We need these things on.

Need this on.

Gotta call this meeting in order at 2 p.m.

Um, and as you said earlier before the meeting started, I have to echo your sentiments, uh, council member um for Carol and Andrew, they are the lifeblood that keeps us looking good.

But if not for the people that are making sure we all the trains run on time, we would not be able to do this.

So we don't say it enough.

Thank you, thank you, thank you both.

No doubt, no doubt.

And you said it, sorry.

We are we are so blessed to have you two with us.

Absolutely.

So um little introductions.

Um, everybody, my name is Chris Miller.

Um the at large uh group five city councilmen, and Rockman Johnson, District 14.

And this meeting, um, both, as we well know, Chris and I are both candidates for council vice president, and I could not be more honored to be in this space with somebody of your leadership caliber.

Um, I you know, had a lot of calls, people saying, hey, as a Democrat or as a minority on the council, you know, with the super majority Republicans, that I stepped up, but it's not just about a party affiliation, it's it's about making sure, as you said in your remarks, moving this council forward.

And so I think all four of us who are in this race really do have a firm desire to want to move the council forward.

So I gotta say thank you, as I said in my remarks, and as you did too, I am so appreciative, and I said it last night.

All of us, we're a family on this council.

We may not always agree on how to get to the place, but we agree that we need to move to the place.

So thank you for your leadership in the past and being in this space.

Well, I appreciate I appreciate that, and thank you for um for being in this race.

And I said that during your leadership meeting, and I and I really meant it.

Um, for the folks, the two of us and the other two who have stepped forward, uh, I agree with you.

They do, we all care about our city, or otherwise we wouldn't be running for vice president.

And so regardless of how this works out, turns out, if we can embrace that that real concept of being family, and instead of forming little factions or subfactions or um, you know, and I mean we may get into this in our conversation, and I'll have to be careful.

Uh, my wife would like to be here and tell me to not share so much, but uh, I tend to just open up uh sometimes, maybe more than I should, but that's the way it should be.

We shouldn't, it's like when I was in the military.

Did I ever ask anyone, officer enlisted, warrant, civilians, did I ever ask any of them what party they were in?

No, we never even talked about it.

Right.

I mean, for over 30 years, I never talked about politics.

It was about working together as a team, and some of those were close to being family relationships because you were so close and you would do anything for each other.

And in our case, we should be willing to do anything to move our city forward and do whatever's best for our city.

There, there's an almost every situation a best way forward if we're willing to listen to each other, learn from each other, and tap in to the expertise, the education, the desire, and the way God's wired each one of us differently to tap into that and say, how do we best utilize and capitalize on what each one of us brings to the table to this city council family?

If we can break that code going forward, this city can be in an amazing place leadership-wise.

We need each other.

We and I I think you said it right.

It's like the what is it, the hip bones connected to the thigh bone or that that old thing.

But God does have us.

I'm glad you brought that up that God has us in this way that we are, you know.

To me, I am, while I you know know how to manage a checkbook, I am certainly not uh Will Lane, right?

Who I adore.

Um, if there are financial things that are going on, especially when it comes to big dollar amounts and stuff that's far down the future, I am so fortunate.

I don't know who they had on past councils.

I can't even think if they had a Will Lennon like person on past councils.

But Will is really, really wickedly smart at that kind of stuff.

We are so fortunate to have him and have you with your 30 years of leadership and having Terrence with his you know pro sports as well as nonprofit background and Kevin, I mean, all the people that we have in there versus if that's what this is supposed to be about.

Not about Democrats are over here, Republicans are over here, neither of the twins shall meet, and and we're not dependent on one or the other.

You know, one thing I appreciate about you too, that not just one thing, but one of the many things is I know a lot of times I will do, and I know you do this too, when we're doing legislation, you will request co-introducers, you'll send it out and have co-introducers come in because it's not about, hey, look at what I did, but it's hey, I I did this, but let's get together and work on this.

And I do the same thing, and unfortunately, sometimes I will see some folk will say, Well, this is my piece of legislation, and you can co-sponsor it, but I'm introducing it.

