You ready, Eric?

All right.

I call to order the special meeting to discuss council priorities with Councilman Matt Carlucci and myself, Councilman Nick Holland.

And um we have an open agenda here, so I'll just say why I wanted to call the meeting.

Um actually Councilman Carlucci pretty much ceded the idea.

Uh that is there's several members of council who it's their last uh year of uh two four-year terms, and they probably still many of them have priorities that they'd like to advance in projects they'd like to see completed.

So I figured as as the incoming president now, I would have a special meeting with each one of them and talk about what those priorities might be.

So with that, we have no agenda other than an open discussion, and I will turn over to Mr.

Carlisle to see if he has some priorities for us to discuss.

Well, I have some uh some things to talk about, and I also want to I mean I've heard what you want to do, but I'd also, you know, when when I go through it mine, I'd like to, you know, see what you want to do because I want to help you accomplish yours.

Because I think this is this is this is a mad this could be a magical year for you.

It I mean it really can.

And and I'd like to see that happen from you.

Um a time when the things that you touch turn into gold, and that can happen.

Um, and uh, yeah, and and I think you're going about everything the right way.

Thank you.

Um, and uh so um so I I definitely want to help you accomplish your goals because you only you only get this chance once.

Right.

Uh I I had it one time and it was an absolute magical year.

When I came back on council, I didn't have any desire to do it again because I I think once is enough, yeah, and let everybody else have a chance.

Yeah.

But um, but thank you for this opportunity.

And so I I want to kind of go through them.

Um, this is gonna be a difficult year.

Uh uh it could be much more difficult, or it uh might be wait and see.

But let me just guess start with this one here.

So uh first of all, I I have a uh so so Warren Jones has been one of my mentors for uh since I started on City Council in 1987, and uh and I I've seen him under the most intense pressure um on different uh issues, and he has stood firm, and uh I remember watching him under the most intense pressure from uh black ministers who wanted him to really push through a bill that even he wanted, but he knew he couldn't get it through.

He knew he would have to compromise with the mayor at Austin at the time, and it was it was a tough, tough time for him, but he knew what was the right way to go about it.

And I just remember watching him how comfortable he was in this chair.

You know, we we hear this expression being comfortable in your skin, but he was comfortable in that chair.

He wasn't squirming, you know, and then he he knew how to explain why and what and so forth.

And um, so uh, and then he he wound up becoming council president two years in a row, and uh he's a remarkable human being in person.

He knows nothing about this.

Well, he may know something about this.

I know his wife does.

He doesn't want anything named after him.

Um I was able to get him to agree to having the baseball complex at um Hammond Park named after him, but uh I really wanted a park named after him, not just the baseball complex, but um when talking to him on the phone, he uh I said, Well, what do you want?

He says, you know, Matt all we want is the baseball complex at Hamley Field named after him.

All right, that's what I'm gonna, but that's what we'll do.

Um, but uh for years I have looked back at that wall uh in the back of City Council where all the council members are uh council presence or uh the pictures are hung, and nothing really identifies it, you know.

Uh we we have these uh we have these conference rooms, this one and the others, uh one of which I named after Henry Cook.

Uh and um and so there's no more conference rooms, but um I I just uh yeah and and uh I I kind of got the idea from somebody else, but I thought it was great.

I just thought it was a great idea, and that was to uh above those pictures, name that the Warren Joan, the Warren A.

Jones Hall of or a wall, not hall, wall of presidents.

Yeah wall maybe and I've talked to Carla about this and um and I thought it would be a a neat uh joint project if if you wanted to join in and I I really want Rockman Johnson to be a part of this if if if you would you know join with me on that.

Is he close with uh Warren?

Yes he's very close with Warren and I wouldn't feel right if I didn't uh bring Rockman in on it but I didn't want to say anything about this until I spoke with you uh because I think to have your uh your support and leadership on this would be important but um and I don't want to get into DEI and all that kind of stuff but we have three conference room and they're all named after you know some significant council members and they're all white um and um but we have the longest serving council member in the history of Jacksonville's consolidated government and who's been a two uh a council president twice um the second time of which he didn't want but that's another story for another time yeah I'll share it with you sometime but uh but but anyway um and he's one of the great I think beloved statesmen of Jacksonville he didn't ask for anything you know he everything kind of just falls in his lap you know because of how respected he is yeah so um and then he's been a uh chairman of our school board a two two term member of our school board and and a chairman so I just saw that as what I thought was a great opportunity and I just envisioning his the his name and wall of presidents and everybody within or maybe wall of council presidents.

