by David Chapman
Staff Writer
While much of the political focus is on Tuesday’s elections, organizers of the Jacksonville Regional Political Leadership Institute are thinking ahead.
Applications for its next class are due today.
The nonpartisan, pro-business organization associated with JaxBiz, the political affiliate of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce, expects the class to enroll up to 25 people interested in possibly putting their names on future ballots.
The program starts with a mandatory two-day Leadership School May 13-14 at the Davis College of Business at Jacksonville University. Presentations will cover what candidates should expect, leadership strategies and public policy issues.
There will be half-day quarterly meetings in September, November and January and seven monthly gatherings of about two hours each. Workshops and networking opportunities also will be offered.
Consultant Mark Mills helped develop the original program in Orlando and be-gan the one in Jacksonville, where he said it has succeeded be-yond his expectations.
Mills said a Tampa program that was launched in September has also been a success.
The new class will be the third in Jacksonville. The second, consisting of 28 members, wrapped up in May. After today’s deadline, a committee will review each candidate’s 17-question application and then select the students. The program is free.
The group meets monthly to keep graduates active, and the addition of the incoming class will allow for smaller and more geographically centered meetings.
Education will become the focus of a newly formed ancillary group for those interested in pursuing positions on a school board or for those who want to learn more about the issues, said Mills.
The program’s training shows in the spring elections.
There are 10 program participants on the March 22 ballot: Mayoral candidate Alvin Brown; City Council District 5 candidate Lori Boyer; District 14 candidates Jill Dame, Jim Love and Kendall Bryan Jr.; City Council At-Large Group 2 candidate Paul Martinez; City Council At-Large Group 4 candidates Greg Anderson and Juan Diaz; and City Council At-Large Group 5 candidates Sean Hall and Michelle Tappouni.
Mills said it’s gratifying to see such a large number of graduates and participants pursue political leadership and he said comments from community members have been positive.
“I can tell you the feedback I’ve received has been, win or lose, good,” said Mills. “They’ve been impressed with the quality of candidates.”
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