Chris Hand had been chief of staff for a couple of months when he got married in October 2011.
At one point, while he and his wife were on their honeymoon, Hand was returning phone calls from reporters.
It was part of the early confirmation the position he had taken in Mayor Alvin Brown’s administration was the all-consuming job he had expected. Even while in the Bahamas.
Hand said from the beginning he planned to stay on two or three years. That morphed into nearly four years, as he worked on key issues such as retirement reform.
Hand announced Thursday he would be leaving City Hall, probably in June, the month he turns 42.
“The great part is I’m doing it at the right time,” he said of his departure. “At a time I’m still enjoying it.”
Another benefit: “I’ve got three wonderful redheads that live in my house who I will get to see a lot more,” Hand said, referring to his wife and their two children.
Being chief of staff put Hand in the spotlight and, at times, at odds with City Council members, especially during highly charged budget and pension discussions.
It also was a job that offered a good blend of duties for the self-proclaimed dyed-in-the-wool policy and legal wonk.
Catching a break, changing teams
Hand caught a break early in his career when he got a job working for former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham.
“It was an incredible stroke of luck,” said Hand, whose jobs included speechwriter and press secretary.
Hand also served as Alex Sink’s campaign manager in 2006 when she was elected Florida’s chief financial officer.
He worked for two of Jacksonville’s largest law firms — Rogers Towers and Terrell Hogan — and served on the campaign staff for Audrey Moran, a former mayoral candidate who ran against Brown in 2011.
When Moran lost in the First Election, Hand joined Brown’s team.
The two knew each other from their time in Washington, D.C., when Hand was in Graham’s office and Brown worked for the Clinton administration.
Brown said Hand came “highly recommended” for the chief of staff’s role from Moran and Preston Haskell.
The mayor said he wanted someone with a strong work ethic and the ability to focus on an issue and make sure it gets done.
“He can be firm when he needs to and he can compromise when he has to,” Brown said.
The other side of the table
City Council President Clay Yarborough didn’t always see the compromise side in Hand. The two have been on the opposite sides on some issues for which they both were passionate.
Yarborough was critical of Hand’s tone, at times, when the chief of staff was sharing his opinion. He said when he took over as council president last year, three fellow members approached him separately and complained about what they perceived as Hand being harsh, almost disrespectful at times.
Yarborough said he felt that himself during this year’s budget talks when he asked Hand to prioritize the administration’s capital projects list.
Hand’s response that the administration had done what it was legally required to do surprised Yarborough.
He met with Hand in private to share his concerns and those of his fellow council members.
Yarborough said Hand told him that “perhaps the message was not taken in the spirit he was trying to deliver it.”
Hand said he “very much took it (the conversation) to heart.”
Yarborough said similar concerns were never brought to his attention again.
He praised Hand’s work ethic, saying no matter what time he would leave City Hall, whether it was 6 p.m. or 9 p.m., Hand’s car was still in the parking garage.
“That shows dedication,” Yarborough said.
Another person who worked with Hand throughout the years was John Keane, administrator of the Police and Fire Pension Fund. The two have been on opposite sides of the table during pension negotiations for quite a while.
Keane said he felt Hand was always well-prepared for the talks and forthright in his views of what he was trying to accomplish. He said the two shared a similar tenet that you can disagree without being disagreeable.
Lessons learned, perspectives gained
Hand said his time at City Hall has made him fall deeper in love with his hometown because he’s seen it from a different vantage point. The job also reawakened his passion for governing.
Among the administration’s accomplishments he’s most proud of include the development in Brooklyn, where a string of once-vacant lots on Riverside Avenue are now filled with retail and apartments.
Among those lessons he’s learned on a personal side: Energy drinks are overrated and sleep is underrated.
Hand said he isn’t sure what’s next for him. He and Graham may update “America, the Owner’s Manual: Making Government Work for You,” a book they wrote together in 2010.
He is certain his wife will plan a vacation for the family. This time with no calls from reporters to return.
@editormarilyn
(904) 356-2466