All right, we're calling this meeting to order at uh 3 30 p.m.

Uh please let's start with introductions to my left Councilman Regal Gaffinett Jr.

District 8.

Uh Councilmember Rachman Johnson, District 14.

And I want to deviate from the agenda just a bit.

I was just in a meeting, Councilmember, and I hope you will join me.

Um I am sad because there was a two-year-old um that was shot and murdered um a few days ago.

And the story uh really gripped me, but I did not know his name.

Uh I now know his name, and I want to speak it.

And I hope that we could all in this room, not just for me and you, but all of us take a moment to just think about this little boy.

Uh his name is Amari Robinson.

And uh he was shot due to completely unnecessary gun violence.

Please take a moment and let's just remember Amari Robinson.

Thank you.

Uh I hope to speak to it tonight.

Um, this needless senseless violence in our community must stop.

And and you see the byproduct of it.

This little boy was two, and I finally saw his picture.

I had seen the story, but I finally, you know, I was adjusting a meeting and a size picture, and yeah, that's all I can say.

Um so my heart goes out to his family and and this community because this is a statistic that we must stop.

With that, um, we are here to talk about the 2627 leadership uh of the Jacksonville City Council.

Uh as you know, council member, I have declared my candidacy for vice president of the Jacksonville City Council, uh, as we did in this room.

I am, I believe, uniquely positioned to be the next vice president of the council.

And um, I wanted to find out or just ask questions more than anything, and I've asked everyone for their support, which I will um more formally.

But to you, what do you think uh is necessary or the qualities needed for a leader at this point for the council.

Uh thank thank you for the opportunity.

Thank you for meeting with me.

Um that's a great question.

I think for one, someone who can bring council together.

Um, who can have some type of bipartisan leadership and bring all the colleagues together?

Um I think for two, um, someone who could, you know, just the tone, I guess the environment, you know, uh I think this respect to the current president, but the you know, this past year, you know, um uh a lot of us, you know, um scrutinize and ask questions because of our former colleagues, so you know, maybe just um someone who could change the morale in the environment of the current setting.

You know, so um, but just you know, just bring it together, colleagues, um, changing the morale, um, being fair, um, respect, feeling having uh all the colleagues feeling her value, all the colleagues, um, getting a voice to participate.

Um, which we have her, everybody don't get a choice.

And um, and most important, I think, well, some of the districts.

Um not getting left behind.

You know, we hear that so often that you know why everything over there and not nothing in my district.

You know, so um, but it was a loaded question, hopefully gave you a load of answer.

Well, I think it's it's good.

I mean, we needed that.

I want to know everyone's perspective, and it's it's interesting.

Um, I know we all have respect for the process in our colleagues, but I know I was just in a meeting with council member uh Lane, and one of the terms he used, I think that kind of defined it best was drama, like let's move away from the drama.

And you know, I wish we could do more of this, these conversations that we have, unfortunately.

Um I don't I do believe in the sunshine process, but I do believe that in some ways it hinders us having these real conversations and being closer and more united as a council.

Um what are some of the things district eight is uh one of the other things I want to focus on is making sure that during my leadership tenure, if I'm granted, is to ensure that our districts are taken care of.

What are the priorities that you need that are important to not just you but your constituents and district eight as a whole?

Yeah, well according to planning apartment.

Um outside of district 12, is it a district 12 and district eight?

It's as fast as growing districts here in Jacksonville, um, due to the land, process proximity of land.

And so uh, you know, if I had to answer that question, I guess the infrastructure, you know, um infrastructure and uh sidewalks, traffic lights, um addressing flooding when it rained constantly and continually.

Um and this not building on top of each other.

I understand that we have a housing shortage, I understand that we have a housing crisis, but I still think that we gotta build smart.

Um I'm not sure it's been one piece of legislation when it comes to building when the constituents have come out on top, you know, versus a build or developer in the last three years, you know.

So infrastructure, you know, like I said, training and just making sure it's smart growth in terms of you know the traffic is addressed, you know, before we just stack a hundred homes on top of each other.

I'm dealing with the issue.

I know you're remembering we serve on OUZ together, but there's an issue in my district I'm dealing with is Morris and C board.

It's exactly like that.

They want to put more homes.

I don't have an opinion, neither do you.

We put that out there, but um, they want to build more homes, but it's not is the infrastructure there?

Can you deal with another 89 homes in the space?

And so that's kind of what you know our community has addressed, and and I've been able to champion at least having a conversation before the decision is made, making sure the developer is in concert and conversation with the community.

And that's last night I was in a meeting, man, about the neighborhood bill of rights.

Um, and that's one of the main things about the bill, making sure that people are notified and that they're part of the process.

Yeah.

Because in many ways, they don't know to even come and say, you know what, let's make sure we're gonna do the sidewalk or we're gonna do the streets or whatever the case may be.

So I'm page there.

You know, so um that's the biggest thing, you know, um, for myself and I think the district, um, the constituents in the district.

Yep, I got you.

Well, I wanna um do you have any questions for me in particular?

I hope I can count on your support for uh this race at least while I'm in it.

I do plan to be in it for the long haul.

Um, but do you have any questions for me that I can answer?

Actually, I don't.

Okay.

Well, I appreciate it.

I appreciate your friendship and and also the pragmatism you bring when it comes to this council and the work you do.

I do hope that this will take me into leadership, and I hope that you will be a part of that leadership team to to move things forward.

And I pray, while I'm not asking for it formally with those pledge forms, because as I'm reminded, uh some former council members told me that don't mean nothing.

Right.

They said they could just change and vote for whoever they want to.

So, but I do hope that you will continue to look critically at my candidacy, and I hope I can count on your support.

Absolutely.

Thank you.

Thank you.

With that, we will call this meeting to order or adjourned, excuse me.

I just called it.