by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
For Director of State and Federal Affairs Brad Thoburn, working with legislatures is a game of offense and defense.
Aggressive when he spots opportunities to grab funding, Thoburn said he also must be ready to react to legislation that threatens the City’s interests.
Mayor John Peyton recently re-appointed Thoburn — with a change in title — to work as liaison to Tallahassee and Washington, D.C. Thoburn said Thursday the State Legislature occupies most of his time. With only a 60-day session to work with, Thoburn said his job is equal parts preparation and quick reaction.
“Economic opportunities don’t wait for the session to come up, so you need to be ready when you have a chance to make the state a partner in development,” said Thoburn. “I try to match local priorities to State opportunities.”
In addition to the City’s ongoing commitment to growth, Thoburn will search this year’s legislative agenda, looking for State and federal help for Peyton’s early literacy campaign. Although Department of Education grants are usually the School Board’s territory, Thoburn is already searching for grants, which might contribute to the mayor’s early learning initiative.
Thoburn must be just as alert to State legislation that encroaches on local interests.
“Dealing with the State Legislature, you don’t always know what to expect; you can’t always be prepared for the things that you don’t want. On those occasions, you shift into defense mode,” he said. “That’s especially been the case the last two weeks.”
On July 14, Gov. Bush signed into law a transportation bill that effectively stripped the City of its authority to enforce local quality-of-life ordinances along state roads. Thoburn alerted Peyton a week before Bush signed, and the mayor immediately dispatched a letter to Tallahassee requesting the governor veto. Thoburn said the bill could render neighborhood noise ordinances useless against State road crews and effectively killed the City’s attempts to seek compensation for trees cut down along state roads.
Another piece of impending legislation could cost the City millions when the State takes over County Court operations July 1, 2004. Thoburn said it’s still not clear how Article 5 will effect the City, but said he would work with the State to clarify several items on the bill.
For instance, the bill requires the State be paid a $200 filing fee for any court action. At that rate, the City would lose money on attempts to recoup minor fines or lien payments. Thoburn said legislators recognized that parts of the bill would have to be reworked.
With the proper revisions, Article 5 could return $5 million a year to the City. Without them, the City could end up paying the same amount. It’s a perfect example of how much a few re-arranged words could cost, or benefit, City taxpayers.
“You have to see how they put it into action,” said Thoburn. “It’s all about how it’s implemented. It’s the difference between losing money and gaining money on a continual basis.”
On the federal side, Thoburn said he would pursue federal funds to bolster Jacksonville’s homeland security. He said “lots of money” had come available since the Sep. 11 attacks and he wanted to make sure Jacksonville was high on the priority list.