by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
Though he was a rookie on the City Council, Kevin Hyde decided to run for vice president in November. Within days he had written endorsements from nearly all of his colleagues.
“I just figured that being from the newer group I could help bring consensus to the Council,” he said. “The main thing, really, is that everyone here deserves to be heard. Everyone should be able to express their point of view.
“I’ve said it many times before, but the Council is more than a single view point.”
Hyde took office last week, and he’s ready to get to work.
“There are a lot of things I want to accomplish this year,” he said. “And I’m confident we’re all up to the challenge.”
An attorney specializing in labor and employment disputes, Hyde said much of his energy will be focused on work force development.
“Jacksonville has a lot to offer in terms of business opportunities, so we can encourage businesses to relocate here,” he said. “But at the end of the day we have to be sure we can supply these businesses with a qualified work force, an educated work force.”
Hyde acknowledged existing training programs, but said the City may need to examine its role in helping develop or possibly fund more.
“There is some good being done, but there may other courses we can implement,” he said.
Illiteracy is another concern.
“Unfortunately, Jacksonville does have a relatively high illiteracy rate,” he said. “Whether or not that directly translates to supplying a work force, it does create a damaging perception to businesses who are considering a move here.
“We need to make improvements, because we need to be known for both our resources and our human capital.”
Hyde credited Mayor John Peyton’s early literacy program and other initiatives such as the permitting task force as steps in the right direction.
“These kinds of things may sound simple on paper, but they do a lot of good,” he said. “We can make similar improvements to our public transportation routes.
“The segment of our work force that is attracted to a particular kind of job needs access to them. That’s the kind of improvement that helps everyone.”
And while not based on entirely new concepts, Hyde said his vision for Jacksonville may be reaching a boiling point.
“It’s taken a while for us to get to here because we’ve had to get past missing the forest for the trees,” he said. “Again, it goes back to making small improvements. We’re at the stage where we can stand back and examine what we have to do without having to reinvent the entire system from the ground up.
“I think that’s a major factor.”
Hyde said downtown may also be close to reaching a crossroads.
“We’ve done so much downtown and now we have to decide what we want it to be,” he said. “It’s always going to be a focal point. This is our center and we have to make the most of it.
“I look at other cities like Louisville, Ky. who have identified their resources and have made the most of them. They have a body of water much like the St. Johns River and have used that to make their downtown an attractive place to be without destroying it.
“That impresses me.”
Hyde said downtown likely won’t be a 24-hour corridor for “a long time,” but the potential is there.
“It could be,” he said. “As the services, retail and residential, develop it becomes a more realistic goal. It’s a slow process.”
A slow process, but one worth pursuing, he said.
“I realize that it takes more than a year or two, but there are so many opportunities available to Jacksonville,” said Hyde. “It’s our our responsibility to identify them and make the most of them.
“I’ll do my best to make sure we do.”