by Fred Seely
Editorial Director
City Council President Lad Daniels has yet another reason why we need to have a successful Super Bowl.
“It will rid us of the last vestiges of being a redneck South Georgia town,” he said Tuesday. “And not just the perception of others; us, too.
“Look at Texas cities like Houston and Dallas. They think they can do anything they want, any time they want. Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.
”We’re not at the ‘damn the torpedoes’ stage yet. The Super Bowl success will do it.”
Daniels, speaking to the Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee, said the February 2005 game will bring a new attitude to the area.
“People like you [the Chamber committee] have a can-do attitude,” he said, “but Joe Six-Pack hasn’t gotten it yet. He doesn’t realize that his job competition is in Shanghai, not Palatka. When people see what the Super Bowl brings, they’ll see where we can go.”
In a 40-minute visit, Daniels touched on a number of subjects:
• In his inaugural address, he said he hoped the City would bid for the 2024 Olympic Games and said he had done nothing about it. ‘The Super Bowl is the first step, so there’s no reason to start now,” he said. “When we do a good job, that will get attention to Jacksonville’s abilities.”
• He’s an admirer of Mayor John Peyton and his administration. “He’s a good listener, he has a good platform, he’s very focused on what he wants to do, he doesn’t stand on ceremony and he has a game plan that’s going to take us to the next level.”
• The convention center needs to be doubled in size, but not before an anchor hotel is in place. “We need to be careful not to become excited about becoming a tourist market,” he said. “The economy here is not going to be like Orlando’s. We are not going to be driven on tourism and conventions.”
• He’s not a fan of public/private partnerships unless the government has solid assurances. “From what I’ve seen about the partnerships, the public side does its job and the private side doesn’t.”
• But, he thinks private business must be encouraged to get into areas previously reserved for government. “Take the charter schools, for instance,” he said. “Most of them are in strip shopping centers. We should encourage developers to build and operate schools in a better atmosphere.”
• He doubts that more incentives for downtown housing are needed. “We needed about as much as we’ve done to get downtown going on the road to being a 24/7 place. Downtown is about to take a life of its own.”
• He says he continually learns about life as a politician. “You can talk to people about all the great things you want but, at the end of the day, someone asks you about a pothole,” he said. “I was speaking with a group of very intellectual Catholic priests and you know what I was asked? About an overpass.”