A full house gathered at The River Club Wednesday night to witness a debate between Frank Nero, the former Downtown Development Authority executive director, and T-U columnist Ron Littlepage. The two clashed frequently during Nero’s stay in Jacksonville, but provided a crowd of about 70 with an hour of mostly good–natured give and take.
Littlepage favored slowing down incentives until the current crop could be assessed. He said the City should focus on Duval County as a whole and not let a downtown focus take away from efforts elsewhere. Nero said a City is never done investing in development and said downtown deserves special consideration as a tax generator and an area all residents can enjoy.
The two traded a few verbal barbs with Nero questioning whether Littlepage had become more favorable of downtown development since the Times-Union put its name on the Performing Arts Center. Littlepage admitted he gave Nero a hard time in print, but said “any columnist worth his salt, would take aim at a Yankee from Jersey whose starting salary exceeded the mayors.”
The debate was sponsored by the Urban Land Institute as part of a program on redevelopment. Local architect and convention center advocate Jack Diamond moderated the one-hour debate, after he gave a 45-minute introduction.