Elections aren’t over just yet.
Current and future City Council members the first of week of June will elect leadership for the 2015-16 year that begins July 1. The results, though, might already be a done deal.
Typically, the council vice president the preceding year rises to president after a vote of the 19-member body.
That’s Greg Anderson, the At-Large Group 4 member and a senior private banking officer for EverBank. And while he has eight letters of support in hand and at least four verbals, he’s not ready to declare it a done deal.
“I’m very confident the election is moving in the right direction,” he said last week. Anderson is hoping to get the rest of the letters of support back this week.
Anderson said he has three priorities heading into next year.
The first aligns well with Mayor-elect Lenny Curry and incoming Sheriff Mike Williams: reducing Jacksonville’s crime.
Anderson said he’s already met with Williams about supporting “the right level” of officers, though he wouldn’t say what the right level is. Anderson also will continue anti-blight efforts and focus on communities with more incidents of crime.
Next on Anderson’s list is continuing the ongoing effort to put the city in a financially stable model. Reform on pensions, which continues to dent the city’s general fund, by July “would be helpful.”
“It’s not something you learn quickly,” he said, referring to the 11 incoming members.
On the financial end, Anderson said he also wanted the city to look at publicly owned properties and try to get them back on the tax rolls and off the city books.
Another goal would be to find a way to continue investing in areas like art, libraries and other quality-of-life features.
While Anderson’s step up is expected, someone will have to take his spot as vice president.
That likely will be Lori Boyer, the District 5 representative and attorney who has been heavily involved in council matters the past several years.
Boyer has at least a dozen letters of support with four others verbally committing to her election as vice president. She sent letters in January to current and future council members who still were embroiled in races that came to a finale last week.
The vice president’s duty comes with being more of a public face to the community, something she said she’s looking forward to doing.
“I think I can represent the council well,” she said. “I feel very comfortable with it.”
It likely will mean pulling back from some of her council responsibilities — this year alone she’s served on four standing committees, been the liaison to the Downtown Investment Authority, led the efforts for a Capital Improvement Plan subcommittee and served on the Value Adjustment Board.
For Anderson, Boyer and the other six returning council members, they’ll be surrounded by new faces. Eleven council members are coming on board for a first term but Anderson said he plans on providing as much training for them as possible to help with the transition. That includes work with Matt Corrigan, University of North Florida Political Science and Public Administration Department chair.
And as for the other new face on the fourth floor, both Anderson and Boyer spoke highly of Curry.
“He’s going to be an excellent mayor,” said Anderson. “I look forward to working with him.”
The transition from current to next takes place July 1.
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