It didn't take long for City Council President Bill Gulliford to lob his first political grenade inside the Council Chamber at City Hall.
Shortly after gaveling to order his first meeting Tuesday as Council president, Gulliford did what he promised earlier in the day by pulling Mayor Alvin Brown's pension reform plan out of the Council Finance Committee and pushing it to a vote.
Later that evening, Gulliford pronounced it dead after a long and heated discussion among the 19-member body.
It was a politically gutsy move for Gulliford and now we have to wait to see if there is any political fallout.
The way he teed it up, Council members were forced to vote up or down on a huge piece of legislation many in Council had just begun to examine.
Most of the seven members who voted against Gulliford and for the pension bill only did so because they were not at all prepared to vote.
They wanted the bill to survive until the finance committee and the 11-memberJacksonville Retirement Reform Task Force led by Bill Scheu finished its work.
Several unsuccessful attempts were made to put the bill back into the committee and let it run a normal course.
My guess is if the bill had been returned to the committee, many of the seven would have voted against it in the end.
Certainly, Gulliford has made it clear he and Mayor Alvin Brown probably won't be sing "Kumbaya" together any time soon.
Not only did Gulliford and the Council pull the plug on Brown's pension bill, they also added insult to injury by earlier voting 15-3 for a tentative property tax increase to help close an estimated $65 million budget deficit.
The move is astounding given the past political environment against any tax increase and Brown's uncompromising stand against raising taxes.
It was evident from the debate that many Council members think Jacksonville residents are tired of closed libraries, poorly maintained parks, boarded up fire stations and unfilled potholes.
For Council members, it was not whether they were going to tentatively raise taxes; the debate was to what extent.
So, what does Brown do now?
He has suggested he would oppose any tax increase, but he cannot veto a millage increase or a budget that includes one. He is able to line-item veto the budget, though.
Gulliford can sign the millage legislation, which the administration must then deliver to the Property Appraiser's Office.
For one, it looks like Brown will not have to worry so much about whacking City services because Council will initiate a tax increase to fund the City budget. Through it all, Brown will be able to keep his promise of not raising taxes.
Brown already was reeling by recommendations against the pension plan from the Jacksonville Civic Council and JAX Chamber board before Council issued the plan a final blow.
Brown's re-election campaign finance reports have lacked some of the expected big donations for an incumbent. Fundraising for his education project, Learn2Earn, seem to be falling far short of the $2 million he projected.
Although some folks claim there is blood in the water, it is not likely the Brown administration will sit and wait for the sharks to circle.
Already there have been efforts to resolve some criticisms.
One was the addition of a much needed Council liaison, Teresa Eichner.
Eichner is a seasoned political operator who has developed a well-deserved reputation as a trustworthy soldier who knows the rules, the players and loves her city.
In order to receive the most from the position, Brown must give Eichner the authority to represent the administration when dealing with Council members. Most know her and trust her.
He should take advantage of that.
Is Weaver Center suggestion best?
The Cristian Fernandez case and its aftermath continue to challenge this community.
It also provides us another look into the depth of involvement of Delores Barr Weaver in the social fabric of Jacksonville.
Fernandez is the minor who almost was prosecuted as an adult for first-degree murder.
The case prompted prominent Jacksonville attorneys Hank Coxe and Buddy Schulz to take Fernandez's defense pro bono. He pled guilty to manslaughter in the death of his 2-year-old brother.
Last week, sentencing was postponed for Biannela Susana, Fernandez's mother, who pled guilty to aggravated manslaughter via culpable negligence in the death of her son at Fernandez's hands.
Now the judge is considering a sentence recommended by the Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center of 90 days at the Hubbard House shelter and two years at Community Connections, a halfway house where she will receive parenting and life skills training.
That would be followed by one year as a full-time employee at the Weaver Policy Center.
It's a rare opportunity for someone facing as much as 15 years in prison.
Under the recommendation, Susana would receive credit for the more than two years she's already been in jail.
A psychologist from the Weaver Center told Circuit Judge James Daniel that Susana suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition that will be worse in prison.
Policy Center CEO Lawanda Ravoira told Daniel she has met with Susana over more than a year. She says Susana can benefit society if allowed to follow the center's recommendation.
Prosecutor Mark Caliel agreed Susana needs help, but said his job was to stand up for the victim, who Susana admitted neglecting for eight hours after she arrived home and found him unconscious.
At what point do we stop and consider the alternatives to prison?
What Susana did was very wrong.
From all the evidence, she has had an abused existence and her husband killed himself.
She's lost one young son to death by an older son.
If professionals from the Weaver Policy Center are convinced that, with their support and the intervention of Hubbard House and Community Connections, Susana can one day have a productive life, isn't it worth trying?
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