MIKE HOGAN WON THE DEBATE... WON'T GIVE ALVIN BROWN A CHANCE FOR A DO-OVER

[J.R.]

Having the first question of the debate, Mike Hogan clearly established, early on, the tone he would carry throughout the debate. His straightforward honesty and sincerity shone through as he consistently stayed on his message of fiscal responsibility, his attention to what the citizens of Duval County need and want, and his intention of bringing in new businesses to create jobs and stimulate the economy.

I was really proud of Mike when he did the same thing he did at the First Coast Tea Party Town Hall, when Rick Mullaney made a gratuitous negative remark about him. He again took the high road when given an opportunity to say something negative about his opponent. While he declined to take the low road, his opponent, Alvin Brown, set his own bar low... and then managed to get under it.

Mike also made it clear that, while downtown Jacksonville is as important as every other area of Jacksonville, it is not more important. He mentioned a few common sense ideas for where money could be reasonably spent in the downtown area, but he stressed preparing a deep channel for further port development that would benefit the economy of the area, as well as the job market. And while he would hope to find the money to sustain all the county libraries, he would cut in that area before he would cut the fire or police departments. In other words, he will see to our safety first, just as he will see to our fiscal health first. He also said we can't afford a new convention center in this economy, no matter how nice it might be or how much we would all like to have one. He also mentioned that he has identified $62M in cuts that can be made in the budget.

Alvin Brown gave it his best shot, but fell down in the areas of where he would place his emphasis, where his financial priorities are, and where he would continue to spend money---on downtown Jacksonville and its nightlife. Sounds more like the last two RINO Mayors of Jacksonville, with pet projects and pet areas of development and re-development that we can live without in this recessionary period that could even become a double-dip recession... or worse. His performance could have been worse, but it was somewhat scattered and repetitive and I don't believe his unimpressive past work experience he cited holds a candle to Mike Hogan's.

Mike has been a Chief Executive of a major corporation and he has had many years of solid experience in County government, especially as the county's chief bean counter. He knows how much money the county actually has and that we can't spend it on anything but the most important and necessary things. He also agrees with us that we're T.E.A. - Taxed Enough Already.

It was so refreshing to see Mike so comfortable in his own skin tonight, as he spoke in a very relaxed and conversational manner while answering the moderators' questions. This continued when he was asked by a moderator if he would agree to another debate, followed up by a challenge from Alvin Brown for same. Mike Hogan calmly and politely declined and explained that he, Sheriff Rutherford and the State Attorney (Angela Corey) had been walking neighborhoods and talking with many citizens all over Duval County to find out what was on their minds and what their priorities are for the county and the particular area in which they live... and that he would be continuing to do that right up to the election.

He did us proud, Tea Party Patriots! He was strong on issues, substance, and seriousness of purpose. And he demonstrated that, throughout the debate, with character and style.

GO TO THIS LINK TO READ MY BLOG POST ABOUT THE $62 MILLION IN BUDGET CUTS MIKE HOGAN'S IDENTIFIED, WHAT THEY ARE AND ALL ABOUT HIS PLATFORM AND PLANS FOR DUVAL COUNTY. IT INCLUDES HIS POST-ELECTION SPEECH AND SOME VERY PRACTICAL THINGS YOU CAN DO TO HELP HIM WIN THE RUN-OFF ELECTION ON MAY 17th:

http://www.fctpcommunity.org/profiles/blogs/mike-hogan-has-detailed...

[J.R.]

Laura, the question for me is will Mike Hogan come out strong enough in pointing out lack of qualifications and experience on Alvin Brown's part.  Mike is a very genuine nice guy, but I don't want to see this nice guy finish last.  I believe Audry Moran to be a RINO and her endorsement of Alvin Brown confirms that... it's too deliberate an action to be passed off as just sour grapes. As for the Weavers, they must have gotten confirmation from Brown that he will strongly support the Jaguars and whatever the Weavers' vested interests are. And, to be true, such a wealthy couple is a "get," in terms of raising money for a campaign.  I'm hoping that Mike will come on stronger in this race as we are getting closer to the finish line.

