2011 ELECTIONS ARE PARAMOUNT FOR DOWNTOWN
Jacksonville’s image is largely based on the condition of Downtown. If Downtown is vibrant, Jacksonville as
a region becomes more attractive to businesses, investors, visitors and an educated workforce accustomed to being in an active, urban environment. Downtown’s success directly impacts business retention and relocation – creating jobs and stability for our local economy. The neglect of our Downtown is costly to taxpayers on many levels. We believe the following tenets are both essential and attainable in the near-term and necessary to advance Downtown.
1. Focus on the Core – Only by concentrating our limited public and private resources on our city’s historical and cultural core can we effectively revitalize Downtown. History shows that dispersion of facilities, activities and funding has been detrimental to the creation of a vibrant Downtown. Thriving downtowns have density.
2. Create a Compelling Downtown Experience – Improving the “fit and finish” of Downtown, and activating the streetscape with small-scale events and promotions are less expensive needs in Downtown. Using what we have and activating existing vacant and underutilized buildings contribute to creating a compelling experience in a compact, walkable area of the core. Most importantly, history confirms that there is no single project that will turn around Downtown.
3. Insist on Public-Private Leverage – Successful downtowns typically reserve public money for projects and activities that require or encourage significant private investment. The city needs to re-examine its policies to make sure that taxpayer funds spent on capital projects and on event programming are, where possible, used in ways that encourage private development and have a positive economic impact on existing businesses.
4. Bold and Ambitious Leadership – Not only do we need individual leaders who are visionary and ambitious, we need to ensure that our efforts to create and maintain excellence continue regardless of elected leadership. It will take strategic thinking and open and honest debate that should be welcomed to chart the best path and ensure the right series of decisions are made.
In evaluating the success of other great cities, it is a fact that they all have vibrant downtowns. To be a great city, Jacksonville must address the needs of Downtown. We hope all candidates recognize the importance of Downtown to the city’s future and are up to the challenge to do what is required to achieve our potential as a great American city.
Terry Lorince, Executive Director
Downtown Vision, Inc.
DOWNTOWN VISION, INC. POLICy statements
Downtown Vision, Inc. Policy Position Summary | Download PDF
White Paper: Turning the Corner, Rethinking and Remaking Downtown | Download PDF
THINK. VOTEJACKSONVILLE
The Think.VoteJacksonville Project is a partnership of First Coast media outlets (WJCT Public Broadcasting, First Coast News NBC-12/ABC-25, CBS47 Action News and FOX Action News, WOKV – AM/FM, The Jacksonville Business Journal, and the Florida Times-Union), and civic organizations (League of Women Voters, JCCI, Inc, and Downtown Vision, Inc.) The project is dedicated to providing a comprehensive, non-partisan look at the 2011 Mayoral Race. It is our mission to inform and engage the citizens of the First Coast about the mayoral candidates through promotion of shared content via the website, www.thinkvotejacksonville.org, and a series of debates featuring the mayoral candidates.
This forum was conceived and developed by the Blueprint for Prosperity Executive Committee. It was designed as a non-partisan site dedicated to helping Jacksonville’s citizens gain information about issues that are important to our city’s future. think.votejacksonville is open to any candidate registered for Jacksonville’s 2011 mayoral race.
voting information
Duval County Supervisor of Elections