#jaxmayor Episode #4 – Another Place You Don’t Want To Go To

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Rick Mullaney on ending funding for the Automated Skyway Express: he says loses $5 million to $6 million a year and “It takes you from a place you’re unlikely to be to another place you don’t want to go to”.

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In This Episode

We discuss whether or not Mike Hogan is gaffe prone, why Rick Mullaney won’t ride the skyway and we break down the pension issue in a way that won’t make your eyes bleed.

Show intro

Joey Marchy from Urban Jacksonville
Abel Harding Business Reporter and Political Blogger from the Florida Times Union and Jacksonville.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JaxMayorShow
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JaxMayorShow
Email: JaxMayorShow@gmail.com
Subscribe to this show in iTunes (please rate us)

Early Voting and Election Day

The election is March 22, and early voting starts March 7

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EVENTS and RESOURCES
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The election is March 22, and early voting starts March 7

Last Week on First Coast Connect
Feb 17 Listen to Warren Lee
Feb 22 Listen to Rick Mullaney
Feb 23 Listen to Alvin Brown
Feb 24 Listen to Audrey Moran
Feb 28th Mike Hogan (will not appear)
March 15th Steve Irvine

Mar 3 – FPRA is hosting an analysis/panel of experts moderated by #jaxmayor show’s own Abel Harding on the Mayor’s race from 11:30 to 1 at River City Brewing. Non-involved observers include Bruce Barcelo, Jim Bailey and Matt Corrigan. More info at http://fpra-jax.org/.

ThinkVoteJax
Thursday 3/3 at 8pm The role of government in Growth/the Environment
Sunday 3/6 at 10am School Matters Special: Mayoral Forum on Education
Monday 3/7 at 8pm Debate #2 The role of government in Economic Development
Thursday 3/17 at 8 Debate #3: The role of government in Public Health & Safety

Candidate surveys from the St. John’s Riverkeeper

What do you consider to be the most significant threats to the health of the St. Johns River and its watershed and, if elected, what will you do to address those problems

Live chats with each candidate on Jacksonville.com
Warren Lee, Alvin Brown, Mike Hogan, Audrey Moran and Rick Mullaney

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MIKE HOGAN NEWS
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Mike Hogan pulls out of more forums and debates

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/403455/matt-galnor/2011-02-25/mike-hogan-will-only-attend-two-four-tv-mayoral-debates

Mike Hogan Abortion bomb
Is Mike Hogan gaffe prone?

http://jacksonville.com/news/florida/2011-02-24/story/jacksonville-mayoral-hopefuls-take-shots-tea-party-forum

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NEWS
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Glorious Johnson takes aim at Rick Mullaney’s pension

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2011-02-26/story/former-rival-takes-aim-jacksonville-mayoral-candidates-pension

Mayor’s race: How pension and budget are intertwined

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2011-02-26/story/mayors-race-how-pension-and-budget-are-intertwined

Mallaney to stop funding skyway http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/403455/matt-galnor/2011-02-23/rick-mullaneys-skyway-pledge-draws-attention-forum
Observation from listening to all these Mayor forums is how fucked up this city is. We are in really bad shape. Education, Violence, Business Development, Pension, etc.

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MEDIA MONITORING
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http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/403455/matt-galnor/2011-02-24/another-rick-mullaney-ad-no-punches-thrown-%E2%80%94-yet

Mullaney: New ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy9piQ6aJXw

@abelharding : Overwhelmed by sheer volume of @Mullaney4Mayor ads on @wtlvdotcom tonight. Haven’t seen one for other candidates.#jaxmayor

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2) FAVORITE TWEETS
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Faves http://twitter.com/JaxMayorShow/favorites

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ELECTION ISSUES – PENSION
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Hogan require employees in the Deferred Retirement Option Plan to take money when they leave, not roll it over as an investment. Slash appointed positions at City Hall, reforming the city’s purchasing code and eliminating funding for the Human Rights Commission.

Brown pledged to review the budget and pension plan to find ways to cut costs and eliminate duplicative and ineffective services. Will create a financial review task force of experts to oversee a top-to-bottom review of city programs and services, including size and salaries of mayor’s staff and appointees. Brown said he would take a 20 percent pay cut to lead by example.

Lee would give a certain percentage of a payout to people drawing a pension then restructure the plan. by repealing the garbage, stormwater and drainage fees. He proposed no changes to the budgeting process. Will look at appointed employees and specific budget cuts.

Moran require employees to work longer before earning benefits, modifying benefits to current employees, possibly moving general employees to a 401(k) plan, cuts in appointed officials, fleet management and the city’s use of space.

Mullaney shift to a market-based DROP plan instead of a guaranteed 8.4 percent return, increase minimum service requirements from 20 to 25 years, increase employee contributions from 7 to 8 percent and push the cost-of-living increase back to year five. Also contains a combination of cuts and a restructuring of finances, including pensions, salaries, purchasing, procurement, contracts, privatization and technology.

Urban Jacksonville Weekly Episode 4

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Urban Jacksonville Weekly Episode 4 is online. Our topics last week were:

  • Jacksonville and Florida Blow the Stimulus (or how I learned to stop worrying about the arts and public transportation and leanred to love sprawl and diggin ditches)
  • Northbank Riverwalk
  • Twitter: is micro-blogging the new blogging blogging?

You can listen to the audio on Urban Jacksonville Weekly or watch video we recorded

Recommendations

Show Notes

http://theurbancoredotcom.blogspot.com/2009/02/what-he-said.html
http://jacksonvilletransit.blogspot.com/2009/02/jacksonville-and-florida-blow-stimulus.html
http://ceosforcities.blip.tv/#900454
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/content/view/1001/115/
http://jackdiablo.wordpress.com/2009/02/13/i-3-twitter/

Tune in this week for info on the new restaurant coming to Springfield and talk on the landfill deal and how the local community is rallying around the issue. If you have questions or comments on the show send them to
urbanjacksonvilleweekly@gmail.com.

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JCCI Releases 2008 Quality of Life Progress Report

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Lock On Main Street Bridge

The Jacksonville Community Council released it’s 2008 Quality of Life Progress Report this week.

Tracking both positive and negative trends, this report provides an ongoing analysis of the state of our region. The report includes over 100 indicators that reflect trends in nine external environments: education; economy; environment; social wellbeing; arts, culture, and recreation; health; government; transportation; and safety. The document serves as a roadmap for community improvement, telling us where we are, how far we’ve come and where we need to go.

Of particular interest to me are the environmental and transportation indicators.

Environmental

Red Flags were assigned to indicators measuring the health of the St. Johns River and its tributaries and to recycling activity. A positive note earning a Gold Star was a decrease in motor fuel use per person.

This is particularly concerning in light of my post last week on the City’s efforts to reduce recycling expenses city wide.

Transportation

Transportation indicators reflected moderately reduced miles of JTA bus service and decreased bus and Skyway ridership. Restructuring of JTA routes largely accounts for the reduction in miles of service and a reduction in Skyway ridership will not suprise anyone.

I anticipate skyway ridership will increase as more people move to the Southbank and the new King Street developments come online.

I know this is a very brief analysis, but tune into Urban Jacksonville Weekly this Tuesday for a more in depth analysis with Tony Allegretti, Jonathan Bennett and myself. We’ll be broadcasting live video on the Internet at 5:30pm on our Ustream Channel:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/urban-jacksonville-weekly