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The mayor and City Council did what they thought was in the best
interest of the city at the time. However, I think I would have been
really focused on looking atways tostreamline government and
concentrate more on public-private partnerships, finding more
partners in the private sector to support such things as our parks, our
libraries, our senior centers and the Jacksonville Journey. Getting the
private sector and national foundations to adopt a park or a program,
or getting the private sector and foundations to give funding to
Jacksonville Journey, since it helps with kids and the whole notion of
after school programs, getting private sector dollars to support it,
which would mitigate our cost. I would also have looked for more
savings by streamlining the government and initiating a strict
purchasing policy. I would have looked at freezing our equipment and
vehicle purchases, trying instead to extend the life of such things as
vehicles, equipment and computers, but being careful not to hurt
productivity or effectiveness.







 


 





Yes. I support it. Jacksonville Journeyis working and I would
continue to fund it. The program has increased police presence in
crime hot spots, funded after school programs for 1,700 children and
helped ex-offenders make a positive transition into the community.
However, it is important to develop new metrics to determine whether
taxpayer funds are being used efficiently and effectively.

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So far, I have received endorsements from individuals who are
familiar with my work and my character. President Clinton, Vice
President Gore, numerous pastors, colleagues at JU, business
leaders such as Dr. Chester Aiken, Charlie Appleby, Lisa Weatherby
and former Chamber Chair Adam Herbert. In addition, State Reps.
Mia Jones and Reggie Fullwood, State Sen. Tony Hill, Council
Members Warren Jones, Reginald Brown and Dr. Johnny Gaffney,
School Board members Betty Burney and Paula Wright, and U.S.
Rep. Corrine Brown have all endorsed me. My work in the Clinton
administration in providing leadership to help communities revitalize
their cities, focusing on job creation, improving the quality of life in
cities that focused on jobs, transportation, education, public
safety,working with stakeholders throughout the nation,
businessleaders, civic leaders, will allow me to reach out to those
individuals to help move Jacksonville forward. The same is true about
my ability to work with members of Congress on both sides of the
aisle.

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A fair amount, actually. I¶m chairman of the board of Families of Slain
Children. I served as chairman of the board of the National Black
MBA Association, which represents more than 100,000 MBA
graduates. I served on the Jacksonville University Board of Trustees.
I served on the Jacksonville Chamber Board of Directors. I¶m a
lifetime member of the NAACP and served on the executive
committee of the local branch of the NAACP. I work with 100 black
men. In the past, I hosted an annual forum on access to higher
education, which included more than 100 colleges and universities.
Through a partnership with the Martin Luther King Center, I created
an academic essay challenge, which annually sends students and
parents to Atlanta to observe the Martin Luther King holiday and learn
about civil rights. I served on the board of Junior Achievement.I¶m
also very active in my church and head up evangelism there. I¶m also
an active member of Kappa Apha Psi fraternity.

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I will comply with the letter and the spirit of Florida¶s public records
and government in the Sunshine laws. My administration will be
open, transparent.If I saw an elected official breaking the Sunshine
law I would bring it to the official¶s attention and suggest that he/she
post a notice and continue the meeting at a later date. I would not
participate in that meeting. I would also suggest to the public official
that he/she contact the General Counsel to get a briefing on the law
and potential consequences of violating it. I also would suggest to the
General Counsel that he/she brief the official. One of the things I did
years ago was lead a national dialogue on leadership and ethics as
chair of the national MBA Association at the National Press Club in
Washington, D.C. with former U.S. Sen. Kit Bond of Missouri, and
former JU President David Harlow. Some Jacksonville business
leaders, including Wally Lee of the Jacksonville Chamber, were there.

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I would work with all the key stakeholders in Jacksonville, but also
work with Florida¶s Congressional Delegation to get resources from
Washington to help clean up the St. Johns River, coupled with
cleanup ofbrownfields. I would encourage researchers at JU and UNF
to continue looking into the causes and potential solutions for such
things as algae blooms, fish kills and other environmental issues that
are detrimental to the health of the St. Johns. I would work with the
St. Johns Riverkeeper to get fundingfor the American Heritage
Rivers, which started during the Clinton administration.

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First of all, I would continue to support the Jacksonville Journey. I
believe it is a step in the right direction. I also support community
policing, which has a track record of being an effective tool to reduce
violent crime and murder. I would also look at proposals in the 2006
JCCI study such as addressing opportunities for prevention,
intervention and rehabilitation, direct resources to eliminate problems
and create solutions. I would push to involve community stakeholders
and parents, such as the faith-based community, the YMCA, Police
Athletic League, Boys and Girls Clubs, fraternities and sororities, Big
Brothers, Big Sisters and other organizations focused on families and
children.I would work to foster an environment that would create jobs
and internships. To do that, I would work with the private sector.As for
infant mortality, I would appoint an ombudsman to spearhead this
initiative to make sure that we implement all the recommendations
laid out by JCCI in their 2008 report. Although some of the
recommendations have been implemented, others have not but
should be. Chief among them is the appointment of an ombudsman
similar to the St. Johns Riverkeeper. As for suicide, we need to
partner with healthcare providers and certified counselors who would
be able to provide advice and council to students and parents in
partnership with the school system. Part of the challenge is dealing
with high-tech bullying and building self-esteem among our
youngsters.

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Consolidation has been good for Jacksonville and stands as a model
for communities throughout the country. It allows us to operate
efficiently and effectively, avoids duplication of departments or
agencies and has given us a better structure for government. It forces
us to look at government in a holistic way and to make sure that
government is providing services that help improve the quality of life
for the citizens of Jacksonville. It makes it attractive for businesses to
come here and do business without having to go to multiple
jurisdictions to get the permits and other approvals necessary to set
up shop here. We have one-stop shopping, which fosters business
opportunities. Anyone can have access and partner with our
government. On the negative side, it didn¶t allow for a strong ethics-
accountability office or inspector general that would investigate
waste, fraud and abuse in government, an independent body that
would be independent of politics and have teeth to bring criminal
charges in cases of corruption or mismanagement of taxpayer¶s
money