Candidate: Michael T Boylan

These nearly three years that I have been on the Council have been filled with many opportunities and challenges.  Our collective world was filled with acronyms like JEA, HRO, LGOT, DCPS sales tax, Lot J and of course COVID-19. Through it all I lived up to the commitment I made when I entered the race four years ago…giving my full time and attention, to the best of my ability, in making Jacksonville a better place for all of its citizens. As evidence, let me share with you just a couple of focus points.

1.      Constituent Services – My first priority (and the lion share of my time) is serving the constituents of District 6…responding to every email and call, doing my best to get their concerns addressed, often times requiring onsite visits with members of the city’s various administrative departments & JSO.

2.      Land Use & Zoning Committee – For three years I’ve had a hand in managing the extrordinary growth this city is experiencing. Upon completion of his term as Council President, Tommy Hazouri kindly recognized my ability to manage the committee’s great workload by honoring me with the Mary Singleton Award for Outstanding Committee Chairmanship. 

3.      Rules & Finance – One of our many duties on Rules is serving as the “gatekeeper” for all those citizens who have been recommended to voluntarily serve on the more than seventy advisory committees, commissions, and governing boards that the city hosts.  As a member of Finance this year, our role is carefully scrutinize the city budget with the full knowledge that we are stewards of citizens’ tax dollars. For the coming year I will have the honor of serving as the Chairman of the Rules Committee.

4.      Special Committees –Perhaps the most significant was serving as the chair of the Future of the JEA committee.  A yearlong effort in the recrafting of Article 21 of the city’s charter, that involved colleagues, the Office of the General Counsel, and industry experts (within and outside of JEA). Together we infused safeguards to ensure greater transparency, board and management accountability, a roadmap for expanding and/or developing new services and most of all the assuredness that JEA will remain an asset of the city for many, many years to come.  Other special committee responsibilities:

·         Project Save Lives (Vice Chair) – A multi-year effort involving JSO, JFRD, and the health care community in addressing the opioid epidemic this community is experiencing. 

·         Resiliency (Vice Chair of the Outreach Sub-committee) – During my serviceas the volunteer chair of the area’s long term recovery work following Hurricane Irma, I saw many times over, what devastation flooding can do to homes and neighborhoods.

·         Safer Together (Co-Chair) – Following some social unrest in our city, CM Morgan and I hosted a number of townhall meetings involving JSO management and citizens actively interested in understanding the innerworkings of our police department, with a focus on advancing and expanding the JSO’s community policing practices. 

·         Water Ways Commission (Vice Chair) – Studies and make recommendations to the City Council with respect to the improvement, development and protection of the St. Johns River and all tidal waters in Duval County as well as developing future uses of those waterways.

·         Social Justice and Community Investment – With the goal of supporting both successful and emerging community programs with city funding, the committee thoroughly reviewed and awarded funding requests to qualifying efforts. 

·         Permitting Process Review – This recently formed committee is tasked with assisting the Development Services department in exploring ways they can be more productive in meeting the demands of developers and home builders experiencing extensive delays in service.

Beyond that I have served or am currently serving on the following:

·         Canvassing Board – The credibility of our election process being called into question of late, my role here is to ensure that every qualified vote is counted and the evaluation process is done in the most transparent way as possible.

·         Council Liasion – Serving as a conduit between the respective organization’s  board/management and the City Council in matters that require the involment of both bodies.

o   JEA

o   Downtown Investment Authority

o   Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville

o   Downtown Development Review Board

For more information regarding my public service record and personal profile or to donate to my campaign please visit VoteBoylan.com