And and I don't even because let's be honest, how many people really read the introduced by thing and say, is this the introducer or not?

I just, you know, so I I think you have the right idea.

Well, thank you, and that was a good reminder because I don't always think about that.

Sometimes I can get in the middle of let's get this done, let's get it through so we can enact it.

Um, that that that's a good reminder.

But you do it.

You there should be, you know, there are I could do that a little bit more.

I but you're intentional.

I will say that Chris, I that's one of the many things I appreciate about you, and and in fact, not withstanding the fact that Shar makes some amazing food.

We're not we lucky to have you here because I love love, you know, I've adored your wife since day one.

Uh let me ask you, what you know, obviously, one of the I had these meetings with a few of the other members, and one of the words I thought that was interesting was brought up was drama.

Like, hey, we want to steer away from the drama.

Um, and I thought that was a good way to put it.

In your belief and your understanding, what do we collectively as this council, what do we need to move forward?

Um as far as the drama comment, I mean drama is good.

I appreciate drama, but at the Ritz Theater, uh, the Florida Theater, Broadway, off Broadway, Hollywood.

I mean, I appreciate the drama.

I really do.

But I don't think the average person in Jacksonville elected any of us to be in the middle of drama or to create drama.

You know, life has enough challenges as it is without us creating additional problems, working together, or creating things that we have to resolve, if nothing else, I think they expect us to work together and to be able to get along together.

And and that is one thing I wish they understood.

Like you make comments about Andrew and about Carol.

I wish more people could see that we do get along.

This isn't a Democrats over here, Republicans over here.

We're walking in the halls and we're up in the offices, whatever.

We we have friendly relationships, most of us with each.

But that should be the way it is all the time, not just up in the offices or when we're passing each other in the hall.

It should be when we're legislating.

When we're doing the people's work, it should be that cordial and professional environment and friendly environment that people don't see other places.

And so that's their impression.

So I get why somebody would say, let's get away from the drama.

And I and I certainly agree with that.

We could drill down into inside and outside causes for that.

I think we all know what's going on.

Any of us you know who have made it out of high school know what's going on.

Right, right, right.

But how do we how do we work together going forward?

Um to take us to a better place.

Because as you've always heard me say, and I've heard you say things along these lines, every situation, every organization can always improve.

Yes.

And if we're looking for those ways to improve the people, the good people of Jacksonville benefit if we're doing that, not only with the things that they need done, like infrastructure, filling potholes and other things, keeping them safe, but also internally.

If if we are forming those relationships and you know, as well as we can, given the sunshine law uh uh concerns um that we need to be mindful of, if we're operating within, you know, that that kind of framework, yeah, framework, I guess, um, that's set for us.

Um we can do it in a way that that I think is conducive uh to being friendly, professional, and and just what the people expect.

And and I I I think when things get into that drama realm, nobody wins, and you'll see some of us based on our personalities, may say, I don't want to be part of this.

And and I I think when things get into that drama realm, nobody wins, and you'll see some of us based on our personalities, may say, I don't want to be part of this, and then we lose contributions from valuable people, whether we sideline them and don't put them in a committee, or whether we sideline them by taking control of each committee discussion or the overall council discussion, and we've you can look around the diet, and you can see what people going, okay.

I had something to say, I had value to add, I'm not now.

Because the environment, the climate, the culture has been set in a way that is conducive to that.

I I you know, it's it's I gotta one of the stories I had in my career, and I think it's kind of relative to this.

I remember when I was on Nickelodeon, um, the sound stage that we were on was next to TNA wrestling.

I'm I'll admit, I was a wrestling fan when I was a kid.

I was not so much as an adult on time, but back when I was a kid, I loved wrestling.

The you know, what is it, rowdy Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan, all those guys?

Oh, yeah.

Um, so I was I would the the weirdest thing happened.

I didn't know, and you know, I'm one of the people that thought wrestling was real back in the day.

