by David Chapman
Staff Writer
The buzz surrounding Amendment 4 generated a groundswell of political activity from members of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce.
The measure was defeated on the Nov. 2 ballot and the chamber leadership wants to continue the strong member involvement through the “next big thing” - the spring elections.
“Any election is a crossroads,” said Mike Hightower, immediate past president of the chamber.
“But I think this is a crossroads with a capital C.”
Spring elections will usher in a new mayor and numerous new City Council members. JaxBiz, the chamber’s political affiliate, will endorse the candidates it believes are the most pro-business.
To maintain the member involvement generated by Amendment 4, the chamber hired Christopher Quinn as vice president of public policy. Quinn, who joined Nov. 1, began to look at how the chamber engages members in political issues to find out what works, what doesn’t and, as he says it, “take it to the next level.”
The chamber’s 3,500 members are spread throughout a diverse area with different concerns, creating a challenge in what to communicate with candidates during interviews.
That’s where the chamber’s nine separate councils, encompassing different regions of the city, will become even more of an asset, said Hightower.
With election information disseminated at each council, the chamber and JaxBiz will seek input and concerns to incorporate into candidate interviews.
Several members of each council also will be sought to take part in the interviewing committees.
“There’s going to be a lot of key questions, a lot of public policy questions and a lot of quality-of-life questions,” said Hightower.
Hightower said keeping the councils and their members engaged is critical because “they are the true heart and soul of our chamber.”
Timing will be a challenge. Gathering and assembling the chamber members’ concerns and questions and then interviewing the candidates over the next several months will be tough, said Hightower.
Yet, Quinn and Hightower don’t see the spark generated by Amendment 4 waning among members.
“They’re excited,” said Quinn. “They want to know what’s next.”
JaxBiz will meet in mid-December to plan the candidate interview process.
Candidates must qualify for the election Jan. 10-14. The first election will be March 22 and the general election is May 17.
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