Ethics in Jacksonville: Revisions to be made to city's Ethics Commission

It seems to be a rare occurrence when groups like Tea Party and the Jacksonville Community Council, Inc. agree on an issue, but groups on both sides of the metaphorical aisle are coming together to call for improvements to the City's ethics commission. According to Steve Patterson's of the Florida Times Union, the bill will:

"set new rules and standards for selecting an unpaid Ethics Commission and give commissioners new power and duties, including hiring some key ethics staff. It would also set up a system to coordinate handling complaints about issues including waste, fraud and conflicts of interest and would give city employees some due-process protection."

A council subcommittee reviewed the ordinances and proposed several changes, including provisions for clearer parameters for investigations and that commissioners should be registered to vote in Duval county.

Brown gains momentum; Hogan has a tea party

The Jacksonville Mayoral race is heating up. Democratic candidate Alvin Brown has gained the support of a long-time republican fundraiser who has vowed to bring $300,000 to his campaign. To add to that thunder, his camp released some new poll findings that could increase his chances to steal the win from his favored opponent. Meanwhile, Republican candidate Mike Hogan held a campaign event with Governor Rick Scott last Friday (04/15/2011), and attended a Tea Party event at the Jacksonville Landing. 

It seems that Brown is making a strong move to gather moderate voters across the city, while Hogan is sticking with cultivating the already solid Tea Party vote. Could Brown pull off another upset?

Redirecting the Fiscal Big Mo

Years ago I was working on a Congressional campaign during primary season.  We had been in the race for several months when suddenly, on the last day to file in the primary a new candidate swooped into the picture.   Weeks later, we were forced into a runoff.  And though we still had a strong lead I could see in the eyes of the campaign consultant I worked for that the momentum, known as the Big Mo, had shifted, leaving our campaign struggling to hold on.  That momentum carried the other candidate to eight terms in the US Congress.

The Big Mo is critical in any campaign, not just campaigns for office.  It also holds true for issues.   Today, the Big Mo is on the march in our nation as nearly every state grapples with budget shortfalls and major deficits.  Republicans capitalized on the crisis during the last election cycle and rightfully so.  Someone needed to show some energy about SOMETHING in 2010.  Sadly, their chosen mantra since winning races across the US has been to kill public funding for everything from education to healthcare to parks.

Young professionals meet Alvin Brown

The Burrito Gallery downtown played host to a Young Professionals networking and fundraising event for Alvin Brown's mayoral campaign. Rainy weather moved the event from the patio into the eclectically adorned walls of the restaurant's interior where the diverse crowd gathered to hear from the candidate. 

Brown did not disappoint.