by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Mayoral candidate Mike Weinstein publicly kicked off his campaign Tuesday at the Osborn Center with what he were estimated to be 300-400 supporters on hand. For the next several weeks, however, his campaign will remain relatively hush-hush as he assembles his campaign team and lines up financial support.
Weinstein said he hasn’t selected a campaign manager yet, but has narrowed the list down to a handful of names — none of whom are from this area. In fact, it’s likely Weinstein’s campaign manager will come from a winning camp from last week’s state elections.
“We are still talking to a few people, a couple that finished last week. I am not ready to release any names at this time. It probably will not be anyone local,” said Weinstein, adding he’s looking for an assured level of loyalty in his campaign manager and support staff. “I am looking for people who are not able to be purchased out from under me.”
Four years ago, Weinstein narrowly lost in the Republican primary to John Peyton who went on to defeat former Sheriff Nat Glover to win the mayor’s office. A few weeks ago, he filed to run again and cited that close loss and his desire to change the direction the city is going as reasons he’s looking to unseat the incumbent Peyton. He also said this campaign will be different from the 2003 race.
“I learned I have got to be careful with the team I put together,” said Weinstein, who was the original executive director of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission, served as president and CEO of the Super Bowl Host Committee and was named President of Take Stock in Children in September of 2003. “Loyalty to the cause is very important. I am four years wiser and more secure in who I am. Therefore, I will be a better candidate and better mayor than I would have been four years ago.”
Between now and the end of the year, Weinstein said he will assemble his team and establish three different headquarters in different areas of town. While he won’t raise money per se — he said the holidays aren’t good for fundraising — Weinstein said he will use the next several weeks to make contacts and seek out those willing to help the financial end of his campaign.
“I’ll have about a half a dozen paid staff members and others running the different headquarters and managing volunteers,” said Weinstein, who is an attorney by trade and got his law degree from the University of Florida. “I haven’t started soliciting funds, but I have started soliciting people to help raise funds. Some have started to give money, but up to now I have just been asking people if they are willing to help me raise money.”
Weinstein has said he intends to raise $1 million, enough, he feels, to win. Peyton has been raising money for over a year and has over $2 million in his campaign account. He believes the first month of the year is key, despite the fact the next campaign finance reports are due Jan. 10.
“The more you put into the bank the better,” said Weinstein. “But, I don’t think this campaign will be won or lost on what’s in the bank at the end of December. After the first of the year, the fundraising effort will start and some commercials will run.”
Weinstein’s campaign team will have a different look.
“There will be PR people as part of the team. Ken Adkins (of the Adkins Agency) is part of the team, but I am not ready to present the rest to the community,” he said. “There will be people who were not part of the team last time. This is a new effort. The cause is more than Mike Weinstein. The cause is what we are trying to accomplish.”
Weinstein said he is still working full-time with Take Stock in Children and will continue in that capacity until after qualifying, which runs Feb. 20-27. After that, campaigning will be a full-time endeavor.
“Until then, I will continue to help as many kids as possible,” he said. “It’s a solid organization that has been moving forward for the past 11 years. They will be fine. If I win, before July we will hire a new president and I hope to move on to the board (of directors) level.”