And so I go to the TNA wrestling, and again, they're set soundstage right next to ours, and you would see these guys who were like beating each other up on camera, who were like calling each other names and throwing chairs and slamming each other down, literally walking through the studio, like, hey Bill, how's Barbara?

Like asking each other questions about their wives and how's the kids doing, you know, and they're on their tights and the wrestling stuff, and it was such a moment for me because you only see the TV part, and you see them throwing chairs and hitting each other, they're really friends with families and lives and wives and kids.

And it's it it was just a stark reminder, you know, it kind of put this in this space for me.

We are showing that kind of thing when in essence we need to be showing the opposite, right?

I try to go.

I agree, you know, like when people have things in their their lives, I try to be there, like Jacoby's mom.

I just happen to know Jacobi's mom, but I would do the same thing if some other member had an issue, I would try to be there.

I I really feel close to us because we need to get along together.

Um I guess it kind of leads to, you know, in any questions you have, I sort of be willing to answer, but um, I'm not sure, you know, uh honestly, as as I have been told many times that you know, because I am a democrat that I will probably not win.

But I I want to what does it take, Chris?

And you you would know this as we try to create this congenial space, just in your opinion, like, and I I whether whoever wins, I plan to be one of your lieutenants.

If you win, I want to be right there by your side doing what we need to do to move this council forward.

What will it take for us to find the congeniality?

Because I've been searching for it, and it seems like the moment I feel it's there, it just disappears.

What do we need?

Is it and maybe there's no one, there's no panacea.

What do we need in your opinion?

Yeah, I I think um, I think there are a number of things, but I think just in general, um, because I prefer not to go too far down into the the details of assessing that, but I think each one of us should do that.

Each one of us should take some time and think about that.

And I think as we go to each new year, and uh as we each mature and grow in in our ability to represent the people, um hopefully we're all asking ourselves how may I improve as a servant if I'm not in a leadership position, somebody else is as a leader or whatever role it is we're in that upcoming year, how may I be the best that I can be in that role that in my opinion, I believe God has placed us in, um, each one of us.

And if we're if we're taking care of our area and we're treating each other with dignity and respect, that catches on that that becomes contagious, I believe.

And and people have a choice.

I kind of like that, and I'm gonna go that way too.

Or that's not my thing, and I'm gonna go over here and do my own thing.

And and if someone chooses that, there's not a whole lot you can do about that.

But what I intend to do is to look myself in the mirror um and and decide how can how may I be a better whatever role I'm in.

And I don't know, you know, the incoming president will choose for all of us what roles we we play on the next council.

And uh, and I tend to whatever those choices are, I tend, you know, and I know you do as well, give your best in whatever role that is.

My hope is that before we do that, and I think that that goes, and I know I'm talking around it a little bit, but your question, but I that just made me think a little bit more of okay, process wise, if I'm the incoming president, or I'm the incoming vice president, I would do exactly what you've done right here, and extend these invitations to sit down and talk, hear from the other person, and to have these exchanges to find out, like, you know, what I would hope they would be asking was, okay, Rockman, what's important to you in this next year of service?

What's important to your district, what's important to you professional development wise, how about your training, your your education?

How do you best leverage those things?

How do you want to best leverage those things?

And then the president can decide which ones of those things he can kind of help you with.

And if it clicks with you, and it's in a way that you can be the best you can be based on what you bring to the table, we're all gonna win.

Yes.

But but you need to have that exchange up front, not just I'm assigning it because I can assign you, and you know, you live with what you get.

Yeah.

Well, that's not much of a team environment if you haven't been brought into the team to give input to that process.

And I I hope going forward, um, you know, in each president, the past three presidents that that we've been under, um, each has done that to a certain extent.

I'm just suggesting um an even broader reach.

Yes, yeah.

Yes, did you because I started thinking about your background, your education, your, and every time you tell me a story about a connection with somebody here in Jacksonville that I didn't know you had a connection with, all of that is a part of the is a part of who you are right now, and then those strengths they need to be used, whether it's you or me or anybody else, they need to be used for the good of the council and for the good of our city.

And and again, we don't want anybody sidelined.

