The weather was terrible that October night. Rain so brutal it flooded streets, making rush-hour traffic all the more miserable.
It didn’t stop close to 40 people from showing up to the Southside home of architect John Zona.
They were there to support a mayoral candidate. Not the incumbent Democrat or the Republican many have pegged as the key challenger.
They were there for Bill Bishop, a two-term Arlington City Council member. The candidate many don’t offer much of a chance come spring.
His inclusion in the race often is lost in conversations of the city’s next leader. Bishop realizes that.
His opponents have more backing, especially from those with deep pockets. Mayor Alvin Brown and Lenny Curry have raised more than $1.6 million and $1.2 million, respectively. Bishop has just over $60,000.
“I’m not naive enough to not know I have a huge challenge,” he said.
It will be an uphill climb, but Bishop said he’s doing it because he believes Jacksonville has the elements to become a great city. And he believes he’s the guy to put them all together.
Bishop has made appearances at more than two dozen events, from civic clubs to Jaguars games, political junkets to neighborhood meetings. Some were fundraisers, others just an opportunity to get his name out and talk about his stances on several issues.
Pension reform is still a must. Transportation and infrastructure have to be improved. He supports the human rights ordinance.
Despite his efforts, it might be what other candidates don’t do that have the biggest influence on his candidacy, said Matthew Corrigan, University of North Florida’s Political Science and Public Administration chair.
Curry is the big draw for many Republicans, for now. Without some of those supporters breaking rank, it will be even tougher for Bishop to compete. If Curry falters in his first campaign for office, it could open up support for Bishop, Corrigan said.
And if Mike Hogan jumps into the race — that would diminish Bishop’s chances even more, Corrigan said.
“If it’s just three, those aren’t terrible odds,” he said if Hogan doesn’t enter the race.
Zona draws parallels to the recent governor’s race — many people claimed they didn’t like either of the big-time candidates.
For the mayor’s race, voters have a solid third choice, he said.
“You always have a chance. This is America,” Zona said.
Making his case
Bishop enthusiastically entered the race in April, touting his experience on council and background in architecture as reasons why voters should consider him qualified. It was a surprise to many, but a move he said he’d contemplated for some time.
“I have an understanding of how cities are supposed to run,” he said at the time.
Since then, he’s had several private events hosted for his candidacy and made numerous campaign stops. There have been trips to Art Walk, Rotary Clubs, law firms and festivals, a calendar with dozens of highlights.
Months later, he’s in a booth at the popular Beaches Diner in San Marco. Still as enthusiastic as when he announced his run.
“Absolutely,” he said. “In many ways, I’m more enthusiastic. There are so many people we’ve talked to … we’re getting all kinds of traction.”
He’s finishing his second term on council and is still heavily involved as an architect at Akel Logan Shafer. The campaign, he said, is just a third full-time job. Balancing the three has been one of the bigger challenges.
On council, he’s served as chair of several committees and was president in 2012-13. As an architect, it’s about painstaking detail with how different parts of a project work together, much like a city.
“I know what makes this city tick,” he said. “I know how to deal with constituents, what issues they deal with on a day-to-day basis.”
Part of the message he’s taking to voters: He’s the experienced one.
Curry has never held public office and a win for him would be on-the-job training, Bishop said, much like it has been for Brown.
Bishop said Brown’s on-the-job training during his first term hasn’t produced positive results, especially addressing larger financial challenges like pension.
“The mayor of the city becomes the face of the city,” he said. “And when you don’t have a mayor with a vision, nothing really happens … that’s where we are at right now.”
Selling it
Bishop is confident that message is resonating. His supporters hope so, too.
Former council member George Banks is among them. Banks has been heavily involved with overseas commerce and relationships for years, and says Bishop understands its importance.
More so, in the areas where he might not be an expert, he listens and will find someone who does have the answer. “I think that’s very important for someone running,” Banks said.
Juan Gray has been a huge advocate for economic development in Northwest Jacksonville. The chair of the Jacksonville Chapter of the Southern Leadership Conference calls such opportunities the “new civil rights.” He said after hearing promises from Brown go unfulfilled during his first term, he likes Bishop’s background.
And he is encouraged by his candidacy after reading an editorial Bishop penned for Folio Weekly about how to improve Northwest Jacksonville.
“There are not many thinkers nowadays,” Gray said.
Bob Freeland counts himself and others in Empire Point as supporters. Bishop recently met with the neighborhood in the St. Nicholas area, taking questions and spreading the message on why he should be the city’s next leader.
“He brings something to the table that we haven’t had in some time,” Freeland said, mentioning Bishop’s blend of business and public service already under his belt.
It’s those types of meetings Bishop has frequently attended, gauging interest and support. He said it’s the neighborhood groups — the everyday voters — where he’s making in-roads.
“Constantly,” he said. “Little events, big events, we’re doing them all.”
Still, it likely will take more to make an impression.
Working against him
While Bishop is making the rounds, his opponents are making the headlines.
They’ve each raised more than $1 million, most times raising in one month what Bishop has in his entire campaign.
It’s money that fuels media campaigns, especially for cities as big as Jacksonville, Corrigan said.
Bishop knows this.
“No, I don’t have a million bucks in the bank,” he said. “I’ve got to hand it to them. They’ve done their homework and lined up big pocket donors. That’s great.”
Grassroots, social media, “pounding the pavement.” They’re the ways he said he’ll try to level the playing field.
Banks said “it’s tough fighting the money,” but grassroots is the way to win local office.
“You can have $1 million and put your face on TV, but if you don’t have the background …” he said before trailing off.
And while Bishop uses his council experience as a plus, it typically hasn’t meant winning a mayor’s race, Corrigan said.
The last person pull it off was Jake Godbold in 1979. Even then it wasn’t a pure position switch, as Godbold was sitting mayor for six months prior because Hans Tanzler stepped down to run for governor.
Council members, Corrigan said, have to make funding, zoning and other choices that “please half the people … and make half the people upset.”
On policy issues, their experience can be an advantage, Corrigan said, but not everyone pays attention to council.
“Voters don’t always reward people who have been through it,” Corrigan said.
Pushing on
Bishop said he knows the odds and the doubts that are out there. The ones who point toward fundraising totals as reasons he won’t win.
“Most people look at money as a scorecard,” he said. “But, at the end of the day, you’ve got to get votes. Money doesn’t win elections, votes do.”
Zona said people are “sick to death” of politicians who judge the value of a candidacy based on fundraising.
“This is a chance to do something about it,” he said.
Over the next several months, Bishop will try to persuade voters to take that chance. He’ll continue to campaign, keep pushing his names in areas where constituents might not know him very well. Not like the ones in his Arlington district do, at least.
Once debates are set up, he fully expects to take part in them — and shine.
He’ll keep raising money, knowing it won’t come close to his opponents. He’ll stay enthusiastic, despite his naysayers.
He believes he has a shot.
@writerchapman
(904) 356-2466