exist. Mastroianni will be a term limit victim, meaning no Ernie and no incumbent. Those factors alone have Shorstein once again considering the position, but other elements have clouded the picture.
“I’m still thinking about it, but there are a couple reasons I might not,” she said. “One, if my spouse runs for mayor, I won’t run. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays he says he might. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays he says he definitely will not. On Sundays, we don’t talk about it.
“Two, I really like what I’m doing right now.”
Like her husband, Shorstein is an attorney. Unlike her husband, Shorstein’s path to the legal world was a little different. She graduated from the University of Florida twice, but 32 years apart. In 1963, Shorstein received her undergraduate degree. Thirty years later, she decided to go to law school.
“I went to law school at 50 something,” said Shorstein. “I’ve had six to eight different professions. I’m on the five-year plan because every five years I change jobs. I was deputy chief administrator under Tommy Hazouri until he lost in 1991. I put out my resume, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do. My initial job was in education, but my husband said, ‘Go to law school.’ I went in 1993 and graduated in 1995.”
During that 32-year interim, Shorstein did everything from opening an art gallery — the Brandy Wine at Deerwood Center — to selling real estate for Sam Folds. Her diverse professional background combined with her professional restlessness has driven Shorstein all her life. And, it’s exactly what may provoke her to run for property appraiser.
“There’s an itch, but I’m not sure I want to scratch it,” she said. “I really like what I’m doing now. I have had a couple of people call to say they were enthusiastic about the potential of me running and that’s always nice to hear. About a year and a half a go I did take a day-long seminar associated with the Property Appraiser’s Office. I got the book and we went over the statutes.”
Politically, Shorstein isn’t afraid to take a stance on any issue. And, she openly admits that her free-thinking and speaking style has rubbed people wrong in the past. Yet, that breath of fresh political air may be exactly what Jacksonville needs, but isn’t ready for.
Take partisan politics for example. Shorstein, like her husband, is a Democrat and she understands that in Republican-heavy Jacksonville that can be a disadvantage. Whether she runs for office or not, she’d like nothing more than to see the party affiliations removed from the political equation.
“Absolutely not,” said Shorstein about whether property appraiser should be a partisan election. “Tax Collector and Supervisor of Elections shouldn’t be either. Other than City Council and mayor, I don’t think any of them should be partisan. I don’t think the public defender and state attorney should be partisan.”
Shorstein refuses to impose a deadline on entering the race and stresses that she enjoys teaching real estate law so much that it would be tough to walk away from her current job. She also recognizes that because the mayor’s race will garner so much attention, the city’s other races may be regarded as afterthoughts.
“The race for mayor is all-encompassing and all the other races are below the radar,” said Shorstein, adding that of the others, property appraiser may be the most interesting. “It’s probably the most high-profile because people view themselves as adversely affected by the decisions of that office. Ernie has done a good job and there haven’t been a lot of complaints. But, someone has to replace him.”
Logic would dictate that Shorstein would have an advantage over virtually anyone else for property appraiser, especially if no one with any name recognition enters the race. However, she begs to differ and cites public perception as being a major drawback to any potential success.
“I think I’d actually have a disadvantage because a lot of people don’t think two people from the same family should hold public office,” said Shorstein. “Too many see it as feeding from the public trough. Plus, I’m somewhat controversial, I speak my mind and some people take issue with that.”
So what does Shorstein do if she runs and loses or tires of teaching? Don’t worry, her list of jobs to add to her resume is long.
“I also want to be a bartender and some time I want to go on an archaeological dig,” she said. “I’d love to dance in a musical on Broadway. The list is unending.”