No, if we have anyone sideline, regardless of what they said done, bring them on the political.

If we can just we can just best put the right person with the right experience in the right positions, it's gonna be better for everybody.

Absolutely.

Let me ask you this is just sparked a thought.

Did you know that you would have the passion for the thing you do now on this council?

Did you know that in is it the same passion you had July 2023 when you were installed?

Quite frankly, I didn't know what I didn't know what to expect.

Yeah, and and you know, uh, I was telling Andrew before we got started that I have a perfect peace about serving in this in this way, even though people push me into doing it.

Some colleagues now their colleagues um had pushed me to do this.

Um I had a perfect peace about doing it, but I didn't know all the varying dynamics good and some of them maybe not.

Um I didn't know all that.

So I really my first year I said I said, put me in, coach, you know, like when you're on a team, yes, and you're the new guy, I'll figure it out.

Put put me in where you need me.

Yep.

Um and and then once I I got in to doing different things, I'm like, you know, I I like this, yeah, but how can I how can I best serve?

How can I best improve things?

And I didn't really know until I experienced some of the ways in the committees and and legislation and you know, and and and working with other agencies, working with the inspector general, watching their reports and seeing things they point out that need to be better.

Yes, and then someone not necessarily doing anything with those reports that they put a lot of time into, I started grabbing those and putting in legislation.

Absolutely.

So a lot of that I really didn't know.

Yeah, I just knew I wanted to keep serving, um, but I didn't know how I could best do that.

And and now I do, and now I know as a leader, taking this to the next level, you there are more things in a bigger picture longer term for our council that I don't think you can directly impact if you aren't in leadership.

Yes, yes.

For me, when I started in July 23, I just had the main goal of getting old Middleburg Road widened, which had been in the better Jacksonville plan in 1999.

Um, and my constituents were, you know, I'll tell you very funny.

The first day in office, I had a community meeting at Argyll Library, and I'm like first day in office, and I'm like, oh God, they love me and they voted for me, and we're gonna have this wonderful meeting.

The meeting was standing room only, Argyle Library, and they beat me down.

They were loaded for being.

They yelled at me, how dare you not.

I'm like, I just got elected yesterday.

I'm just installed.

And they just went in on me about the Argyle, I mean, excuse me, about the widening of Old Middleburg Road.

So when I got here, like my marching orders, this was even when we had that two week break right after we were installed.

And so I'm like, okay, I know what I need to do.

I need to get this road widened, right?

What I didn't know, um, and I kind of said what you did to at the time, President Elect and then President Salem.

Put me in the game, coach.

What do you need me?

I I don't know.

I hear the things I like to do.

I didn't know what committees to request.

I was put on rules and land use and zoning.

Three years later, I'm still on land use and zoning.

And I tell you that because I did not know that that would be a passion for me.

Huh.

It is now one of my study that thousand-page book we get.

Have you yeah, because you haven't been on LUZ yet?

No.

So every week we get a thousand-page dossier, literally, of maps and stuff, right?

And most people hate LUZ.

I'll tell Terrence has said it publicly, um, because number one, it's on a Tuesday, and so with L U Z on Tuesday night and council on Tuesday night, your Tuesday nights are just non-existent.

I haven't had a Tuesday night since I've been here, except for fifth week, right?

So, but there is this, there's a logicality about the law, and I'm I'm a very logical person.

Yeah, me too.

So yeah, so when I see LUZ, it's like, here's the law, here's what the state says, here's what competent substantial evidence is.

It's really theoretical, and I can, it works for me.

So I love it.

It's my good to know.

That's good to know.

But Chris, I never, if you had asked me that five years ago, I would not have told you I wanted to serve on land use and zoning because I didn't know what it was.

Now it is not only a passion, but I'm able to have really critical conversations with the folk that are, you know, the Wyman Duggins and and the uh Steve Debonow and Cindy Trimmer.

I'm able to have really competent subs uh competent conversations with them, and now I can, it's like the matrix.

Remember that scene in the matrix?

Sure.

The binary code, it's just ones and zeros.

