by Mary-Kate Roan
Staff Writer
Mayor John Peyton and State Rep. Audrey Gibson were among the crowd gathered in the Council Chambers at City Hall to see the two new Council members sworn into office not even an hour before undergoing their first Council meeting.
It wasn’t technically just another day at the office for John Crescimbeni when he walked into the City Council Chambers yesterday to be installed as the new Group-2 At Large representative. After all, he’d done all of this before.
“It’s kind of like the saying that the more things change, the more they stay the same,” said Crescimbeni of his decision to return to City Hall after his stint in the office from 1991-1999.
But a different story can be seen in Reggie Brown, the Dist. 10 representative on the Council. The executive director for Project Reach, which provides aid to schools in Duval County, this was his first Council meeting.
But he has a plan. It starts with communication.
“The first thing I want to do is to pull residents together and get their input,” said Brown of his plans to help not just District 10 but Jacksonville as a whole.
Brown’s focus will consist of a three-pronged agenda which will focus on crime, employment and education.
“Every child should be afforded a quality public education,” said Brown. “My background is in social services, and I will bring social concerns to the Council and levy support from the City for social services.”
The three main striking points on Brown’s radar contain two things Crescimbeni is well-versed in.
A small business owner, Crescimbeni holds a triple major from Jacksonville University: management, economics and marketing. He intends to utilize those degrees along with his experience in Jacksonville to bring about changes he believes necessary for increasing the productivity of Jacksonville.
“Crime and the economy go hand in hand together,” said Crescimbeni, adding when the economy is good the crime rate drops and vice versa. “The economic problems are national but I want to explore what we can do locally.”
Crescimbeni added that while restaurants are a good idea to bring about entertainment to attract people to visit Jacksonville, jobs like those found in factories would be more favorable if for the simple reason the work force is not temporary and brings with it greater salaries and benefits. These jobs, according to Crescimbeni, would attract workers that would be in the work force for around 10-20 years. The workers would hold jobs that are more “meaningful” and up until about three weeks ago, he would have suggested Jacksonville get an automotive assembly plant.
“Towns smaller than Jacksonville have gotten automotive assembly plants,” said Crescimbeni, who also admitted that he didn’t know exactly what would happen to the automotive industry in the United States.
The Group 2 representative ran his campaign under the premise that he would attempt to change the economic development policy of City Hall. Crescimbeni calls the Council’s policy “haphazard.”
“We’re bringing businesses to Jacksonville that compete with local businesses,” said Crescimbeni. “I’m a citizen coming on the Council and I see that whatever lobbyist comes along, they consider their proposals.”
Both Council members stated while campaigning was a hard process – Crescimbeni called it “a long, uphill battle” while Brown called it “a long journey” – the two were looking forward to helping Jacksonville.
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