• JEDC executive director Kirk Wendland says he isn’t rushing his decision on who will become his deputy director. Wendland said about a month ago that he hoped to have his No. 2 in place by October to help him sort through hires for the commission’s 31 vacancies. Spokesperson Jean Moyer said Wendland was just “taking his time making sure he hires the right people.” Moyer said the unexpected crush of applications wasn’t a factor. She said a recruiting firm partnering with the City on the hires received over 1,000 applications from more than 800 different people for the openings.
• St. Vincent’s Health System opened the doors Monday for its new Family Medical Center in Riverside.
• The Main Street Bridge remained closed Tuesday. The Florida Department of Transportation says the bridge may reopen by noon today.
• One of our local political races has turned nasty. Neptune Beach mayor Dick Brown and Neptune Beach City Council members have united to support Eric Pardee for the vacant Council seat. The rather unusual move is an attempt to keep former Council member Bob Shimp, who recently entered the race, from winning the seat. Many are still upset about some of Shimp’s actions during his previous term, which included a taxpayer-funded trip to Germany to study sewer systems. Shimp reportedly never provided a written or verbal report to the Council about what he learned on the trip.
• Another new face in the mayor’s office: Kevin J. Holzendorf has been named policy director.
• Mayor John Peyton could have a chance to turn the tables on T-U columnist Ron Littlepage. Peyton’s been invited to roast Littlepage at a Nov. 3 event at the Omni. Peyton initially declined, citing an earlier commitment, but the Roast and Toast, hosted by The Florida Public Relations Association, has been rescheduled to the November date, meaning that Littlepage may yet taste the sting of Peyton’s wit.
• The City has reached an agreement Oct. 8 on a labor contract with the International Association of Firefighters. The previous deal expired in
September. The new contract runs through
Sept. 30, 2005.
• The mayor’s Parks and Recreation task force will consider outsourcing security at its parks. No, they’re not going to send the parks abroad, the committee will look into hiring a private security staff instead of asking for more police officers assigned to parks detail. The task force’s chairman told a City Council committee last week that safety had to be improved if the City expected people to use parks in large numbers.
• Reminder: the Jacksonville Urban League’s Equal Opportunity Luncheon is scheduled for noon Oct. 27 at the Adam’s Mark Hotel.