by Richard Prior
Staff Writer
The Peyton Administration has been using “six guiding principles” as “a compass” for the past six months, but, without the first one, it would have trouble finding true north for the rest.
“Some would argue that literacy might not be a worthy thing to undertake,” Peyton told his audience Tuesday. “It’s hard to measure; it’s complex.
“Our illiteracy problem in Jacksonville is a compilation of generations of neglect and despair and mismanagement.”
Peyton was the guest speaker at the Christian Legal Society and Republican National Lawyers Association luncheon at Florida Coastal School of Law.
The six principles, Peyton said, became “the benchmark” for everything he and his staff have done in managing the challenges that come with a budget that approaches $800 million.
“Education is one of those challenges we have as a community, making sure we develop a work force that is capable of learning and thinking critically and creatively,” he said.
In addition to improving the “disparate number of failing schools in Duval County,” the “greater challenge” is to provide early literacy, reaching children between 3 and 5 years old, Peyton said.
“If we’re going to be serious about this education component, we need to start very early, very aggressively, putting those basic learning tools in place,” he added.
The functional illiteracy rate in Jacksonville is 47 percent. People who fall in that category would have trouble filling out a job application without help.
Although a number of “splinter groups are doing great work,” there has been no “comprehensive plan or strategy or leader” up to now to confront the problem.
His administration, however, is developing “an ambitious, comprehensive plan” that includes parenting, day care, health care and housing.
“It’s a long-term deal,” he cautioned. “We won’t see a turnaround in a couple of months or a few years.”
The second principle is economic opportunity and job creation, which is clearly affected by the learning ability of the work force, he said.
“The way we improve Jacksonville is we try to raise per capital income,” said Peyton. “We try to reduce unemployment and try to allow people to access that American dream a little more easily than they could before.
“If the work force is not prepared, we will not be successful.”
Maintaining all areas of public safety, which takes up half of the budget, is the third principle.
Although he is certain that Jacksonville’s public safety units could respond to “a horrific event as well as any in the country,” that’s not enough.
With the development of Protect Hometown America, a software program that broadens the way information is exchanged, Peyton expects the city to become a “national model for a local solution to a national challenge.”
Peyton gave credit to University of North Florida John Delaney for leading The Preservation Project, which has resulted in “the largest park system in America,” an important component in the quality of life. It is an attribute, he said, that “helps sell this community.”
Prominent among the city’s other attributes, he said, are the symphony orchestras, museums and “friendly people.”
“Companies of the future are going to want to be located where people want to live,” said Peyton. “And Jacksonville has a phenomenal story to tell when it comes to quality of life.”
Housing is the fifth principle for Peyton, who is “a huge downtown proponent.”
He used the opportunity to put in a plug for downtown as Florida Coastal looks for a new site to accommodate its explosive growth.
“I think (the law school) would be a great, vibrant addition to our community” downtown,” said Peyton.
As a “growth management tool,” he added, it is important to have people living closer to where they work. Within the next three months, the Housing Commission should deliver a plan that shows how “we can take advantage of infill housing . . . and affordable housing.”
The last principle is managing, or streamlining, government.
“We find every day tremendous opportunities to do things better,” Peyton said. “We established a new investment policy that we think will allow us to save millions of dollars each year just in the way we manage money.”
That policy, he said, has helped realize a $3 million savings in the first quarter of the year, which puts the administration “on track” to reach its goal of saving $15 million in operations this year.