Anyway, I think it's uh noon and therefore I'm gonna call this notice meeting to order and uh begin with introductions.

Michael Boylan, district six.

And of course, uh Kenamorus City Council District One.

Uh thank you, Mr.

Boylan, for uh accepting and attending uh this notice meeting.

Um I asked for the meeting for a couple of reasons.

Number one, this being your um your uh last year, I think, on on service.

Um, uh I want to acknowledge first of all uh the service that you've given to this city, and uh I'm just completing my first term and have found your work to be extremely uh commendable, uh always focus on the public public purpose uh best interests.

Um I probably don't have to tell you that, but I just wanted to acknowledge that while we're we're here.

Um I am interested in what would you like to accomplish as you um wind down your service here in City Hall.

Well, first, thank you, uh Councilman Amaron for that question.

Um, but before answering, uh what I really want to do first of all is to commend you and the other colleagues who put themselves forward.

Thank you.

Uh as you know, I've tried a couple times myself to get down the road.

Uh and I'm very much encouraged by the fact that we actually have a bona fide race this time.

That you know, candidates are putting themselves forward hosting these kind of meetings, so it's not a foregone conclusion on day one of the opportunity to make commitments.

Um yes, I I feel really good about what I've been able to do and my leadership style in terms of engaging council members, Article 21 and CQI last year with the GSO primary facilities and the work we do.

Uh my focus uh specifically going into the last year on my term is the civic engagement project I've undertaking for the Mandarin to come up with um when I say mandarin, I mean district six overall because it's a very broad district, uh, is to say how I can help uh bring that community together under one voice and one uh one you know one entity, much like San Marco Preservation uh and SPAR and RAM.

Uh those are neighborhood focused.

I'm looking to try something a little bit bigger because of the diversity of my uh community that we serve.

So I will uh that's where I'm gonna put my time and my energy.

Uh, certainly uh and I will look to support uh whatever priorities uh councilman howland assumes assumpted uh president, if you will, of the council.

So uh that's where it's at, and wherever I can be uh helpful in trying to bring this body back to more collegial level.

Uh one more focused on moving the city forward uh as compared to uh vying for whatever's next, either individually or collectively.

Before I continue, uh we've been joined by uh Councilman Pelusa, would you introduce yourself?

Thank you, Chair.

Uh Councilmember Pelusa, District 7, and uh it's gonna be a fly on the wall.

Happy to be here.

Um I'm curious, uh, especially in in committees, uh, you've expressed uh a commitment for or passion for uh public service grants.

So I'm um do you have any uh objectives uh obviously beyond uh making sure that the funding remains the same in this budget cycle.

Um any other thoughts uh well I think it's beyond PSGs.

Uh one of my main motivations for joining the council six, seven years ago and running eight years ago was the idea of trying to get some of my colleagues on the council to appreciate the value of the nonprofit sector as a whole.

A lot of folks look at it as a black hole and don't re appreciate.

I think I made the comment recently uh with respect to PSGs when Mr.

Diamond, I think it was Ms.

Diamond, mentioning that we shouldn't be doing these things.

I says, well, you better stock up the uh JSO budget all that much more because the city's gonna be absorbing a lot of costs and expenses associated with the uh care of our you know un underinsured and uh you know and others in our community as a result of that.

So the nonprofit sector is always one of the main catalysts for me for joining the council to begin with.

This particular year, my my focus has been on that.

I was not initially signed as a liaison for PSG.

That was the Mr.

Lane and he uh asked uh council president Kerako if he could be relieved from that, as he picked up some other responsibilities, and I gladly embraced the idea of doing it.

So merely my focus and and championing for PSG is in in line with my responsibility as it's liaison to the council.

You know, well, uh just uh my personal perspective, I I reflect on when Lincoln said government of the people by the people for the people uh NGOs have kind of fit in and and deliver to the people for the people.

So they do have a very uh fundamental role.

Um my what I hear from some of the participants are the complaints are mainly about the process of of you know application, reimbursement, things of that nature, and so uh somehow I I think there needs to be a little streamlining there to where they're probably more efficient, yet fulfilling that uh fiduciary responsibility and and making clear the public purpose, and that's what I'd like to see going forward.

Yeah, and I think you're gonna be seeing that.

If you see the work of the nonprofit center of late, they're looking at that.

You know, the gargantuan loss of funding at uh state level public sector, private sector funding for the nonprofits in our community is forcing them to become much more aligned in their work so that we don't see the kind of redundancy.

But we digress here on a separate topic.

Let me circle back and ask a couple of questions if you sure.

Well, number one, I thought of the four presentations we had that uh marathon on the introduction of the uh everyone on the first day of uh March, whatever it was, uh I thought your comments frankly were the most inspiring and most compelling.

Respect, and you could tell the forethought that went into it.

So uh obviously the vice presidential, as you said, I won't be on the council, assuming you become vice president and president thereafter.