It makes sense.

Sure.

No, you're not on the scene about the pillows taking the which which color pill, but I get you.

I I can it makes sense to me now.

Yeah, right.

No, and that's good, and that's good to know.

Because of that, I now can say two things.

One, I'm I'm I won't say I'm a subject matter expert, but I'm certainly really credible to those people that are SMEs.

But the other thing is what I'm even more excited about is uh Andrew, who's you know, was one of my students when I was a professor at Edward Waters, is now learning something that could possibly take care of him for the rest of his life.

And for me to be able to say, hey, I'm learning this, but so is he.

And while I'm, you know, at the halfway mark of life, he's just starting out.

So he learns this land use and zoning stuff.

It could really be a game changer for somebody like him, right?

And so I'm just I and I never knew that.

I thank God every day for putting me in a position to not be so, and I think you said it earlier, not to be comfortable where I am, but to be available to where I need to be, right?

And and I think that's where we all should be.

Well, and I'm I'm glad you said that because I I didn't feel like I've I properly answered your question because once you said LUZ and how that clicked with you, and you didn't foresee that when when coming on, um this is a little more predictable, but it it's a similar situation for me.

Um, but again, given my background, you would think it would be a good fit for me, but I wasn't quite sure is is rules.

It just was my inspector general background where you're checking against the standard, you're trying to find ways to make things better, you're trying to look at the whole picture, how things should be, how things are, and then how they can be if we're willing to work together to make them better.

That's that's the way God's wired me, and I can exercise that very clearly in the rules realm.

Um, and and I enjoy doing that.

I really do.

It's a it's an easy natural fit for me, but also in an area where you know, I get a lot of people were trying to get on finance.

That happens at all levels, state and uh appropriations at at other levels and federal level.

I I do hope I get on finance this next go around because I do have a lot of finance experience, not to the level, not to the level that um Will Lannon, who you talked about, uh, because that's been his profession after the Navy.

But um, but I really do have a lot of financial knowledge and experience running large budgets um that I want to utilize in in the finance uh committee that I I can't do otherwise unless I'm on finance to help out.

And I know it's a lot of work, especially budget time.

I've been watching, paying attention.

That's what some of my bills have introduced have been really finance bills, uh, even though I've not been associated with it.

So I'm hoping to be able to get on finance the next the next year and be able to help in that way uh as well.

And going forward, especially with things like I gotta say some of the changes, possible changes to our revenue stream.

Oh we need people who know finance to be able to help us navigate um if those things occur when our revenue stream is drastically uh impacted.

Yeah, we we we have to we'll have to work our way through that as best we can.

And uh I'd rather it be with people who do have good solid budget backgrounds.

Um so I thought of that as well.

Um but it but anywhere I've been placed so far, I've I've learned, learned about the process, been able to work with president, vice president, been able to do those things.

And so I think you know, if we can diversify, and I know you you really like LUZ, but I think it's also it's good to hone in on that, but I think it's also good for us to know a full range of what the council does and how that all works.

And and I do think there's some people that probably served in um uh TU, maybe a little bit more than well, maybe there are some other opportunities for folks who have who have been serving in TU that they maybe want to explore uh over the next couple years, if that makes sense.

Makes perfect sense.

Makes perfect sense.

Yeah.

Well, I I this is appreciated.

You have any questions for me?

Any um I mean we know each other, and you know, we're family and stuff, but no, and and you know, the fact that we're both in the race for vice president, you know, I it it just is the way it is.

Yes, yes, and I don't look at this as a competition, and again, I think we were talking a little bit earlier, just just talking uh with with Andrew, and he gave a good uh a good analogy.

You know, if we're on the same sports team and somebody's going for captain or you know, captain of the offense, captain and defense, I mean, are we gonna go at each other because of that?

No, you just it's just one of the things you do every year.

You pick a captain, and okay, got it.

Got it.

Let's all let's all work together.

Let's go, ready break.

Yeah.

Um, and so I see that as what's going on here for the vice presidential race.

And um and and I am very positive and hopeful and optimistic about the future.

