Dear Voter,

Do you think the Jacksonville City Council shares your priorities?

If you’re a developer, you might. After all, nearly any project seems possible, if you hire the right consultant.

If you’re one of the owners of a professional sports franchise, you might, since all you have to do is whisper “relocate”, and the sky’s the limit!

The list goes on and on… Jacksonville is truly a land of opportunity for the well connected.

My priorities are your priorities.

Notice I didn’t say the Mayor’s priorities are my priorities. Apparently the current City Council finds it difficult to say “No” to the Mayor. As the father of a seven year old, I can assure you, I know how to say “No”!

Notice I didn’t say the lobbyist’s priorities are my priorities. I can understand how the current City Council might be a little confused about that, since lobbyists routinely pay for catered meals in the “Green Room” for Council members. Assuming you or I could afford to buy the entire City Council dinner, do you think they would accept the invitation?

So, what, exactly, are my priorities?

Jobs. Specifically, good jobs. I don't know exactly what it will take to bring the kinds of jobs we want to Jacksonville, but I know doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is one definition of insanity. The incentives offered by the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission have brought too many low-paying jobs, some of which have literally been here one day and gone the next. It's time to try something new.

Parks. Jacksonville has one of the largest park systems in the country, yet the nearest park with a soccer field or a nice playground is a 20 or 30 minute drive from my house, depending upon traffic. (I think I've made it there in 15 minutes early on a Saturday morning to set up the soccer fields for the day's games.) There’s a new park on Huffman Road under construction, but there is still plenty of work to do elsewhere in the district, and across the city.

Libraries. It's nice to know the libraries are open when Mayor Peyton wants to read to a group of school children. Wouldn't it be nice if they were open when we wanted to read to our own children?

The environment. We've been talking about cleaning up the St John's River for over 30 years now. As my mother would say, it's time to put up or shut up. The scientists and engineers know how to fix the problem - all that's lacking is the political will to spend the money.

Of course, no matter what my priorities, I can't win this election alone. I need help getting petitions signed. I need help going door to door, taking my message to voters. And yes, nearly everything I do will cost money, whether it's printing petition forms or feeding volunteers, so monetary contributions are certainly appreciated.

Thank you for your time, and thank you in advance for your support. With your help, I'm confident we can win this election!

Dave Baldwin
Candidate for City Council