Uh what do you see number one?

Uh and it's easy to say, I get it, uh, with respect to supporting the incoming president, and then and what are you going to be doing, assuming that you are the vice president in and setting the table for your year as uh leadership of the council.

Thank you for the question.

Uh I think you you jumped my question to you.

Uh I was gonna ask you uh what are your thoughts on on the leadership now, but I will I will answer your question and come back to that.

Um I honestly honestly believe that this body, this entity, is at the uh a critical intersection as to how it is seen within our community and and the gap of trust between our uh elected officials and our constituency, has just seemed to widen.

Um I offered up myself for the uh position of vice presidency, not in desire of political position or uh power or anything, but to bring a um uh a credible face uh uh bring some integrity and kind of write the ship, if you will.

Uh my hope is that if I do indeed uh succeed, that um the the first element that will be noticed is that that's an individual of character of trust, um, uh beyond uh trying to assist the incoming um uh president.

I I stand firm on some of the things that that I've been committed to from day day one, um dealing with public safety infrastructure, um, you know, the needs of not just our constituents, but the needs of the 7,000 plus employees that are uh employed by uh uh the city, city government, which we as the city council has the responsibility responsibility for that.

And I think sometimes we don't hear their voices, uh, and and they're right here, and sometimes we don't hear their voices.

So I'm committed to moving in those directions.

Um I'm committed to remaining objective to truth.

Uh what do I mean by that?

Well, if uh as I've stated from the dice that if there's a bad policy that I deem interpreted to be bad policy, it doesn't matter uh who brings it.

You know, I um uh uh I've always embraced a quote from uh LaGuardia, the former mayor of New York City.

He says there's no Democrat or Republican way to pave the streets or clean the streets of New York City.

And I think we often overlook that in this capacity, this place that we're in, uh the the folks out there don't care what you are, as long as services are delivered.

And so uh we're at that crucible or that intersection where uh um there has to be a restored integrity in the leadership uh of this body.

I hadn't thought about it that way, but in the kind I certainly that, but in the context of the fact that you may be the best person to help that happen.

Given your reputation, you're you're already recognized as a man of character in our community.

Uh people see you as a champion for uh folks over the course of time.

Uh and that certainly lends to uh you know an asset to you uh and and and a benefit to the council with you in the leadership position.

So I uh I do appreciate that for sure.

Well that's that's why I'm in.

Um, you know, everyone has their motive.

Um mine is is very simple.

Uh just to uh bring that that that um that ethos uh to that capacity, that that position of leadership.

And I, you know, there's some um somewhat unethical things that have taken place that I I'm just like, you know, not just no, but hell no.

You know, it's uh it should not.

Um it's it's a further uh violation of the public trust and and um I I didn't come here to be called names uh or to break that public trust.

It is what I've held um uh in my previous capacity for um last 40 years, uh just just uh being someone you can trust and being a voice uh for those who don't have a voice.

And so my my hope is that while I'm here serving District One uh and serving the community as a whole, then that will uh that will continue.

I think I found along the way I'm and make um looking at this very closely, you know, how do I align with those who are putting themselves forward in terms of their voting records?

And I think in many respects that you and I are uh follow the same path, uh so there's a lot of reasons for me to support your campaign.

Well, thank you.

I'm not uh I'm not gonna offer formally a pledge at this point in time.

I'm not comfortable with the idea of pledges, but I I want to give you encouragement to stay in the race.

Uh and uh I think you have a very well viable chance of becoming the next vice president of the council.

Well, and I I appreciate your your kind remarks and um and thank you for the encouraging word.

I um uh this process has been interesting, um, where you know, and I I get it uh that you know the the paradigm is you go and you secure 10 votes and and you get uh pledges and you move forward.

Uh I really like where uh things are that uh there's a choice.

Um you can vote for more of the same or you can vote for a change.

And I believe that changes is necessary uh if this is gonna be uh uh a very credible body that serves the public as a whole.

And so uh thank you for um for your encouraging words and uh my ask of you is very simple and and you basically uh uh confirm that just to give my effort uh serious consideration and so I appreciate that.

Very much I would offer uh assuming we don't get this done in the first ballot.

I think a lot of us are gonna be looking at what uh where council member uh Holland lie and lands with respect to that first round of voting, and I think that's gonna impact a lot of us in and understanding where we may ultimately end.

Oh, let's get you through that first round.

Alrighty, thank you.

Um I don't know if I answered the question.

Any any any thoughts on where uh I I I think your comments are pretty obvious, but just for the record, where we are right now as far as uh the direction of this body.

I'm hopeful that uh Councilman Holland recognizes like I I don't say I'm hopeful.

I know he recognizes much of what you characterize as the gap between this community and the body as a whole, and recognize that he has some responsibility uh as a priority in building some of that trust back and getting away from some of the missteps we've seen this past year in this process.

So I'm I'm counting on that.

