Candidate: Bill Bishop

Bill and his family have lived in Jacksonville for almost 30 years, the last 18 in Clifton. He is Vice President and Principal of Akel, Logan, Shafer, a 50 year old Jacksonville-based architectural and planning firm. Bill’s firm is responsible for numerous projects in Jacksonville including Sabal Palm Elementary School on Kernan Boulevard, the Florida Highway Patrol District Headquarters at Normandy and I-295, the Synovus Bank on Prudential Drive, and Jacksonville landmarks such as the West Regional Library and the Northbank Riverfront Park designed by his wife Melody. Through Bill’s 30 years experience as a practicing architect, he has a thorough understanding of the importance of good design and community planning and their impact on neighborhoods. Bill currently is Chairman of the Transportation, Energy, and Utilities Committee and also serves on the Rules and Land Use and Zoning Committees. He is Vice Chair of the Jacksonville Waterways Commission and serves on the North Florida TPO and Northeast Florida Regional Council. Bill’s work on the City Council over the past three years includes: • He lead the successful effort to stop the JAA getting a comprehensive plan change that would have allowed them to expand the runway at Craig Field • He convinced the JTA to institute a corridor study of Southside Boulevard as a prerequisite to any design on the Atlantic Blvd/Southside Blvd intersection changes to determine how to best improve the traffic situation while protecting and enhancing the residential neighborhoods on both sides of Southside Blvd rather than just constructing another highway overpass. • As previous Chair of the Jacksonville Waterways Commission he was a leader in the effort to convince the administration to fight the Central Florida initiative to withdraw large quantities of water from the St. Johns River. • He worked with the Environmental Protection Board to successfully pass the city’s first sustainable building ordinance that provides for expedited permitting for those engaging in environmentally sustainable building activities. • Earlier this year, he lead the successful effort to convince the Florida Department of Transportation to use innovative road design techniques to mitigate the effects of the anticipated traffic increase from the soon-to-be constructed expanded RaceTrack gas station at Atlantic Boulevard and the Hart Expressway. • He is currently spearheading legislation that would allow the USS Charles Adams (DDG2) to be brought to Jacksonville as a ship museum. Prior to being elected to serve District 2 on the City Council in 2007, Bill was actively involved in the Jacksonville community in many capacities. He served on the board of JCCI and chaired the Affordable Housing Study, he served on numerous boards and commissions including the Economic Development Advisory Committee for the Jacksonville Downtown Master Plan, the JTA North/Southeast Corridor Mass Transit Citizen’s Advisory Committee, Riverside Avondale Preservation, was a founding board member of Old Arlington, Inc., served as a panelist at the City of Jacksonville Small and Emerging Business Summer Business Summit, and as president of both the Jacksonville and State of Florida chapters of the American Institute of Architects. He is currently a member of the Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens advisory board, the Meninak Club, the Southside Businessmen’s Club, and the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce. “I am looking forward to the opportunity to serve the citizens of District 2 and Jacksonville for another four years and would be honored to have your support.\"