by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
City Council President Jack Webb, who leaves office next week, took note of the volatile environment the Council chamber has become as the Council year ends along with the terms for seven of the 19 members and the mayor.
Mayor-elect Alvin Brown and newly elected or re-elected Council members take over July 1.
Tensions flared this week, especially at the Rules Committee Monday when four members walked out after a discussion about a JTA proposal from the mayor’s office.
Tensions also arose during the Council’s June 14 meeting, attended by members of the public who wanted to find out the future of proposed Ordinance 2010-766, which would create a new court fee that would be used to help fund Jacksonville Area Legal Aid.
During Council discussion, members of the audience applauded and cheered at the conclusion of a passionate speech by Council member Glorious Johnson in favor of the proposed ordinance.
As the cheers began to escalate, Webb banged the gavel to draw the crowd’s attention and threatened to clear the public from chambers if decorum was not maintained.
Webb admitted this week that he hasn’t experienced such disruption in Council chambers from either the public or Council members as he completes his year as president.
“I have gone out of my way over the last year to maintain decorum, a sense of propriety, a sense of order and respectfulness toward the public and toward colleagues on the council,” said Webb.
“I think the transition with new leadership in the mayor’s office and new leadership on the council, it’s just a very, given the demands we are facing as a community, tumultuous time,” said Webb.
He stressed the importance of adhering to the rules of Council during a time of debating difficult issues facing the community.
“That’s why it’s imperative to maintain decorum and maintain order, because you can’t deal with these issues in an environment where people are being disrespectful and are not respecting the process. That’s the challenge,” said Webb.
He pointed to the debate last year over the budget as an example.
“Had we not been very mindful of the powder keg we were sitting on, that could’ve blown up and gotten totally out of control,” said Webb.
Webb lost his bid for re-election to District 6 after one term. He is not worried about his status as a “short-timer” with the end of his term approaching shortly after the last scheduled full Council meeting June 28.
“I don’t think it makes it hard for me at all. The reality is I’m going to enforce the rules. I think you saw that (June 14),” he said.
“One of the reasons I was so aggressive in making certain that there were no demonstrations was because of precisely that fact. I am a short-timer and I don’t want anyone to think that simply because I am rotating off the Council that I do not take my responsibilities as City Council president very seriously,” said Webb.
With the next Council meeting less than a week away, Webb does not see any change in his attitude.
“I am not going to tolerate any aberration from the way we’ve operated thus far this year,” said Webb.
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