by David Chapman
Staff Writer
Michael Boylan has become well acquainted with the foreclosure problem that has spread across Northeast Florida.
As president and CEO of WJCT, the region’s community supported public broadcasting station, Boylan and his staff have made the culturally relevant hot topic a point of emphasis in its programming and have partnered with the City and United Way in undertaking several initiatives. A Web site (www.wjct.org/wjctmortgagecrisis) has been set up and is a work in progress, he said, with additional content, educational articles, tips and blogs all recently added, while the station will continue to feature foreclosure-related content including an upcoming expert panel discussion and re-airing of the “Face of Foreclosure” radio documentary.
“It’s definitely out there,” he said. “Everyone is talking about it (foreclosures).”
Boylan’s foreclosure efforts don’t stop with WJCT, though.
With the approval of the City Council’s Rules Committee and subsequent Council meeting, Boylan will chair a Jacksonville Foreclosure Task Force. The nine-member task force was nominated by Council member Kevin Hyde and represents a broad array of business leaders, who will address the issue. Each member was involved in the foreclosure summits Hyde hosted in November of last year and February of this year, with Hyde viewing the task force as an extension of their work on the issue.
He chose Boylan to chair the task force for a couple reasons.
The first being his leadership at WJCT in putting a face on the issue — a needed step in informing the public of the severity of the problem — with the second being prior board work with Hyde while displaying objectivity. Boylan’s profession has no immediate influence on the many aspects of foreclosure, said Hyde, which can rule out potential biases.
Boylan agrees with the notion.
“I do have a fair amount of experience facilitating such initiatives,” said Boylan, “but I think it’s also because I’m not inside the issue and don’t have a ‘dog in the fight.’”
While Boylan admits the issue can seem a little intimidating at times, he’s “very excited” to start the process. Hyde said he anticipates meetings to begin in mid-September. For those concerned about results, Boylan stressed that he intends to see that the task force will result in action and not just discussion.
“Like everyone else, I want to help fix the problem,” he said. “We all know someone or of someone who is facing foreclosure, and it’s an issue that affects everyone at some level.”
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