You're right about the rest of the story being about Jacksonville and NE Florida and the Dems and Obama in 2012.  Fortunately, we have 18 months to counter their efforts, but we'll surely see the unions and Organizing for America here en masse from now until Nov. 6, 2012. 

Hopefully, and we all need to push this, the FL Legislature will pass legislation in the next legislative session to force all presidential candidates to provide proveable evidence that they are eligible to run for President. A number of states are considering doing this, and one state has already approved such a law... Oklahoma, I believe.  I know Oklahoma recently passed a constitutional amendment petition initiative, by a vote of 70% statewide, to prohibit the use of Shari'a law in their state.  This is something I want done in Florida and am researching and seeking support for it.

[Laura Sisler]

J.R.,   To your point, I think I heard on the radio that Doris Weaver came out and backed Alvin Brown after Audrey Moran didn't secure a spot in the run-off election.   I don't know much about her, but she struck me as a RINO very early on.  Especially, when I saw Obama/Biden and Audrey Moran bumper stickers on the same car. 

My take on his calling out Win Dixie is that it was his way of playing to his base and those undecided who might be swayed by his testimonial.  It's not that I expect the money to be returned, but that Mr. Brown is so emphatic about his desire to become mayor is because "It is about Jacksonville."     That just doesn't strike me as the whole truth.  The rest of ths story seems it's about Jacksonville & Northeast, FL for Pres. Obama and the Dems in 2012. No surprise there.

Regardless of the race or candidate, no politician is perfect but honesty and some proven leaderships qualities is a good start for me.  Like you, I think Mike Hogan has some good opportunties to provide some convincing campaign ads to reinforce this. 

[J.R.]

Great points, Laura.  I thought the sweating might be from stage lighting close by or just a little nervousness at the very beginning, but he hit his stride very quickly.  You're so right about Brown being, essentially, a Johnny-one-note in the similarity of his answers. He really said very little of substance, which is not really smart to keep repeating. Frankly, I was offended by the way he gave a shout out to Winn Dixie, perhaps signaling money and support coming to him from Wayne Weaver, in order to get some from the Jaguars and others, also. 

I've never heard of politicians giving donations back, unlelss they were found to be illegal and they returned them to save themselves. Those out of state donations coming to Brown were in addition to all the boots on the ground from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and Obama's Organizing for America, who have been here helping Brown for almost two weeks now. My guess is they're helping him spend that money during their organizing and get out the vote efforts.  This is probably just the beginning of their registering everybody they can in Florida over the next 18 months, including Mickey and Minnie Mouse. And, it's their usual modis operandi to bus voters to the polls. In the 2008 presidential election, they bused people across state lines to vote in presidential caucuses to help Obama beat Hillary.  

About the advertising, I would like to see something more dynamic and packing a punch. And his past business and government associates might be just the right ones to deliver that emphasis. Or something strong coming from Mike Hogan himself.

[Laura Sisler]

I was a little concerned about Mr. Hogan at first.  He appeared to be sweating profusely at the beginning.  He soon became comfortable and provided complete and honest answers that conveyed his commitment to a conservative city government where safety and essential services would always come first.   Mr. Brown seemed to always find a different way to answer all the questions the same.  He only changed the way in which he said it.  When it came to the question about the money coming into his campaign from sources outside Jacksonville and the state of Florida, I only wish they followed up by asking him if he'd be willing to return those donations if this election is really about Jacksonville and not DC  politics.  If I  had one request or suggestion for  Mr. Hogan, although the TV ad by his wife provides a nice biographical insight, I wish he'd conisider coming out with something a little more 'fresh' before May 17th.  I think that  type of ad can get stale quickly.  Of course his wife will support him, but what about some of the many people who have worked with him during his public/private service?