As a reader service, the Daily Record plans to present daily information about candidates on the ballot in the spring election. The information is scheduled to be published in advance of early voting, which begins March 7 in Duval County. The Daily Record sent the same questions to council candidates and will publish their e-mailed responses. Candidates were given a word limit. Responses that exceeded it are edited for space.
| The candidates say... | What is the single most important issue facing your district? | What are the most pressing problems facing the City? | Would you support new taxes or fees to improve the port and/or Downtown? | Why should district constituents elect you? |
| Greg Anderson Republican | An At-Large Councilman represents all of Jacksonville. The most important issue facing our community is fiscal responsibility. It is time to get our financial house in order and to do this we need experienced leaders willing to make difficult decisions. I am the only candidate in this race with a true financial background. This experience means I will find ways to improve the City’s long-range financial planning, budgeting and management. | In addition to fiscal responsibility, I believe job growth, safe neighborhoods and better education are the issues we must address now. | The port is a major part of Jacksonville’s economic engine and I will support efforts to strengthen its competitiveness. This includes support for the correction of the Mile Point problem and a uniform depth along the shipping channel. I am not in favor of new taxes to support Downtown development. | Many of the issues facing this City Council will be financial. As a 25-year veteran of the financial services industry, my skills are uniquely suited to this challenge. I have the most experience, having served our citizens for the last four years on the TRUE Commission. I have been a lifelong Republican and a fiscal conservative. I will bring a new energy and fresh ideas to our local government. |
| Juan Diaz Republican | Laying the foundation for businesses to create more jobs by reducing taxes and regulations. We need to improve the costs and ease of doing business in Jacksonville. | We must work to support job creation. We need fiscal discipline as regards the budget, finding the necessary efficiencies, and we must work with the unions to address the pension issue. It is essential that we ensure safe neighborhoods, which support quality education and economic opportunity. Maintaining our quality of life is critical to keeping and growing Jacksonville’s tax base. | We need a strategic, long-term vision for the City, and JaxPort and Downtown are important components due to the impacts on job creation and on creating a more vibrant city. However, I would not support new taxes or fees, unless passed by public referendum vote. It’s simply a matter of City leaders developing and elucidating a plan that could garner broad support. | Residents should elect me because I’m committed to fiscal discipline and to relieving tax and regulatory burdens so that businesses can grow. I’m not beholden to the interests that have placed our City in the predicament it is in today and I can bring a fresh perspective and long-term approach to addressing issues in City Hall. I’m energetic and able to provide a bold, new leadership on the City Council. |
| Jim Robinson Republican | The single most important issue facing the City is financial stability and budget control. I am particularly focused on improving the budget process. We do not have clear and concise priorities for spending. We must have a discussion all year, not just during the three months of City Council hearings. We all do this in our families and in our businesses. We must do it in the City. | Other pressing problems facing the City include: continued im-provement in public safety, maintenance of infrastructure, restoring public trust in government and enhancing our quality of life. These issues will also require a dogged focus in order to make improvements. We can do this by being fact-based in our decision-making. We need bold leadership from our political leaders. I am committed to governing in this manner. | I believe that raising taxes or fees in our current economic environment is the wrong thing to do, both fiscally and morally. I believe through hard work of prioritizing our budget and removing redundant or unnecessary City services, we will have more resources for solving our pressing problems than we do now. Any consideration of new taxes or fees will have to pass a very stringent business case evaluation. | I want to be your next At-Large Group 4 council member. I want to serve the city I love. I have the professional and business background and experience that will contribute to sound problem-solving and decision-making on your City Council. As a civil engineer, I have been solving problems of great magnitude for 37 years. Thirty of those years have been here in Jacksonville. |