JAX Chamber President and CEO Daniel Davis told a civic club meeting Dec. 5 that he and Mayor Donna Deegan are working cooperatively in the aftermath of their often-acrimonious rivalry as candidates in the 2023 mayoral election.
“I have been very blessed to be able to work with Mayor Deegan over the last several months, and she’s been incredibly gracious to me and to the business community,” Davis said as keynote speaker at the Southside Business Men’s Club meeting.
“We had the opportunity to serve over in London a couple of weeks ago on our trade mission, and she met with over 50 CEOs while she was there, focusing on bringing more businesses in this community.”
Among the issues in which Davis and Deegan disagreed as candidates was how to negotiate a new stadium deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, with Davis saying he would lead the talks himself and Deegan planning to bring in a team of professional negotiators.
Davis expressed support for the city leadership’s handling of the negotiations, saying he felt the process was being done correctly.
In related news, City Council President Ron Salem told the Cuppa Jax audience Dec. 6 that his goals as Council president included to “work through the stadium (deal)” before his time in the role ends in June.
Amid news that Salem and Deegan met separately with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell before the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Monday Night Football game Dec. 4, Salem said a deal would need to be introduced to the Council by the end of April for it to be approved during his time as president.