from staff
Jack Webb, elected in 2007 to represent District 6, took over the Jacksonville City Council presidency Thursday. Webb, 47, is a New York native and earned his bachelor’s degree at Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y., and his MBA at the University of Florida. After working on Wall Street, he returned to Florida for his law degree. He worked with CEVA Logistics as director for labor and employee relations and then joined the Brennan, Manna & Diamond law firm. He met Wednesday with the editorial staff of the Daily Record.
The city budget is one of your major challenges. How do you view the challenges of city pension reform?
You look at the budget this year, look at the budget next year and look at it the year after. There don’t seem to be any billion dollar pots of gold at the end of the rainbow. That being said, we need to be very cognizant, extraordinarily cognizant, of the looming additional pension obligations in the out years. Who knows what the true numbers are because they are driven by market projections and I think we’ve been very conservative in our estimates and in an overabundance of caution.
I think that’s appropriate, but regardless of where we end up, best-case scenario, even if the market returns to a 6 percent annual rate of return, you’re still going to have a major pension hole down the road. It makes the need for pension reform all the more important for this year.
I was asked the other day if Council has the will to resolve these matters at impasse. I said I hope we don’t come to impasse, but if we do, I don’t think the Council – and I can’t speak for my colleagues – but it seems to me the Council doesn’t have much of a choice. We have to do something. Status quo is not an option at his point.
How is your relationship with the mayor’s office?
It’s good. Very strong. I have a working relationship with the mayor and over the last six months we’ve been very proactive in making certain we had our sleeves rolled up in anticipation for what we knew was going to be a very difficult budget cycle. We’ve been working with the sheriff, cooperatively and respectfully, on seeking ways to cut money out of his budget. The mayor’s instruction to his department is to take 10 percent out, so it’s been good, it’s been very good.
On some of those revenue challenges, a lot of people criticize legislators in Tallahassee. How close of an eye are you keeping on that?
I heard (gubernatorial candidate and current Attorney General) Bill McCollum has pledged he will freeze all property taxes across the state. That’s fine and I appreciate that, Bill, but at the same time I think it’s further evidence Tallahassee, perhaps, is overaggressively tampering with what goes on in local government. That’s not to criticize Bill, because he’s a wonderful man, and I think his concerns are reflective that people across the state are hurting, but one size does not fit all.
I think what’s good for the goose is good for the gander to the extent that state officials are upset that Washington (D.C.) tends to meddle in their business, that the same can be said of local government in regard to state involvement.
Other than the budget and pensions, what are some of the other challenges in the coming year?
The (St. Johns) River. It’s interesting we’re going to have the meeting on the river, we’re working on the agenda now. The meeting I was talking about in my installation speech will be held July 15 from 3-6 p.m. All players, all interested parties will be present and we’re going to do that here in Council Chambers. Not from the dais, but more of a roundtable discussion on the floor. I’m doing that on the 15th, the day after the mayor gives his budget presentation. What I want to have happen is that while the Finance Committee is wrestling with the budget stuff that at the same time we can move on with some things in respect to the river.
I want to set a baseline. What I’d like to figure out is what’s going on. What are the signs, what are the examinations showing us, why the fish kills this particular year. Once we set the baseline and know what it is we’re dealing with, we can take appropriate action in resolving them.
How has the role of City Council changed in terms of dealing with the City’s budget?
As Dick Kravitz, a former City Council president and former state legislator said, the mayor proposes the budget and the council disposes of the budget.
I think the council’s role has taken on heightened importance and scrutiny over the past several years. When times are good and we’re flush with money, it’s easy to work together on the budget. What we’ve seen over the last few years is an evolution of the role of the council. It’s been a healthy exercise for the city.
I think the way we conduct our business is as important as the business we conduct. It’s very important to maintain civility in our discussions and in our disagreements because in the absence of that, you create fodder for headlines. In my view, that creates a certain amount of civic instability, which creates obstacles for all of us. We end up fighting with each other rather than fighting toward resolution of complex problems.
What can be done to raise more revenue that hasn’t already been done?
