by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
A man known for making it through the day on Diet Coke and a Tic Tac because his schedule won’t allow time for lunch may not spend a lot of time in an office, but City Council member Jack Webb makes time for two offices.
He has had an office on the fourth floor of City Hall since being elected the Dist. 6 City Council member in 2007. Two years in the same office has allowed him to collect mementos during the course of carrying out his duties for his constituents in Mandarin as well as tools needed to understand issues facing the City.
Looking down at his desk from the wall between two windows is a picture of Saint Thomas More, who was a lawyer and later became Lord Chancellor of England. More became a martyr after he was beheaded for high treason after not granting King Henry VIII a divorce and not acknowledging the king as the “Supreme Head” of the church. More was declared the Patron Saint of politicians and statesman by Pope John Paul II in 2000.
Webb shares some of More’s interests being a lawyer and also having an interest in religion. Webb graduated from Iona College, N.Y., with a bachelor’s in history and religious studies.
“His famous quote was, ‘King’s good servant, but God first,’” said Webb.
The computer is an essential part of most offices in the current workplace, but it can also get people in trouble. Webb recalled a Council meeting while explaining how a poster of his beloved New York Mets found its way to his office wall.
“Someone from my district found it during a yard sale and sent it to me,” said Webb. “Shortly after I was elected to office, I was caught by a television camera guy checking the score of a Mets game on my computer in Council Chambers. I’m blessed by the fact that I am able to multitask and cursed in the fact that I’m a Mets fan.”
Webb also has a passion for his Irish heritage, and signifies it by having a copy of Ireland’s Declaration of Independence on his wall.
“My grandmother would tell stories of her cousin Con Colbert who was part of the Easter Rebellion in Ireland,” said Webb.
The Easter Rebellion of 1916 was an armed uprising of Irish citizens who wanted political freedom from Great Britain and the creation of an Irish republic.
Webb may not have a lot on the walls of the office he moved into in January at the law firm of Brennan Manna & Diamond, but a sign reading “Ireland” leans up against the window. Also in the office located a few blocks west of City Hall is an “Equal Justice Award” presented to him by Jacksonville Area Legal Aid (JALA) for his efforts, along with Council member Glorious Johnson, in obtaining funding for a JALA office on the Northside to help people facing foreclosure.
“It will be a big budget issue during the next cycle,” said Webb. “It is going to be tough to find the money.”
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