by Bailey White
Staff Writer
Two candidates are seeking election to the Dist. 11 City Council seat. Republican Frank Hardin hopes to unseat Democratic incumbent Warren Alvarez.
Warren Alvarez
Warren Alvarez is seeking another term as the Dist. 11 Council member to finish the work he started during his first term.
“I think I’ve been effective in accomplishing what I wanted to accomplish,” said Alvarez, who spent 35 years of his life in dairy farming. “For me the job is more than a part-time thing.”
In addition to his dairy farm, Alvarez served in the Air National Guard for 31 years and has lived in the district all of his life.
His contributions during his first Council term include the purchase of hundreds of acres of land for park use and recreation. He initiated the development of four new fire stations in the district, three of which replaced older stations.
He also helped develop Jacksonville’s International Tradeport and serves as the Council’s liaison to the Jacksonville Airport Authority.
“I will continue to stress quality of life issues in Jacksonville,” said Alvarez. “These include controlled growth and quality housing.”
Alvarez said he wants to focus on the district’s infrastructure to help improve traffic flow and the drainage systems.
“It’s important to me to protect the quality of life in my district,” said Alvarez. “We’re a rural setting, but we’re growing very fast.”
He has enjoyed his time on the Council and is looking forward to serving another four years.
“I think in the next couple of years we’ll have to make a lot of decisions about our priorities,” said Alvarez of the upcoming term.
Frank Hardin
Frank Hardin, a senior code enforcement inspector for the City, is challenging Alvarez.
Originally from Oklahoma, Hardin has lived in Jacksonville for the past 14 years, “and this is where I will be from now on.”
Hardin said one of his main concerns with Dist. 11 is the need for a better drainage system.
“Right now there are a lot of open ditches that just don’t work, especially during big rain storms. There are mosquitoes everywhere,” said Hardin, a former real estate broker.
Like Alvarez, Hardin, 64, is a proponent of “smart growth.”
“I’m for as much development as we can get,” said Hardin, “as long as it’s sensible. We don’t need to pave the city from one end to the other. We don’t need to turn it into Los Angeles.
“A lot of the district is rural and we need to keep our farms,” he said. “But we also need some nice subdivisions and good development.”
Safety is another concern for Hardin.
“I want us to work on the drug problem,” said Hardin. “Crime is a problem in the 11th district and many homes have been vandalized, so we need to work on that.”
Hardin said his decision to run was prompted by the encouragement of friends and former Dist. 11 Council member Joe Forshee.
“He first suggested that I run,” said Hardin, adding that he is confident about the outcome of the race. “I think I have a good chance. I have a lot of democratic friends who are supporting me.”