Jacksonville is the mother ship. You see that with a lot of the appointments to boards and commissions. A lot of times those people come from outside Duval County, but they participate in the civic life of Jacksonville. Often they work and derive their living from Jacksonville, even though they live outside the city and that’s a problem that wasn’t there as much 25 years ago.
Now we have people who affect the cost of infrastructure who don’t participate in funding the cost of that infrastructure. How do we address that?
In New York, there was a commuter tax in place for many years that was put in place by the legislature. Would we advocate something like that? Not necessarily, but do we need to look at alternative revenue sources that reflect the way we live now as opposed to the way we lived 25 years ago? Absolutely.
We’re relying heavily upon ad valorem taxes, sales tax, the gasoline tax and other fees. I don’t think any of those revenue sources are stable at this point. Given the state of the economy and given what’s happening in the Gulf of Mexico, you have to assume that gas tax and sales tax revenue will be down even more next year. How do you plug that hole?
Ad valorem revenues are beginning to stabilize, but we’re looking at additional revenue challenges in the next three or four years.
God bless whoever’s the next mayor of Jacksonville. They’re going to need all the help they can get in bridging the economic gap that’s looming.
How would increasing revenues go over?
It never goes over well. To be honest, and to be absolutely clear, I am not taking a position on increasing the ad valorem rate. What I am talking about is looking for untapped revenue streams that would minimize any impact on Duval County residents. I think with regard to the ad valorem rates, we have to wait to see what the budget process yields. That’s why I have such a strong (finance) committee, to let them do the work and see what happens.
Years ago, Council members represented the interests of their district fairly exclusively. Now it seems every member is at large. What are your thoughts on that?
We have constituent issues that we have to address and we have to be mindful of that because it’s the district constituents who elected us. At the same time, we have as much charter responsibility as an at large member. We have equal votes on the budget and other issues that affect the city as a whole. That’s very challenging.
On one hand, you have to remain true to your district and your constituents but you also have to be mindful about how your district fits into the larger mosaic of the entire city.
I had a conversation the other day about cutting library hours in certain parts of the city but not in others that may be more affluent, such as my district in Mandarin. I think we need to be mindful about the message that sends. We say we’re all in this together, but when only certain segments of the community are affected by cutbacks, I think that sends a bad message.
Why did you seek election to City Council?
Six years ago, I never thought about it. I just watched politics and elected officials and said, no way, no how.
It was an interesting time in my life. I was very involved in some community things and parish things in Mandarin. All of those things involved some level of leadership and they all ended at the same time. I wondered, ‘What do I do now?’ I was doing my job and traveling a lot, but I was also looking for a new challenge.
I was also watching what was occurring in the district and I was aware there was a certain level of disconnection, if not dissatisfaction.
I asked myself, ‘Should I run?’ Then I asked myself, ‘Can I run? Can I do this?’
Most people said I couldn’t do it because I had never been in politics and would be running against a well-established, well-financed incumbent.
I looked at it from a different perspective. I thought I could mount an effective grass roots campaign, so I ran and ultimately prevailed.
Looking back on the time since you were elected, is there anything you would have done differently?
Aside from not run? (laughs). No, I don’t think so.
I think it’s interesting that in some respects I have become something of a lightning rod, but I think that’s a positive thing. I think it’s because people view me as credible and as a leader. It’s just who I am.
Is one year of serving as Council president enough?
I think it’s probably too much. (laughs) No, I don’t know. It’s difficult. Everyone jockeys for the chair, so I think it’s appropriate.
The past year it seems the critics have come out in force against you. How have you managed to stay upbeat and brush it aside heading into your presidency?
I pray a lot. I mean that in all sincerity. You take it in perspective, take it as it comes. Like I tell people, I’m not perfect. I did not live my life, the first 42 years of my life, in anticipation of running for public office. But, it depends on what people are looking for. If you want preformed politicians, people who have been planning to run for public office their entire life, they’ve been mindful of that. Again, running for public office never entered into my consciousness until five or six years ago. I never thought about it.
