Former Clinton administration official Alvin Brown prevailed at the ballot box on Tuesday, making him the next mayor of Jacksonville and the first African-American to hold the post.
While Duval County Tax Collector Mike Hogan, a Republican, led Brown and a field of other candidates --including two other strong Republican candidates --in the first go-round of the election, Brown came back to win in the runoff, making him the first Democrat to win a mayoral election in Jacksonville since Ed Austin won in 1991.
With more than 37 percent of Jacksonville voters turning out at the polls, Brown took 50.4 percent with 97,271 votes. Hogan trailed with 95,623 votes.
While Hogan initially led as votes came in, by the end of Tuesday night Brown had built a 603-vote lead, which expanded on Wednesday. Hogan conceded the race Wednesday night.
"A few minutes ago, I received a very gracious phone call from Mike Hogan, said Brown. I thanked Mike for his many years of dedicated service to Jacksonville and told him how much Santhea and I enjoyed getting to know Judy and him on the campaign trail. Mike is a devoted family man and a true public servant who loves our city, and I hope that we will have the opportunity to work together in the years to come.
"While I will have more to say on Thursday morning, let me just say tonight that I am deeply honored by the trust that the people of Jacksonville have placed in me, said Brown. I am excited about the opportunity that we have to take Jacksonville to the next level, and I will work with people from every corner of this community to move Jacksonville forward. Now is the time to bring Jacksonville together and unite our city. That will be my most critical priority as mayor."
"These are unprecedented times facing our city and I ask all of my supporters to join me in rallying around Alvin Brown and his team as they begin the work of getting City Hall's fiscal house in order and putting Jacksonville back to work, said Hogan, a fixture of Jacksonville politics who had also served in the Florida House. This campaign offered significant dialogue with hard-working taxpayers about how to turn our city around and I am hopeful that Alvin will continue to listen to the people's calls for responsible spending, less government regulation and no new taxes."
He added, "Judy and I offer our sincerest congratulations to Alvin and Santhea and will pray for their family as they transition into this very important new role. It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve the people of Jacksonville and I am so proud of all we have accomplished."
With Hogan drawing support from Republican officials across the state --including U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, Gov. Rick Scott and state CFO Jeff Atwater --Democrats claim that Browns win shows they are gaining momentum in the Sunshine State after a tough 2010.
Mayor-elect Alvin Brown secured a historic victory for Democrats in the Jacksonville mayors race --the first Democrat to hold the office in 20 years, said U.S Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, on Wednesday night. By working with broad support from Democrats, independents and traditionally Republican voters, Mayor-elect Alvin Brown built a message and campaign that spoke to all of Jacksonville.
If last nights results prove anything, its that the far right wing positions taken by Republicans like Rick Scott, and congressional Republicans, are being rejected by voters casting real and meaningful votes, added Wasserman Schultz.Republicans across the country have overplayed their hand, and voters last night reacted. As long as Republicans in Washington and across the country continue to promote unwise and unpopular policies like ending Medicare as we know it to protect tax breaks for Big Oil and the wealthiest Americans, they shouldnt be the least bit surprised by election results like we saw last night.
We are obviously disappointed in the outcome of this race, said Dave Bitner, chairman of the Republican Party of Florida. Mike Hogan has been a great tax collector for the city of Jacksonville and ran a tough race for the opportunity to continue serving the city.
Alvin Brown campaigned as a conservative and ran on a platform of lower taxes, spending reductions and job creation, added Bitner. We, along with the voters of Jacksonville, will be sure to hold him accountable to those promises.
There were other dramatic results on voting day, these in down-ballot races: Michael Corrigan defeated fellow Republican former Rep. Dick Kravitz to replace Hogan as Duval County tax collector, taking more than 53 percent of the vote. Kravitz had abandoned a state Senate campaign to enter the local race. Incumbent City Council President Jack Webb lost his seat to fellow Republican Matt Schellenberg.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