Yeah everybody everybody within the okay well that's that's the that's the picture of all the council presidents because it goes all the way back to Ted Grisset which we probably need to get a another picture of Ted Grissy he's about to fade out you know but he he was uh he was the first counsel uh president and um so uh so I I wanted to ask if uh if if you would consider uh you know joining me in a partnership on that and and with Rockman.

I haven't told Lee Brockman anything about this.

I think it's a terrific idea and for sure I would approach Rockman first but I would support the the legislation.

Super thank you I but would you be a uh co-introduced likely I don't see why not I want to see how much it'll cost.

I guess it's negligible.

Well if it costs the city any money and then and we get objections over that uh then I'll shake a money tree back at my office.

I'll pay for the damn thing.

Understood you know uh but uh so we need to get a uh Corey we need to get a a um a meeting put together with Rockman on it and uh thank you I I really appreciate that.

The the hardest one to convince to do this is gonna be Warren Jones.

Yeah but I'll call his wife Vanessa.

Yeah and make it happen.

Yeah yeah um she's she's tough but um so that's super I'm I'm so I really appreciate that.

Thank you.

Okay.

The next two things is um uh these are legislation that that I think I may have before the council or will be having before the council the old prudential building um is um is now owned by the Haskell Company and uh and so they are um in the process of putting his name with a with the letters up there they got a big train over there they did and and put it's gonna be the Haskell Haskell or Haskell building up there um and so um um Dave um hocktra uh called me and asked if I would consider uh changing the name over there um um what's what's the name of that road now no what no yeah what what's the name of the road uh yeah museum circle well the museum's being torn down it's not gonna be there anymore and uh there's only three three addressees on that and one is the city uh yeah so there's it's on the south bank over by the old marsh yeah it it runs from Main Street to uh the other brid the main street bridge through the other bridge and the uh the roundabout uh is kind of like right there yeah I see it and um and so uh uh Preston Haskell doesn't know anything about this and we're trying to they're trying to surprise him and so uh there's just not not much I wouldn't do for Preston Haskell so I said sure I'll try to see if I can't get that so it's going through the process right now I think where if you name something after somebody's got to go through a um it's gotta go through kind of a vetting uh and I actually it's the historic commission that does the vetting on that is that right Bill.

And he's still still with us so it's probably naming after we have to do a waiver for five year period.

Yeah.

Is uh I see it it's museum uh circle and that's what you would change to Haskell circle.

Haskell Way and then did you say there's another Haskell over there or that's there's none right now.

Well the building circle becomes Haskell Way.

Okay.

The building though's big name the uh it's it's having the Haskell name put on the top of it.

Yeah prudential building um so and you have that legislation currently running not yet you're about to yeah so I I wanted to let you know that was happening.

Um and um and and and back on give you a little uh story on why the um uh the the the law that says can't name something after why somebody's alive so that was my dad's that was my dad's bill and it goes back to consolidation well uh friendship fountain used to be named the Dallas Thomas friendship fountain park well uh and I found this information and and the tons of uh uh documents and newspaper articles and stuff that I have going back to the 60s in my office and I found it and Dallas Thomas um was a city commissioner his name's his name's still on a big medallion there uh by the marina and uh along with the other commissioners back in the day anyway uh he got caught with all kinds of larceny charges he was indicted and uh and and one of them was he bought his wife uh some new French provincial kitchen cabinets for her kitchen a solid birch by the way and uh and had new tile put in the kitchen uh new plumbing throughout the house and had a bill sent to the agricultural department and that's where it got paid.

And that was one of many uh things that were happening back in those days.

Got it.

And then he got indicted and then he went he went to prison or jail one of the two and so uh that that early counsel took his name off the park and that's when my dad introduced that bill.

We don't have that kind of stuff happening thank goodness these days.

We have some I mean we have the JA deal and stuff but uh but but people that have gone through their careers like Warren and and um Preston I I think I I think it's it's it's a nice thing to pin the rose on the lapel while they can enjoy it.

And uh that's just the way I think.

Now Mark Middlebrook he he passed away I don't know if you knew Mark or not Mark Middlebrook worked for John Delaney.

He was a reporter with the Times Union and he worked there for a long time.

He uh was asked uh by John Mayor Delaney to work at his administration and uh to do something completely different.