Not only this next year, but if, but you know, I'd be remiss if I didn't say this.

What are your thoughts on how important it is to get the right leaders in the right positions with the right experience and to sustain that over an extended period of time?

How important do you think that is to our to our council?

Ultimately.

And I think you know the right leaders, right experience, right things at the right time, right?

One of the other things I think sometimes there's there was this adversarial relationship with the administration.

Um, I know I had to really send a tough email uh recently to the administration.

I had requested some um oh gosh, what was it, Andrew?

I requested the public works departments.

Yeah, one of our notice meetings for management.

And they didn't thank you for that.

They're the experts, right?

And and I was like, hey, this thing came down the pike from OUZ.

It wasn't, I didn't know 14 days in advance.

The community needed a voice, and it was it was almost this, I was punished for being a part of the council because the majority of the council are in a different party, and there was it was just crazy.

And I sent this tough email saying in this civic experiment, this social experiment, I do understand there are these two branches of government, but we gotta work together.

Yeah.

When people, when the people who are asking for help, which these people were, when and I was happy to host, you know, obviously with LUZ, there's a different set of standards, so I can't have an opinion, but I can certainly host my constituents to have the conversation with the developers so that they can get in the room and figure something out before it gets to the day is.

But they were like, well, if you don't get it to us 14 days in advance, then it's automatically denied.

Well, how can you say that?

There is nothing, I don't think there's any law that's a man-made law that's infallible.

There's gotta be some gray area, and here's the thing this thing is gonna go through.

Let's figure out how we can meet, but just to blanketly say no.

And so I had to send a tough email over, but one of the premises I put in there was what the father of modern civics says.

This legislative and executive branch must work together for the process to work because people aren't looking at legislative versus executive versus judicial, they're saying the city.

We're just all one, and so I think for me, you're absolutely right.

That's a great point.

We gotta work together across the hall, across the next door to the offices.

If we don't do this together, we either will collectively succeed or collectively fail.

Right.

Oh, I I agree.

And you know, I I've not been one of those people who hold a lot of press conferences.

In fact, I've not even held one.

I've gone to other press conferences.

When there's an issue to work out, I've done what I've done my whole career in the military.

Is we get we hold a meeting, let's get behind closed doors and let's work it out.

And the Sunshine Law allows us to have those types of meetings with the administration and their staff.

And I'm thankful for that because we've had many of them.

People don't know that.

No, but we have, and it's not a party thing, it's about getting things done, and if things aren't working the way they should, trying to work together to find a better way forward to be able to get things done in a more efficient and effective way.

And so I've had those meetings.

Um, and and I will continue rather than trying to make this a public, these these kinds of exchanges or differences a public matter, uh, when in my opinion, a lot of these things are smaller things, let's work them out and move forward.

And in fact, someone uh on the administration side um asked me one time, but when we all first took office this this last time, when we all took office, how may we better work together?

And my suggestion was get the leadership of council on when an issue comes up, get the president, vice president, whoever's appropriate or available, get them behind closed doors with the right person or persons from the administration.

Let's work through this, whatever this is, let's get to the 70 or 80 percent solution, and then hold a press conference and say, good people of Jacksonville.

Here's what we got.

We've been working on this both sides, and we there are things we still don't agree on, and we haven't figured out yet, but we're here to announce, and I'm sure you'd be glad to hear we figured out 70 to 80 percent of this, and here's our plan going forward on this issue, and we'll keep working on the other 20 or 30 percent.

But we wanted to come together, have a press conference and let you know that.

Wouldn't that be a good thing rather than throwing political bombs and throwing press conferences back and forth?

Remember Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich?

Oh, yeah, they used to do that all the time.

Clinton and Gingrich diametrically opposed.

I was at one of the meetings.

They would go into the room, hash it out, fight, and then go have a press conference.

But I've also And play golf together, but yes, but I've also heard they they were able to do that, they were friends, they were friends, and they were able to work things, work things out.

They were real true friends.

