The first televised debate between the major candidates for Jacksonville mayor took place last night in the studios of WJCT Public Broadcasting.
Incumbent Democratic Mayor Alvin Brown and Republican candidates Lenny Curry and Bill Bishop answered questions from the panel of reporters from the Florida Times-Union and First Coast News.
The questions covered everything from pension reform and downtown development to crime, the proposed harbor deepening and taxes.
Of the three, City Councilman Bill Bishop was the only candidate to make the case for a tax hike:
"Look, nobody likes to say they're going to raise taxes. Nobody ever gets elected saying 'I'm going to raise your taxes.' Well, the unfortunate fact of life is, we don't have enough money to pay the bills going back decades. And all the 90-day emergency audits in the world are not going to find a recurring source of funds to pay for this stuff. It's not there."
The mention of a 90-day emergency audit was aimed at Lenny Curry, who's an accountant by trade and who has, time and again, promised a close inspection of the city's books:
"Over the past four years, your property taxes have gone up 14 percent under Mayor Brown. Councilman Bill Bishop, I appreciate your candidness — you are for tax increases. I'm against raising your taxes. We are in financial disarray, and there's conversations about raising your taxes. Not on my watch."
And Brown, who was first elected on a no-new-taxes pledge, said he did not regret making that pledge, even amidst financial hardships that resulted in the loss of more than 100 police officers:
"Since I've been in office for the last four years, our reserves have gone up from about $133 million to $180 million in reserves today. We have a strong, vibrant city and it's not because of government. It's because government is more effective, efficient and limited. It's because of the private sector putting people back to work."
Bishop disputed the mayor's claim about how much money is in reserves.
Brown, Bishop and Curry will be joined by Omega Allen, the fourth candidate in the Jacksonville mayor's race, in a second debate Wednesday, March 18, at Jacksonville University.
Early voting is underway and continues through Sunday, March 22.
Election day is Tuesday, March 24.
To watch "The 2015 Jacksonville Mayoral Debate" online go to wjct.org/JaxMayor2015.