Well Mark wound up gravitating and and was eventually assigned to the preservation project and uh by Mayor Delaney, and he steered the preservation project, um, which wound up buying I think fifty thousand acres of um of our Timaquan preserve.

Um, and if you ever I think this next council that comes in needs to get acquainted with that preserve, it's it's it's fabulous what they're doing out there.

Uh so I've been working with uh uh Daryl Joseph.

Um when when Mark passed away, I really felt something should be named for him out there.

And uh so uh Daryl Joseph said, Well, there's there's two what are they?

What are the two preserves out there uh uh bill?

There's two uh Cedar Point preserves.

Um so uh yeah, let's say I got it here.

There's there's there's two um uh uh Cedar Point preserve would become Middlebrook Preserve.

Um and one reason that that works is there's two Cedar Point preserves, except that one has a little maybe has an extra word in it than the other, and people are getting those two preserves mixed up all the time, but they're close to each other out in the seven uh creeks.

Um, probably so so Daryl thought if if we changed it to the Middlebrook preserve, uh it would solve that confusion problem.

So I talked to uh John Delaney.

Uh he said, oh my god, that would be so perfect.

I talked to Mark Woods, who is good friends with Mark Middlebrook, because they both wrote of the Times Union years ago, um, and he said, Oh Mark Middlebrook loved that preserve, and I talked to the family, uh, talked to everybody, uh, and this is uh I already did the resolution honoring Mark for his work in this.

Uh so this is kind of coming behind and going through that same vetting process.

And uh, and then I went on a town meeting uh out with um council member gay uh and spoke to his constituents out there uh uh at um uh Black Hammock Island and they were all for it.

Uh they're gonna they're gonna have one more meeting and get back with me to affirm it.

But if they do affirm it, then I wanted to introduce that legislation, and so I just want to give you heads up on that's the background on that.

All three seem pretty reasonable.

I just hope that there's things to for other council members to name.

Well I I I uh I made mention uh in in the one committee that I'm in, uh while I could that look uh I'm I'm I've been doing this a long time, and there's a lot of people I know that y'all don't know, and that I feel like you know, so I'm gonna be naming a few things after some folks.

So I'm just giving you a heads up.

So all five people that were there, uh I was able to let them know.

So I thought I'd let you know I was here.

There you go, thank you.

But uh, yeah, I don't mean to be taking up so many doing so many of these, but but I you know I got a year and two months left or so, and these are people that I've known for years, and Martin Middlebrook passed away, and I've been working with us on some of these parts with him.

Um the next one that I have an interest in and always have is the Laura Street Trio, and and uh this has now the um uh uh and I'm sure you've met him.

If if you haven't, uh you need to name it.

So he owns the um the the note on uh the trio and uh I think that's gonna wind up going foreclosure and um excuse me.

And um, so when it does, it'll probably be in July, and and then I think he'll be the one that winds up buying it.

So then when he winds up buying it, uh they'll begin to put term sheets in there, all this together.

But they're gonna be like everybody else, including the publics.

Um we're gonna be facing uh November referendum, and depending on what happens is with the referendum in November, it's gonna depend on, you know, what happens with a lot of these uh development projects.

So um uh just let you know I understand that that issue, yeah.

But uh, but this is a real important one to me.

Um and that has a long story of of uh uh John Delaney and I working with the community in downtown and the historical society and so forth on making that happen but uh it wound up being a compromise uh that allowed the city uh to buy the Lore Street trio uh that was about two months from uh meeting the wrecking ball under the German ownership that they had uh John Delaney was fixing to do a bond issue they were done a little different differently back in those days but John also wanted to to put the library where it's at now but there were some historic buildings on those on the on that property and so the historical society was fighting him on that so I had to work with the historic society and say look we can't say of everything but he wants a library here and and actually I do too.

I think it's a great spot and if if if we can work with him on that then I can get the trio in uh the bond issue.

And then we we can save the most significant uh architectural corner in Jacksonville.

So that's the compromise and um we have the library and then the trio is like Moby Dick's still out there swimming.

Yeah right trying to put the harpoon in his back.

So I just want to let you know that's an important one to me.

Okay.