Clarence Thomas and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Yes, yes, most people didn't know until that article came out that they were such good friends, good friends, but you know, you can have your political differences, and and there's some things, I'm not I'm not suggesting we're always gonna be on the same page on everything because we we sometimes see policy things different differently.

Um that's just the way it is.

And they should expect it, and they should hold us accountable for that.

Um, so I would like to see more of that, not only internal with the council, but also with the administration, whoever that may be, because we have an election coming up, whoever that is, um we I'm hoping that we try to move things more in in that direction.

Gotcha.

Um, I I I want to say this, you know, for the record, whoever wins.

Um, if if it's me, I I will take in a lot of what you said, but if it's you, you have my certain support that I will pledge to be a not just a friend, but a lieutenant that will help to move the vision forward for the leadership.

So I I can't thank you enough for this.

Well, and I appreciate that.

And and whether whether it's me, uh, well, obviously, if I go through it's it's one situation, if it's you, Joe, or uh Ken, uh I mean, I I will do the same thing because okay, decision once the decision's been made, let's let's go.

Let's go.

So I I appreciate you having uh this exchange because obviously we we normally sunshine, you know what I'm saying?

Say hi, and we can say pleasantries, you know, how are you doing, what's going on?

Um, but we can't get into things that could potentially uh be addressed through city councils.

So um I appreciate you having these meetings.

I know it takes a bit for you and Andrew to make these things happen.

Um, but I appreciate y'all being willing to have these engagements.

I in my opinion, we need to this should be a regular thing that we all do, uh, and that we even do as groups, or if there's a committee working on something, um, we're trying to work through something.

This is tough.

Let's have these meetings and get out and we'll work through it and get input.

And I know there aren't many uh John Nooney's here for public comment, but I think you also get more input from the community as well.

And I will throw one more thing in there.

Sure.

I would like to, we need to figure out the CPAC situation.

Oh my lord.

Yes, sir.

But I'm I'm just gonna put it on the table and leave it there.

But but working on that, by the way.

We there's there's there's room for improvement in that area, um, as well as some other areas, but I'm sure we'll we'll have opportunity going forward to the city.

I'll be reaching out.

I'll be reaching out for another notice meeting soon.

Um, because I've seen, I know it's a little different for you at large because you got so much to deal with, but I know in the CPACs that I've gone to, and then I'm championing the neighborhood bill of rights, I visited all of the CPACs to get input.

I've been working on this for about 18 months uh before I put the legislation out and have the notice meeting and all that stuff, and I see what you see, and we we need some work.

So I'm working on hopefully at least the starting framework that then we can put into and then get even more input.

So I'll be I'm glad you brought that up.

Yeah, and I'm gonna continue.

I I didn't say this before, but uh it went along with what you said about listening to people and learning from each other and and being able to work together once you learn and understand each other a little better.

Um that's what I did when I campaigned.

When I realized it was a whole citywide seat I was running for, I went everywhere throughout the city I can go, and that's why I still keep going everywhere I can.

When especially when someone invites me, and it was funny the first few times I showed up in people in in places they wouldn't normally expect to see me.

They're like, you can't.

You invited me.

You invited me, right?

You invited me.

And I said, if you invite me, and there's time that I I'm able to make it, I will be, I will be there.

Again, that's how I learn.

Yes, I've always learned by listening and by going out and seeing, not by somebody telling me about it and giving me you know documents, it's helpful, but uh, but I want to go and listen and learn.

I I spend a lot of more time in Moncrief than I ever thought I would, and I have good friends who live there, and we've helped them with issues offline, my wife and I, um, to address some things.

I'm not going out tooting my horn on that, but when you learn and understand what the problems are, and you can help.

Well, you know, help, help, either personally or professionally.

And I committed to some of those those folks, and and it's still stands today.

And when Jacoby or anyone else invites us out, Carol and I just go out there.

We go.

Yep.

I mean, that's that's how you know what's going on, and then you find out how may I help now that I see what your needs are, what your concerns are.

Yeah.

So I hope we as a group, uh I know the district people do that because you know, you are the district folks are hyper focused on that, but I want you to know and any other district person to know, we take seriously backing up the role of backing up the district folks.

