A Q&A with District 7 Candidates

A Q&A with District 7 Candidates
Left: City Council District 7 Candidate Jimmy Peluso (DEM)
Right: City Council District 7 Candidate Joseph Hogan (REP)

Voters will return to the ballot boxes on May 16 to decide the runoff elections for several city seats, including the mayor, property appraiser and city council representative for seven districts (2, 7, 8, 9, 11, 14 and At-Large Group 5)

Specific to The Resident’s readership is the runoff election is District 7 and its candidates, Joseph Hogan (REP) and Jimmy Peluso (DEM). Ahead of the upcoming election, The Resident reached out to these candidates for a Q&A on various issues and topics pertaining to Jacksonville as a whole.

Note: The responses below are sorted alphabetically and presented as submitted by the candidates, without any editing by The Resident staff.

Q1: WHAT QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE MAKES YOU THE BEST CANDIDATE TO REPRESENT DISTRICT 7?

HOGAN: I have been around local politics since I was a kid. I understand how the system works and how relationships are key to getting things accomplished. I intend to develop a healthy working relationship with every council member and the Mayors office to ensure we have the best chances to direct our city on a positive path. Partisan politics and games are detrimental to the overall success of our city. As a builder I have over a decade of experience in planing and executing detailed projects. This skill set will be an asset as we consider and vote on large scale development projects around the city. My time in the military has given me the ability to work with people from all walks of life and the structure to remain focused on the task at hand with the attention to detail necessary to ensure desired outcomes.

PELUSO: I served on active duty in the Navy for 8 years, leading Sailors from diverse backgrounds to complete the mission. Alongside my service in the Navy, my experience in Government Affairs has allowed me to learn the best practices for navigating the bureaucracy that Government so frequently comes with. I want to leverage my skills in this arena with my knowledge built up on various boards- including RAP, Changing Homelessness, and the NE Florida Literacy Alliance- to improve living conditions for all aspects of District 7.

Q2: IF ELECTED TO THE CITY COUNCIL, WHAT IS THE TOP ISSUE YOU PLAN TO ADDRESS AND BE A LEADER ON?

HOGAN: Jacksonville has an aging infrastructure. We are going to be required to repair and replace major systems over the next several decades. We need to be proactive and establish a comprehensive plan to pay for and update our systems in every neighborhood. I intend to work with the council and the Mayors office to create a plan that will ensure our infrastructure is world-class and continues to remain functional and accessible to the citizens of Jacksonville.

PELUSO: Parks, infrastructure, uplifting neighborhoods, improving transportation, and addressing homeless. Ambitious as it is, there has to be more voices on City Council that are trying to address these issues. District 7 has a unique opportunity to be a leader on all of these fronts.

Q3: DO YOU THINK THAT THE BOUNDARIES THAT WERE REDRAWN FOR DISTRICT 7 (AND OTHERS) ARE HELPFUL, OR DETRIMENTAL TO THE CURRENT STATE OF CITY COUNCIL REPRESENTATION?

HOGAN: I think the process for selecting the new district lines was quite flawed and poorly timed. I do not think the end result created more representation for certain demographics on the council as was the stated intention. If there was an argument for gerrymandering in the original maps, I would argue that it still exists. If anything, we should probably except less black representation on the overall council makeup under the new lines. However, as the saying goes, it is what it is. I am trying my best to be elected to District 7 and will work hard each day to represent every community and individual in the district.

PELUSO: The purpose of the redistricting was to ensure there was more voting power for minority communities. By packing African-American voters into four out of fourteen seats, it nearly ensured black and brown voters wouldn’t have a large scale impact on district elections, despite being over 30% of the population. On top of the demographics, I am highly critical of elected officials being so involved in creating a map that benefits their incumbency. These new maps have the ability to provide more engagement and hopefully break the log-jam of candidates who are from a political legacy.  

Q4: WHAT IS YOUR POSITION ON HISTORIC STRUCTURES? DO WE SACRIFICE LOSING STRUCTURES FOR GROWTH….OR DO YOU BELIEVE IN REPURPOSING AND PRESERVING OUR HISTORIC BUILDINGS AND TAKING A STAND ALONG THESE LINES?

HOGAN: This will be a hard question to answer in brevity as it is a topic I am very interested in. I love historic buildings. I have worked on projects to restore and update older buildings. I also feel strongly about the inherent rights of a property owner to do as they please with their time and resources, think “pursuit of happiness”. We need to have a mindset that is not intent on destroying the past and replacing it with the latest and greatest objects of our time while also being intentional about innovation and excellence in our craft. Just because a building is old doesn’t mean it is great and at one point that building was new and on the cutting edge of best building practices. There is a healthy balance to maintain and property owners should be aware of any limitations or restrictions to their plans prior to obtaining ownership. I think it is important to remain flexible and work to ensure that people with varying means are treated with respect and given every means possible to live their version of life. I also think it is important to develop and maintain the character and charm that we have in so many of our historic neighborhoods.

PELUSO: Preserving our historic structures provides so much more character and investment in our city and we should be protecting these assets where we can. Some of the homes in District 7 especially are over a hundred years old and we should actively work toward their preservation; the repurposing of buildings such as where the Glass Factory currently occupies helps provide new life and interesting spaces for local growth and community building.

Q5: IF YOU WERE TO WIN THE ELECTION, WHAT IS THE FIRST PIECE OF LEGISLATION YOU PLAN TO FILE?

HOGAN: First piece would be an infrastructure bill that set parameters for mandatory spending minimums on repairs and system replacement in every community, beginning with the oldest and highest priority areas. The job of a district council person should include overseeing that list of priorities and adjusting it as the situation warrants.

Second piece would be a bill to hire a firm to give us an accurate estimate of exactly how much dollars the Jaguars bring into the city as an organization. We will soon see requests for stadium dollars and associated projects. It will make for a much easier and more informed decision if we have this information. It will also help to determine the level of return, or loss, the city can expect from any future spending.

PELUSO: I believe homelessness is an ongoing and startling problem in Jacksonville that we have to solve quickly, before it becomes an even larger problem. Mental health, drug addiction, crime and trauma are all major factors into why people are living on our streets and in our parks. I intend to pass legislation that will provide a dedicated funding source to support homelessness programs that provide housing opportunities and resources to get people off the streets and into fields that are needed in our community. 

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