Democratic Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown joined the owner of an Avondale restaurant Friday to voice support for increasing the minimum wage.
Ian Chase owns Fox Restaurant. Chase and Brown told reporters they support raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, saying it would lead to thousands of new jobs in Florida.
“Business is booming and we’re taking Jacksonville to the next level. However there’s still more that we can do to give working people every opportunity in this great city to succeed. Over the decades wages have stagnated while cost of living has dramatically gone up. That means less that you can save, less that you can provide for your loved ones.”
Raising the minimum wage has become a rallying cry for Democratic leaders, with a proposal currently in Congress to raise the federal minimum to $12.00 an hour.
In his most recent State of the Union address, President Obama also called for an increase to $10.10 an hour.
Republican mayoral candidate Lenny Curry’s campaign dismissed Brown’s announcement as a “partisan stunt.” Curry and Brown will face off in the May 19 city election.
You can follow Melissa Ross @MelissainJax.