Sometimes district folks can get a little overwhelmed with things.

Things can be coming their way and going left and right.

I I have always promised that I would give the district folks, the district committee or council uh men and women the first shot at every issue in their district.

So we professionally try to do that because out of respect and and wanting to make sure we don't step on each other's toes as well.

Um, but there are times when maybe need some help, and it's a little, there's a little much coming at you guys.

I commit, and Carol does to helping out to share the load, to back up on issues, um, and and there's no there's nothing, no place off limits.

Um, you know, the the folks that come and speaks with us a lot, they invited me to one of the meetings.

I went to one of their meetings, and same thing.

You actually showed up.

I'm like, that's how I learn.

So I think back on some of your earlier questions, if we can all, district and at-large people get out more as well, and then when we come back, we're well informed on how we can best represent.

Um, and I know it takes time to do that, but it's well worth the time, and you know that because you and you and Andrew are out there all the time.

Yes.

So again, thank you very much for having us.

Um happy to meet any time.

Thank you.

And yeah, we have to we have to announce that I understand, but I appreciate you, and you do that.

I see you out there all the time at events I'm at, even not in my district, or you know, it's and we got two jobs, district council, at least me, two jobs, but you got a bigger job was the whole county, but district council person, but also a county commissioner, right?

We do we have both.

So here we are.

All right, I would like to thank you again, councilman, thank you for this opportunity.

And uh, Mr.

Nooney, if you you're the only speaker card we have, if you want to come forward, um, you have three minutes.

Okay, and all right, I want to announce what this is about, but there is a lot on this car.

So we'll that's okay.

Okay.

Listen, uh, my name's John Nooney, Jacksville City Council Resolution 2023 0819.

I mean, City Council District 4, C Pack 3 School Board District 3, and your address 8356 Baskam Road, Jacksonville, Florida, 32216.

Uh, you know, and this is always gut-wrenching to say, but you know, ethics is gone in Duval County, Jacksonville.

You know, I recently attended an ethics commission meeting, and I asked, we have six CPACs representing the entire city of Jacksonville, we have the mayor's disability council, you know, the wheelchair gang, council on elder affairs, the senior citizen gang.

In fact, they're meeting right now up in Oceanway.

I was gonna try even make that meeting.

And you know, I'm part of that, you know, fishing with with centurions.

But you know, but here's the thing, you know, the weakest among us, why is OGC, the Office of General Counsel, not represented at those meetings?

And you know, this is the agenda from the uh CPAC.

I'm in CPAC three, probably the worst one out there, and you know, uh Councilman Johnson, you know, well, I have to admit too, I've been kind of piggybacking on some of these different CPACs, the urban core, you know, I've been going to them myself, and it is the worst ever.

And for and so for so anyway, when it comes to the uh council leadership, you know, at this time, I am just hoping that when you look at the at-large, we're gonna have an at-large as the president, and to have an at-large as the vice president.

You couldn't script a more powerful leadership team than that.

And even before you came here, there was an issue, and it was brought up at the council meeting last night, you know, with the George Crady Bridge.

And Councilman Miller was was on it.

And the point I'm getting at with that is that we do have the 14 council districts, but with the at large and with this city and the nation and everything that's we're going through at this point, I can't think of a more unifying team that would just bring everybody together than what is that could possibly happen.

So as much as you know, Dr.

Johnson, and you know, I've seen you, but you know, I'm I just I hope that you would, or anybody would just continue, you know, support councilman at large Miller as the next vice president, you know, for this city council.

I know he is, but it does like you said, doesn't matter.

I'm just looking at you got four, and there's one and that's at large, and the at-large leadership right now is awesome.

So I just wanted to share that with you, and uh um that's really it.

You know, I could go on on all different side tracks.

I appreciate you sharing that, Mr.

And you're right at the three minute mark, so it's perfect.

Thank you for your comments.

Anything additional?

Appreciate you.

Thank you so much.

This meeting is adjourned.

Appreciate you.