by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
As the mayoral race congests and the rumor mill begins to whirl, politics will become a major topic of discussion over the next year and a half. Mike Weinstein, Alberta Hipps, Ginger Soud and John Peyton have officially entered the race and others may soon follow.
When will former mayor Tommy Hazouri toss his hat into the ring?
If he does, will another former mayor, Jake Godbold, follow suit?
Will Sheriff Nat Glover be the one to carry the Democratic torch?
Will City Council president Matt Carlucci pull a John Delaney, laying low before announcing his candidacy when the mud settles?
Will dark horse and Council vice president Suzanne Jenkins bring her activist ways into the fray?
With that question, you finally get an answer.
“I’m running for City Council president,” said Jenkins. “That’s all I’m concerned about right now.”
Jenkins was elected to Council in 1999 and represents the Southside. Her outspoken approach may have rubbed a few wrong the last two and a half years, but her work ethic and passion have left an imprint with her constituents.
Last year, Jenkins survived opposition from Council members Elaine Brown, Warren Alvarez and Faye Rustin to secure the vice presidency. This spring she figures becoming president and succeeding Carlucci won’t be nearly as difficult. And, it will be a nice way to wrap up her first term as a City Council member.
“It’s an opportunity to lead,” said Jenkins. “I gravitate toward that. It’s part of the way I was raised. My father was in the Marines and my mom said, ‘If you are going to take the hill, at least do it gracefully.’”
As president, one of Jenkins’ charges will be to assign the other 18 Council members to one or more of the seven Council committees. Additionally, she’ll get to decide who chairs each committee, a position generally regarded as a reward for doing good work in the past and loyalty to the current president.
Jenkins says that by the time she becomes president, her three years as a Council member and year as vice president will have given her enough time to evaluate her colleagues.
“I like my colleagues and I’ve had a lot of fun,” said Jenkins. “We have some outstanding talent on the Council and I want to take that talent and put it where they can do the best for the city. That’s what interests me the most.”
While there is the distinct possibility that someone other than Jenkins could show interest in becoming president, history shows that the odds are on her side. Still, Jenkins refuses to assume she’ll get the 10 votes needed from Council in order to succeed Carlucci, but she’s pretty sure she’ll get elected.
“Yes, I do,” said Jenkins of having enough support to get at least 10 votes. “I’m not saying that I don’t have any opposition; that would be arrogant. I’m prepared.”
Jenkins added that she hasn’t heard of anyone else interested in the presidency, but she won’t discard the notion, either.
“I can’t guess who, but there is always opposition and people who think they or someone else can do a better job,” she said.
As usual, the interesting race, according to Jenkins, will be for the vice presidency. At last count, Jenkins said she understood four Council members were thinking of running for vice president.
“I have heard Lynette [Self] and Lad [Daniels] are interested. I have also heard that Reggie [Fullwood] and Jerry [Holland] were thinking about running,” said Jenkins, adding that none of them has done anything official. “When you write the letter [of intent to run], then you’ve made a commitment.”
Should Jenkins become president, she will immediately start implementing her ideas and ideals. With just a year at the pinnacle of the Council, making reasonable goals and working towards them will be her biggest priority.
“I am putting my platform together,” said Jenkins. “Some of the issues will come to the forefront soon. I want to create a partnership to go forward and help Jacksonville be a great city. I’ll focus on our international capabilities. The world is getting smaller and we have to compete globally, not just in the southeast United States.”
What about the mayor’s race, though?
“I’m running for City Council president.”
No matter how you phrase the question, the answer’s the same.