by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
The City’s lobbying voice in Tallahassee has changed. Mayor’s Office Policy Chief Adam Hollingsworth confirmed this week that longtime federal and state affairs director Brad Thoburn would no longer be headed to the capitol for the two-month legislative session.
Hollingsworth said Paul Crawford, Mayor John Peyton’s City Council liaison, is in the process of assuming those duties.
“Yes, we have restructured our lobbying efforts and that is the most significant change,” Hollingsworth said, adding that Thoburn would still be assigned to federal issues and that Crawford would keep his role with the Council. “We believe Paul to be an effective lobbyist and we wanted to apply his skill sets to Tallahassee.”
In doing so, Hollingsworth said Thoburn would be able to focus more closely on the front end of local policy issues including transportation and growth management.
“Over time, Brad has developed an expertise on developing policy and also on those Jacksonville key issues,” he said. “The Mayor had asked for a stronger focus on that and bringing Brad into the policy fold in this manner is a move in the right direction.”
Prior to the addition of Thoburn, that fold already included Hollingsworth, Crawford and Peyton Policy Directors Lisa Rowe, Kerri Stewart and Kevin Holzendorf.
Thoburn said he welcomed the opportunity to “help set policy as needed.”
“This is a good move for both Paul and me,” said Thoburn. “We’ll be able to further develop ourselves professionally while working to better the city.”
And while still aiding in Crawford’s Tallahassee transition, Thoburn and Hollingsworth said he should quickly be able to work independently.
“There is obviously a learning curve to take into account, but most of the key work has already been accomplished in that transition,” said Hollingsworth. “Paul has proven to be an effective lobbyist, so to speak, with the Council and working in Tallahassee will be a healthy and natural extension of his abilities as a problem solver and as a communicator.”
Hollingsworth said having a strong policy team in place would allow Crawford, who has already filed to be a regsitered lobbyist with the Secretary of State’s Commission on Ethics, to be in Tallahassee as needed.
“This reorganization has allowed us to put the strongest possible team in place,” Hollingsworth said. “And it is simply a matching of skill sets.”