by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
Outgoing City Council President Kevin Hyde never had to cast a vote on allowing the Navy to return to Cecil Field. But when he made his opinion known, it proved decisive.
Hyde’s stand against a Navy return, outlined in a memo sent to Mayor John Peyton and fellow Council members, seemed to be the last domino to fall in the debate. Hyde’s opposition created a Council majority aligned against a military Cecil Field. Shortly after, the mayor’s office turned against the proposal.
That was the highest-profile example of the weight carried by the Council president. That weight will shift to Council Vice President Michael Corrigan June 29. Hyde said his year in the Council’s corner office has given him a greater appreciation for how a single Council member’s actions affect Jacksonville’s big picture.
“You’re in a unique position as Council president because you’re still a single member with a single vote, but the public pays more attention to what you say because of the title in front of your name,” said Hyde. “Publicly, you’re the voice of the Council.”
Hyde said he wrote the Cecil memo to get his opinion on the record before the matter appeared before Council committees. As president, Hyde doesn’t serve or vote on the committees. Hyde circulated the memo just as the Council was set to review a $50 million bond issuance that would have cleared out Cecil for the Navy.
“I think it’s part of the responsibility you have as Council president that, when you feel strongly on an issue, to get it out there when it can make a difference,” he said. “I don’t think it would have been fair for it to go before the committees without me staking out my position.”
Hyde anticipated the extra attention, but the office provided some surprises. The administrative chores were more extensive than expected. Signing off on travel requests and developing the Council’s internal budget added to the position’s ample demands on Hyde’s time.
Despite balancing his Council responsibilities with his duties as a partner at Foley & Lardner, Hyde managed as president to check off most of the items on his to-do list.
Hyde’s priorities coming in were to advance education for Jacksonville’s youth and create opportunities in the City’s poor neighborhoods. Homework zones around Jacksonville have now helped more than 600 kids with school work and a Prosperity Scholarship Fund is now funded through contributions made through JEA utilities bills.
Hyde worked with the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission and the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce to create the City’s Job Opportunity Bank and helped draft legislation to limit payday lenders targeting Jacksonville’s poor neighborhoods and military installations.
Hyde hoped to have growth management legislation passed by the time he passed the baton to Corrigan. But he expects Council member Sharon Copeland’s Growth Management Committee to produce responsible growth legislation by the fall.
Hyde thinks Corrigan will have to continue the Council’s close watch on City finances. He met with Mayor John Peyton every week since March to review the City’s budget, while Council member Daniel Davis’ Finance Committee went line-by-line through near $1 billion in annual City spending.
“The Council has been very active in contributing ideas on the budget and, with another tough budget year ahead, we’ll have to continue in that role,” he said.