Uh sometime in the fall I thought it would be uh it would be well to have a uh consolidation lunch and learn uh for our council members but uh we could even extend it out to uh any of the candidates that are running for office right if we wanted to um and uh I'm willing to uh pay for the lunch and I thought uh we could set aside maybe a uh couple hours for it and have Rick Mulaney and uh Earl Johnson would be two great speakers for that and um I don't know what day it would be in in um October November but try to pick an uh a day that you know would work well and uh see who would come but I my my concern uh Nick is uh I just want to make sure that that this council and the next council coming in um and it might need to be done with the new for the new council coming in but the the the um some of the maxims and some of the the foundational um pieces of consolidation uh that that that need to to stay in place to make the this government work the way it's supposed to work um you know uh a lot of a lot of the newer council members coming in they don't know anything about it yeah and so thus it it leads them to wanted I got an idea and then people bandwagon on to that idea and I'm going you you're going down a bad path but then I'm an old guy I've been around a long time and then yeah well he's just been around you know we do things everywhere and I and I just see it going in the wrong direction and um and I'm not against change but but there are times when um you know consolidation um the the foundational parts of of of foundation of consolidation are tried and true and uh and some of them are like the glue that holds this government together and and they should be respected and um just uh an overall um uh lunch and learn might help people understand some of that do you think this should be done in November or should we do it in May after the second election when we know who the next sitting council members would be look I think anyways there was a university that Rick Mulaney ran when we started.

Okay so you're talking about in May um after the uh council elections.

Yeah you know um that's a good question.

Let me think that through.

Either or I think it should be done.

But I mean I wonder whatever you think is most efficient.

It's uh volunteer, you know, we will notice it, but we won't make everyone come.

It's you know, I think if we did it in May, we might get a better attendance because the newer council members probably be more excited about coming to something like that.

Yeah.

But let's definitely get it done I I think um periodic reminder of the reason for consolidation's always a good thing.

Okay.

So let's think about May.

Okay.

Okay.

Uh I was thinking November because we'd be past the budget and uh but I think in May.

We'll talk about it again if you okay.

Um and then Northwest investment.

Uh I I think I haven't seen this and uh but from what I understand there's there's gonna be in the mayor's um budget, just there's gonna be uh uh some real uh investment in the northwest quadrant um for uh uh um infrastructure.

Uh that's that's super important to me.

Um and so uh I'm I w I w I'll be supporting that in that in the budget process um once I see that.

Okay.

Um the next one doesn't have any cost to the city, but uh I I um you know I think it's important for at the time when we have maybe uh a ribbon cutting uh perhaps for the council that might want to um come to it, uh peace memorial park that's right across the street from uh Willow Branch Library.

Yeah.

And uh and that's the one where um Wayne Weaver called me and asked if I would help steer uh that project uh through.

Uh he wanted to um very touching, he wanted to dedicate he's not gonna change the name of the park, but he wants to dedicate uh some really beautiful improvements uh and plant a lot of flowers in that park uh to his mama.

Okay, that's right.

Yep.

Yeah.

And did we we did legislation a few months ago with that, didn't we?

Yes, we did.

Yeah.

And um so I don't know if we have any more legislation coming through on that, but at some point there will be a a groundbreaking and uh um and then there's a a flag that's gonna be placed there in honor of veterans.

Uh and that's a veteran's park anyway.

Uh veterans of memorial type park.

His father was a a veteran.

Uh so he wants to honor his father, but really, I think what tugs is his heart strings is his mother.

Yeah.

And um, yeah, it's very sweet uh conversation we had.

So I I I want that to be something that's gonna be really big uh for the weavers.

And uh it's uh it's hard to believe.

He's he's ninety-one.

He'll be ninety two in January.

I think the park will be ready probably sometime in the fall is my guess.

And um sounds like a great November.

And early November thing.

Yeah.

Um and then riverfront parks, that's something that I've been working on since I've uh been back on the council.

And uh so those are important to me, and hopefully we can keep funding those, depending on uh how things uh come about.

But I I know with the budget coming up, we're gonna be concerned about what's happening in November.

So it's gonna be somewhat of a we're gonna be like a stuck at a yellow light in a way.

Yeah, you know.

And we're gonna have to be careful, you know, with with our spending not to overspend to be ready in case it passes and all that.

Uh I just don't want us to go overboard one way or the other.

Yeah.

And uh and so uh there's uh one particular council person that I hear that that talks about just kind of banishing all parks, banishing the Emerald Trail, banishing this, banishing that, and it's and I just it just goes right through me because I'm thinking, you know, he he's got his opinions, he's entitled to them, but but you know, these are quality of d this stuff has to do with quality of life in our city.

Yeah.

