by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
The president of the United States brought about half of Jacksonville Tuesday to a virtual standstill. The arrival of President Bush and Air Force One halted all other air traffic at Jacksonville International Airport, his motorcade from lunch with Vestcor President and former Ambassador John Rood stopped traffic and his one-hour appearance at the Jacksonville Port Authority – complete with multi-level security including snipers perched atop cargo containers – created a media frenzy not seen since the Super Bowl in 2005.
While Bush’s visit may have seemed like a fly-in-talk-fly-out day trip, think again. The logistics and roots of the trip go back several months.
“We submitted a brief to the White House in October and got the approval about a month ago,” said Deno Hicks, who, along with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida executive and former local Republic Party Chair Mike Hightower, orchestrated a majority of the efforts to bring the president to town. “We started planning immediately.”
Together with Port officials, including executive director Rick Ferrin, Hicks coordinated the trip with White House staffers. That coordination included arranging venues, lunch and attendee lists. Hicks, who is the business development and government relations manager for the engineering firm of England Thims & Miller, said the Port and the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce combined efforts to establish a venue and an invite list. That coordination was evident Tuesday afternoon as the seats began to fill with City Council members, mayor’s office staffers, Chamber officials and many of the top GOP members in town.
The appearance also drew a small segment of the general public. Take Elizabeth Whitehead, who teaches reading at Forrest High. The two-year teacher isn’t necessarily a supporter of the president, but she attended because she feels obligated to learn more about politics. Her invite originally went to her boyfriend.
“He’s a server at the Omni and he was waiting on some of the people putting on the event,” said Whitehead, who’s originally from Chicago. “They asked him to go, but he couldn’t. I’m here in his place. I’m not a supporter, but I’m not a hater, either.”
Whitehead said she knows who will get her vote in November and she hopes public education is high on their list of priorities.
Hicks said he and Hightower talked about bringing the president to town. Part of the approval process is to provide the White House with a valid reason. Hicks and Hightower knew Bush is pushing hard for Congress to OK a free-trade agreement with Colombia. They also knew the Port is one of the fastest-growing in the country and its tenants – and the Jacksonville economy – would benefit tremendously from such an agreement.
The focal point of the Port visit was a tour led by Magnus Lindeback, CEO of Coastal Maritime Stevedoring. Several times during his 45-minute speech Bush referred to Lindeback and the benefits an agreement with Colombia would have for a growing company such as Coastal Maritime, which ships oversized, heavy and unusual cargo all over the world.
“It’s nice to be back in Jacksonville. It’s an interesting place. I’ve been to your stadium. I’ve been to your churches, but I’ve never been on your docks,” said Bush. “If you want to know why Jacksonville is one of America’s most vibrant cities, you have to come to the docks.”
Bush acknowledged the American economy is struggling and he’s convinced more free trade agreements – the U.S. had three when he was elected in 2000; today, there are 14 in place with three pending – will help the economy rebound.
“Everyone working here is a result of trade, trade that happens on this dock,” said Bush, adding there is currently debate in Washington, D.C. as to the value of international trade as an economic stimulus and long-range engine. “Anybody wondering should come to the docks in Jacksonville and it’ll make sense. This port is vital to the community and it’s a strategic link.”
The other two pending agreements are with Panama and South Korea. However, Bush is currently concentrating on the Colombia deal, one he called “especially urgent” and one he’s modeling after the agreement with Peru.
“The Colombia agreement has even greater economic potential because they have a higher GDP (gross domestic product),” said Bush, explaining the free trade agreement will eliminate the tariff placed on goods shipped from the U.S. to Colombia. “The vote on Colombia must be this year. This is not an isolated vote that gets no attention outside Washington. It’s being closely observed by the world.”
After his speech, Bush spent several minutes shaking hands, signing autographs and smiling for pictures.