With most of Florida still recovering from the 2010 election cycle, Jacksonville turns its attention to the battle shaping up to see who will be the Bold New City of the Souths next mayor.
With more than 800,000 residents, Jacksonville is the largest city in Florida in terms of population and the 13th largest in the nation. Due to the citys consolidation in the 1960s, most of Duval County is incorporated into the city of Jacksonville -- making it the largest city in the nation in terms of geographic scope.
The city has a distinct way of selecting its next mayor with two rounds of voting and voters being able to select candidates regardless of party affiliation. Early voting for the first round of elections begins on March 7 and lasts until March 22. If a single candidate does not obtain a majority of votes, the top two candidates will square off in the general election on May 17.
With current Mayor John Peyton facing term limits, a crowded field of candidates has emerged to run for mayor -- even though two prominent candidates have already bowed out of the race.
The field includes a number of prominent Republicans including Duval County Tax Collector Mike Hogan, who also served on the Jacksonville City Council as well as winning two terms in the House; Audrey Moran, most recently president and CEO of the Sulzbacher Center and a former chief of staff under Mayor John Delaney, a former assistant state attorney who also served director of legislative affairs for Mayor Ed Austin; and Rick Mullaney, who also served as chief of staff under Delaney as well as general counsel of the city. Retired Air Force veteran Robert Hutcherson, James Moser and David Crosby are also running for mayor as Republicans.
On the Democratic side, Alvin Brown, a Clinton administration official who served closely under Al Gore and former U.S. Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, and City Councilwoman Glorious Johnson are the top candidates in the race. Registered nurse Brenda White, retired Marine and correctional officer Warren Lee and Christopher Hills round out the Democratic field.
Other candidates include small-business man Stephen Irvine who is running with no party affiliation and write-in candidate Andy Bryan. Irvine is calling for the city to invest in teens, calling for more prevention programs and teen centers to reduce the number of juveniles behind bars.
But the field is stating to dwindle down. Businessman and newspaper publisher Jim Bailey pulled the plug on his bid to be mayor of Jacksonville on Monday. While his campaign focused on small-business issues, Bailey is the second major Republican candidate to pull out of the race, joining Councilman Kevin Hyde on the sidelines.
Bailey had raised more than $182,500 for his bid but burned through most it -- more than $166,000 had been spent according to the last reports released by the Duval County Board of Elections for the period ending Sept. 30.
The other candidates seem to be keeping their powder dry but its clear that the major Republican candidates are doing better at fund-raising than the two leading Democrats. Mullaney raised more than $517,500 and spent more than $60,000. Moran brought in more than $375,000 in cash and spent almost $57,000. Hogan, who has won the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police, raised almost $323,000 and spent almost $78,000. Brown brought in more than $96,500 and spent more than $4,500. Johnson, a former Republican, has had less success, bringing in more than $23,500 and spending almost $12,000.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