And uh I I drove through downtown this weekend just to see with my own eyes what was going on.

Yeah with Jacksonville's downtown in 90 degrees, and I wanted to see in the heat how many people are down there and people in the parks.

Right.

And I'll tell you, South Bay, uh the river front plaza.

I drove all around.

It was busy, downtown was busy.

Um and then uh, you know, would love to have ongoing sunshine meetings with you if need be.

Okay.

And uh, and then there's one other project, and I I've talked to Josh Pardue about this, and I I'd love to build a handler for him, but again, with the uh till November until we know what the budget's gonna be like, I I don't know what we can do, but it's the Springfield Lofts.

It's an area there uh on the on the north side of Clutho Park where the old Jacksonville Jewish Center used to be.

Yep.

And, you know, if if he could go in there and redevelop all that and and it could be really cleaned up nice, it would be a it would be a great project.

Um uh urban planning project, it'd be great.

About 85 uh apartment units of 10, which would be affordable, uh in the affordable housing uh area, and uh, but he needs about six million bucks.

Yeah.

Uh which I would have to I I guess at this point, but my idea was taking six out of reserves, he would have to pay back three, and three would be a completion grant.

But I I have talked to um Josh and told him look, I I don't know what I can do with this right now, but it would really clean up an area where there's a lot of you know prostitution, a lot of um uh a lot of petty crime, yeah, property crime, it's it's a mess.

So that I just kind of added on there.

So tell me what, unless you've got any questions from me, you know, what what can I do to help you?

Well, I got one minute, um, then we got to know okay.

That's all right.

Um, my um, I took all your time we'll do we'll meet again.

Yeah.

Um my focus, of course, will be on the budget imminently, and with the financial uncertainty we have in the fall, it means it uh gives us certainty for what we need to do for the budget and and I think that is really go over it with a fine-tooth code.

Um some of the projects like you were talking about parks and and Emerald Trail to a great extent they're protected because they're capital projects and the operating budget only suffers so in so much as the debt service involved, but that's a big chunk of our uh of our money.

So what I don't want to do is leave the next president with the full austerity uh risk of having to cut 200 million dollars um in his or her you know years.

So what we what we're actually have been talking about, or I've been talking about with the mayor and and the CAO is potentially we look at um making some cuts uh and putting them below the line.

Um so if there's uh depending on the result of the November referendum, we can adjust again in a December meeting.

That's a good idea.

Yeah, like that.

Um so we're we're looking at all of that, and then of course, you know, I guess it's three o'clock, but you you'll hear a lot about Randy ain't got much to say.

He never does.

So, if you're out there, just hold on, buddy.

You'll hear a lot of the detail of um kind of my agenda in the next year during the installation, but jobs figures pretty prominently in that.

Um it's what was behind my very first piece of legislation, it's what was behind and has been behind my push at Jacksonville Aviation Authority with Cecil Field in particular.

Uh which the charter just got changed.

Governor signed into law the responsibility for Cecil to uh build economic development or JA to build economic development and Cecil.

Um and for them to come to us with a plan, which they will do in the budget hearings.

Um and I'll look at some other things.

And you know, one thing I don't want to do is uh halt development downtown.

You know, we have a lot of great projects that that we could fund if we had the money to fund it.

If we don't have the money, we have to look at some creative things, and I've been running over some ideas with folks in town at the chamber and uh developers and some other.

We we we would have to get creative in a different sort of way.

Find other pockets of value, yeah, yeah, and other ways to do it.

So you'll hear a lot about that on the institution night.

But that's good.

I'm I didn'm glad you're thinking along that way.

We can't do it the traditional way.

I'm taking some of your time up because you don't talk that much anyway.

And I took up I took up 29 of his 30 minutes, and I wanted to hear from him.

Long winded and short winded, so this would work out for me.

Yeah.

But uh anyway, um, well, good, good.

I I'm glad to hear you you you you think of trying to we i if if the thing passes, we're gonna have to figure out how to get some money down there.

It it it it just might have to alternative measures.

Might might have to take public, private, private, you know, partnerships instead of just public private partnerships.

Exactly.

That's uh probably the way to go.

Well listen, I I thank you again and thank you, man.

Appreciate it very much.

Appreciate it.

I hope you have a great wonderful year and it certainly can be a wonderful year.

All you gotta do is is um is what you know in your heart to do is right.

So, and it's all yours, buddy.

The ideas.

And we're adjourned and