by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
When school goes back in session late next month, one of the topics of conversation among many of the returning students will be what everyone did during the summer break. Activities will generally fall into two categories: work or play, with some of both.
Five local students will have perhaps the most unique stories to tell because they are spending part of their summer involved in City government, performing a variety of tasks in the mayor’s office. They work 20 hours a week and are paid a little more than $7 per hour as part of a Jacksonville Journey initiative.
One of the first faces seen this summer just inside the door of City Hall Suite 400 is that of Amanda Hawk, who is working the switchboard fielding phone calls from constituents. Many of the callers feel they have exhausted all other sources of information and decided to “go to the top” to get an answer to their question or an attentive ear for their concern.
Hawk, who just graduated from the Paxon School for Advanced Studies and will major in social work this fall at the University of Central Florida, said she’s gaining a lot of experience from the job.
“I’ve learned a lot about phone etiquette and problem-solving skills,” she said. “A lot of times when people call the mayor’s office, they say they have already talked to the person I suggest. And you wouldn’t believe the protocol for mail here.”
Hawk was glad to get the job for a couple of reasons. She has always had an interest in government and was a member of Paxon’s debate team, treasurer of the student government and president of the Bible club.
Carrington Smith will be a senior at Terry Parker High. The debate team captain also has an interest in how government works and is spending part of his summer combing the Internet to research the public’s response to Mayor John Peyton’s “Fix It Now” property tax millage rate increase proposal.
“Some people think office work is boring, but I’m enjoying it a lot here,” he said, then added he was surprised when he learned what his summer assignment would be.
“I never thought I’d be the mayor’s assistant’s assistant,” said Smith.
Another recent Paxon graduate working this summer in the mayor’s office is Enaris Inman. He’s also headed to UCF this fall. Right now, he’s booking some of the mayor’s appearances on the “Fix It Now” campaign trail.
He said one of the things that most surprised him about City government is that, “The people who work here are just regular people.”
Inman’s fellow summer worker is Brandi Rosier, a senior at Ribault who plans to eventually enroll in the pre-med program at the University of Florida, agreed the experience has changed some of her perceptions.
“Watching the news you see a lot of negative press. But being in meetings and hearing everything that’s said, I think the City is really well-run. If everyone could do what I’m getting to do they’d have a different view of City government,” she said.
Computer and typing skills led to Shambria Simmons’ summer assignment. She has been transcribing Peyton’s budget speeches. She’s also working on the millage increase campaign’s Web site and was part of the team that sprayed the “Fix It Now” sidewalk graffiti on Downtown streets.
Simmons, also a senior at Ribault, echoed her colleagues’ comments about what they’re doing with the income from their part-time jobs. She hasn’t yet decided on whether she’ll be heading for Gainesville or Tallahassee to study computer engineering but said, “I’m spending part of it and saving part of it. I have already started buying things for my dorm room when I go to college.”
Another thing all five students have gained is an insight into their future political aspirations. Seeing the day-to-day goings on at City Hall has made an impact on their future plans.
When asked if her summer job experience is making her wish to one day be Jacksonville’s mayor, Simmons replied, “Probably not. It’s a hard job.”
That’s also been Hawk’s impression as far as future employment is concerned.
“A lot of people have been asking me if I’d like to have a career in government. I’m telling them I might like to be a lobbyist some day, but I don’t think I’d want to be an elected official,” she said.
Misty Skipper, spokesperson for Peyton, said the City originally hired 213 students to work in various departments over the summer. The placement of those students, she said was “based upon the results of interviews like any other City employee.”
Once hired, the students were assigned to a regular City employee within the department. In the case of the five assigned to the mayor’s office, they report to Kandi Begue.
Although the students’ placements were based primarily on their interviews, some had the advantage of seniority.
“Students were assigned based upon the results of their interviews and the specific requirements of the departments,” said Skipper. “Returning students were given a choice of working with the same department they worked in last year.”
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