I'm counting on that person who's at his his wingman, if you will, or wing woman, if we in fact uh someone else gets into the race, uh, is there to support his initiatives in moving the city forward.

Well, you know, many of us share the same initiatives, which is is yeah, kinda a lot of times I find it laughable when we declare, but many of us share the save initiatives.

Uh it's a 19-member body.

We all support public safety, we all support infrastructure, we all support um you know uh trash collection um meeting the needs of this community, and uh I think unfortunately some of us find a different path to accomplish it.

But but we're here to do one thing, and that is uh serve the public and not serve our own agendas.

And and so at least that's been my my position, and it will continue to be so.

I appreciate your time today.

Thank you for asking for this meeting.

Um, forward to the voting.

I don't know if I want to give Councilman Peluso.

Yeah, go ahead.

Uh you you can weigh in, Mr.

Pelusa.

Uh thank you, Councilmember uh Marrow.

Um, yeah, I wasn't expecting to speak for a while, but I don't know, just just listening to you two.

Um it just genuinely dawns on me.

Uh you two really for you to both become public servants is such a great value to this community and to this city.

You both had a large amount of time working with everyone in this city because of because of your your time in media.

And so the the experience and the the real world touches that you guys had for decades to be able to come into this body and be able to speak so eloquently and and genuinely about what you've learned during your your private life, during your private your your your your personal experience doing your work, to be able to bring that here to this body is is so valuable, and I'm I'm genuinely grateful to you both.

I'm so sad to that that you're not gonna be with us uh in the next term, Councilmember Boylan.

Um hopefully I'll be here in the next term.

Uh but but the point is like I I'm just as I sit here, it really dawns on me that we we have there's such a value add to what you bring to this body, both of you.

Uh and you both come into to every debate with with a pretty open mind, which is very important.

Um, and you're always trying to make bills better, and you're trying to make compromises happen, and and I look at that as a major leadership trait that you both share, um, that I'm grateful of.

Um I like to think that people, you know, sometimes think I'm a little bit, you know, off the cuff sometimes, but I do believe people think I'm genuine too.

And I genuinely uh enjoy serving with you both.

Um, and the three of us also uh are fortunate to represent some really old neighborhoods and some really strong neighborhoods where people have a lot of civic pride and and love where they live and and want to make it better.

So as we do discuss, and I think some of the some of the things we're alluded to today are you know we've we've had some bills and and and fights that were so unnecessary um and so not in in what the voters have asked us to do.

I know my constituents can care less about some of the things that we've had to talk about up here.

They care about housing, affordability, their streets getting repaved, their streets getting repaved.

Like that's what they want.

They don't they don't always know what government does, but they know that when their trash is picked up, when when a JSO officer shows up within five minutes, or when their road, you know, and their their drainage ditch gets fixed.

Like that's what that's how they see City of Jacksonville coming to their aid.

And I think both of you understand that.

Um I know I understand that, given the the old neighborhoods that I have, and and if that's where your head is at, um, like it is with me, then I'm I'm very grateful to you because this body uh you've probably heard a few things that I've said about this body in general, but like we I have such a respect for the city of Jacksonville's city council and I and I want to make sure that we remain in a posture that we do have um people in the community say I see what you guys are doing and it's good work thank you for that and sometimes I'm not seeing that and it's really upsetting so uh so I'm I'm grateful to you both for for a lot and for also being uh kind to me and my staff in my office um so yeah didn't expect me to say that did you know but thank you thank you for being here and um I I'd miss the opportunity if my ask is not the same of that I did of Mr.

Boylan that uh if we go through the process that you give my effort uh serious consideration as you deliver deliberate who you're gonna vote for it is a very serious consideration you should know that okay thank you sir uh Mr.

Boylan thank you again um uh with that um we we're gonna uh what's the public comment uh okay you got uh you got one minute sir yeah one minute uh you can keep the time all right speak into the mic all right well one minute yes sir you know all of you have been on waterways and let me just say public access on our waterways is yeah uh you know what a routine is uh well gosh that's gonna cut into the one minute you know uh name and address is on file look look you know uh you know at waterways you know Kay Haas called me out you know about uh and this is the map of downtown vision you know I just want you all to know I'm going to the ethics commission meeting later at four o'clock and you know here is the kayak launch that's supposed to be at Chelsea it's not even on here so anyway the the point I just want to get at is we have three fine Florida inland navigation you know projects one is in your district one's in Boylan's the other's in Carico and right now we're marketing to the world public access you know you have an opportunity and if it's leadership then you know you know let's fund those land acquisition projects immediately with 2026 triple oh four and that is our trust fund and I'll tell you all right Mr.

Nooney your time is up I thank you for your commitment to uh participating in the process Mr.

Boylan again thank you uh for uh accepting the uh notice meeting Mr.

Peluso thank you again for your kind remarks and uh we'll see what happens come May