You’ve been in the news quite a bit. The Parvez Ahmed vote, the ACLU letter asking Council to stop sectarian prayer at Council meetings, the attempted coup by Council Vice President Stephen Joost for the presidency and the tax lien on your property. What do you say about those?
The Parvez Ahmed vote was obviously very difficult time for all of us. It was a very difficult vote. ... I think my intentions were somewhat misconstrued, but that’s fine. I’m going to stay true to what I think the right thing is.
On the coup, it is what it is. Politics is a full-contact sport. Again, I didn’t retreat in the face of the challenge and apparent defeat and ultimately prevailed. Having said that, it’s water under the bridge, it’s history and we move forward. I think that’s reflected in my committee appointments.
The (sectarian prayer) letter from the ACLU, I think it will be a challenge and an opportunity as well. As for the legal challenge, I think we’re in fine shape. I think it’s an opportunity for us to go beyond that and craft something that addresses the concern of everyone in the city.
The tax lien is what it is. I didn’t know about it, it’s unfortunate. I’ve been so consumed with keeping my name out of the newspaper or dealing with the effects of my name in the newspaper for the last year, who knows what happened. I’m working through it and I hope it will go away.
In terms of ticket sales and off-field issues, it’s a big year for the Jaguars. Will you be doing anything in regard to the team?
I’m going to do my best. I’m going to offer my services to (Team Teal Commissioner) Tony Boselli and the mayor’s office. I tell you, if (coach) Jack Del Rio won a Super Bowl while I was City Council president, I’d be his best friend for the rest of my life. I mean, wouldn’t that do something to turn around the Jaguars? It’d be incredible.
On the balance issue ... what about your family?
It’s going to be a tough year. We have to be mindful of demands. My family has been very supportive. The good thing about my family is that my wife, her family is Irish-Catholic and her family is originally from Bayonne, New Jersey, and all of her great uncles ... were involved in municipal politics for years and years. They’re used to the rough- and-tumble of municipal politics, she basically grew up with it. She’s used to it and it’s in her blood, probably more than mine.
Are you going to be involved at all in the upcoming mayor’s race?
No, not at this time. There’s some great candidates out there, so we will see what happens.
Do you have any interest in running for mayor?
I do, but my wife would kill me. (laughs)
Didn’t you say she was understanding?
(laughs) There’s a limit to her understanding. When I say I do, maybe sometime in the future.
What’s been the biggest surprise in Council that you didn’t anticipate?
The fish bowl effect. The scrutiny. The scrutiny of personal lives and the interest in that.
Has being a practicing attorney helped you through being a lightning rod and the attempted coup d’etat in the election for council president?
You pick yourself up and you dust yourself off and move on. I think attorneys are held to a different standard. I accept that, even though sometimes I don’t quite understand it.
It’s also my training as a business person as well. I spent about six years on Wall Street after I got my master’s degree in business. I think all those experiences have been very useful in tackling the difficult issues we’ve faced here on the council.
What do you do to decompress and get away from the demands of City Council and work?
I have a boat down at the marina and I hang out there with some of the boys from Mandarin. St. Joseph’s men’s club has always been a very big part of my life. I do family stuff and my kids’ sports stuff.
I also read. One of my favorite books is ‘The Last Hurrah’ by Edwin O’Connor. It’s about an irrepressible mayor in a New England town in the ‘40s or ‘50s, maybe the ‘60s, and the demise of that political system. It’s a wonderful book.
What are you reading now?
As I’ve been doing research on this prayer issue, I’ve actually been, believe it or not, delving into the catechism of the Catholic church. The church has dealt with these issues over the last 2,000 years. Last night, I dug out a copy of the works of Aristotle. There was a reference to Thomas Aquinas, the individual who attempted to reconcile faith and reason. I think that’s what we’re dealing with in this era to a certain extent. How do you deal with Christian faith and principle and other faiths as well, and how was Aquinas able to incorporate and rationalize. Again, Aristotle, who had great insights – but clearly a non-Christian insight – coexists with the teachings of the church. How were they able to resolve those issues? It’s kind of dense, but I started looking at it about five years ago then put it down. I’m going to take another crack at it.