Staff Writer
With the August primary election creeping closer, it was a perfect time Wednesday for the legal and political communities to gather at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5-30 for its “Friends of the FOP Luncheon.”
FOP President Nelson Cuba welcomed more than 200 people to the event, which doesn’t occur as often as it had in the past.
“We are in a tough budget year, so we can’t hold these events as much as we used to,” said Cuba.
The luncheon is known as a place for good fried seafood and the latest scoop on local politics. The meal included fried fish and shrimp, hush puppies, cheese grits, green beans and banana pudding.
City Council President Jack Webb, as well as Council members Michael Corrigan, Glorious Johnson and Don Redman, attended the event as contract negotiations continue between the City and the police and firefighter unions. U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw was also on hand. Florida Senate District No. 8 candidate Deborah Gianoulis stopped by.
“The campaign trail is hard work, but I am enjoying getting out and meeting people and letting them know where I stand on the issues,” said Gianoulis, a former television news anchor.
Both candidates in the only contested local judicial race, Sam Garrison and Mark Hulsey III, attended the event that was held on a property that included a Hulsey campaign sign.
Seated judges who attended the invent included Circuit Court Judges Jim Daniel, Mark Mahon, Gregg McCaulie, A.C. Soud, and Adrian Soud, and Duval County Court Judges Tyrie Boyer, Eleni Derke, Gary Flower and Russell Healey.
The 2010 primary election will be held Aug. 24.
Lunch wasn’t the only item on the plate for the FOP. Cuba invited members of the Jacksonville Association of Firefighters Local 122 to the FOP Hall to discuss ongoing labor negotiations with the City.
“We just wanted to have some dialogue. Everywhere I went, firefighters were approaching me to ask about labor negotiations,” said Cuba. “They just weren’t informed about what was going on, so I invited them to come to the meeting so we could talk about it.”
Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department Director Dan Kleman and Police and Fire Pension Fund Executive Director John Keane did stop by for some lunch, but did not attend the meeting with the union members.
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