• Mayor John Peyton has named Steve Diebenow, currently chief of policy and governmental affairs, chief of staff. Diebenow replaces Scott Teagle, who is leaving City government Nov. 12 to pursue opportunities in the private sector.
• More mayor’s office changes: Kerri Stewart has been named policy director. She’ll be responsible for projects associated with strategic initiatives and policy development, mayor’s office operations and will serve as a liaison to the City Council.
• The City Council’s Recreation and Community Development Committee thought the upcoming leadership trip to San Diego would be an excellent place for Jacksonville’s Parks and Recreation Department to learn from San Diego’s, one of the nation’s best. Just one problem, City Park and Rec. Chief Bob Baughnan isn’t going. Several Council members asked that Baughman be included on the trip, but the mayor’s office wants to make sure his time would be well spent. “We’re trying to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” said the mayor’s Council liaison Paul Crawford. “We don’t want to fly him out there for a two-hour meeting and have him sitting around for two days.”
• The manager at Farah’s New York Deli on the corner of Bay and Liberty streets says the store has lost about 75 percent of its business since the City started renovating Bay Street. The deli usually depends on walk-up business from the county courthouse across the street and the nearby Blackstone Building, but construction on the street and sidewalk has all but eliminated pedestrians in the area.
• The Clara White Mission will celebrate its 100th anniversary Nov. 8. Mayor John Peyton is the scheduled keynote speaker.
• The Super Bowl Host Committee is preparing 150,000 media and visitor guides. They should be printed and distributed in December.
• Florida Coastal School of Law’s Center for Strategic Governance & International Initiatives and the Environmental Law Community Action Team, as part of the 2004 Environmental Summit, are sponsoring an art contest for students from grades 6-12 and undergraduate students currently enrolled in classes. Submission deadline is Nov. 10.