Media Clips August 2012
Headline: Keynote speaker for Democratic party convention has a Jacksonville connection Date: August 1, 2012 Re: Mention of JCCI Annual Meeting Link to online story: http://bit.ly/Tj3gVx Value: $100 Copy:
San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, selected to give the coveted keynote speech at the Democratic Party convention in September, is a familiar face to JCCI. Castro was the keynote speaker at JCCI's annual meeting in September 2011. He came to Jacksonville to deliver the speech after San Antonio used JCCI's consulting services to help the city craft its SA 2020 plan. "We want to create a brain-powered community that is the liveliest in the United States," Castro told the JCCI audience, which included Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown. Castro has sought to bring "new energy economy" businesses and jobs to San Antonio in the research and manufacture of alternative and renewable energy. Castro, 37, will be the first Hispanic to give the keynote address at a Democratic convention.
Headline: Election Video: Duval Circuit Court Clerk, Democratic primary Date: August 4, 2012 Re: Mention of JCCI Link to online story: http://bit.ly/OXYys1 Value: $100 Copy:
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT • Jacksonville Transportation Authority-Appointed by Governor Bob Graham • Board of Directors • Mass Transit Subcommittee • Leadership Jacksonville • Jacksonville Journey
• Education, Truancy, Dropout and Literacy Committee • Jacksonville Community Council, Inc.-Board of Directors • Study Committee: Jacksonville Public Services: Meeting Neighborhood Needs • Study Committee: Downtown Homeless • Resource to JCCI Forward Study on Truancy • Study Committee: Race Relations 2007 Progress Report • United Way of Northeast Florida-Campaign Cabinet • Chair, Florida State Employees Campaign • Mentor, Achievers for Life Program • Arlington Middle School • Member, Riverside United Methodist Church • Chair, Church Council • Member, Riverside Avondale Preservation
Headline: JCCI Forward and We Remember Raines » JCCI Forward and We Remember Raines Date: August 7, 2012 Re: “We Remember Raines” screening Link to online story: http://bit.ly/P01LZG Value: $100 Copy:
JCCI Forward and We Remember Raines
Headline: JCCI Forward and We Remember Raines Date: August 7, 2012 Re: We Remember Raines screening Link to online story: http://bit.ly/Q5uAlh Value: $100
A community is democratic only when the humblest and weakest person can enjoy the highest civil, economic, and social rights that the biggest and most powerful possess. Philip Randolph Education is the great equalizer, an equitable educational system is needed to empower and engage learning equally for all students. -William Jackson The opportunity to share in dialogue about the progressive nature and transformative events of the past 30 years. How public education has taken a turn for the better or worse. The historical changes from policies, desegregation, parental involvement and faculty accountability. These elements have a profound effect not just on Raines, but Duval County Public Schools and the move from a traditional Southern mentality towards educational diversity and inclusion. On Wednesday, August 8th at WJCT Studios JCCI Forward's JAXFACTs: We Remember Raines Screenings will be shown and allow a public dialogue on public education. An honest reflection on the direction education has made and where it could possibly end up. This; An Evening To Remember is not just about Raines High School, although this is the center piece to create a momentum of discussion, but how the value and empowerment of education has changed. The inclusion of standards, benchmarks, state assessments, changes in graduation requirements and more. Each time We Remember Raines is shown it brings about an awakening to the confirmative nature of education has made over the years. The changes in the acceptance of student and parent behaviors, attacks on the validity of public education in a digital world and the effects of a growing diverse student body whose value structure has been changed by digital influences and socialinconsistencies in supporting public education. We Remember Raines; a recent 2012 Jacksonville Historic Preservation Award-winning documentary! It is a must see for the Jacksonville community. The value of education is present, teachers are held accountable by parents and administrators, students’ successes are shared and celebrated.
The Jacksonville community is invited to join JCCI Forward for a screening of the 2012 Jacksonville Historic Preservation Award-winning documentary, "We Remember Raines." Director and Raines alumnus Emanuel Washington’s captures the essence of how one school inspired a whole community. Part history book, but mostly high school yearbook, the film starts with Jacksonville’s beginnings, then into consolidation and the school district’s decades-long battle over desegregation and Raines’ birth. Wednesday, August 8, 2012 5:30pm until 8:30pm 5:30 - Wine & Cheese Reception and Networking 6:00 - Documentary Screening followed by Talkback Panel
Headline: Circuit Court, Group 1: Davis deserves another term Date: August 8, 2012 Re: Mention of JCCI’s Race Relations Study Link to online story: http://bit.ly/OXYLLS Value: $100 Copy:
Circuit Court Judge Brian Davis is seeking re-election to a post he may leave soon — if his nomination to the federal bench is approved by the U.S. Senate. During 18 years as a circuit judge, Davis has created an exemplary record in the courtroom and in community service. He deserves to be re-elected. Even his strongest opponent in the race concedes he isn’t hoping to defeat Davis. Donald Mairs said he entered the race in case Davis’ appointment resulted in a vacancy. But Davis’ appointment by President Barack Obama to the Middle District of Florida court has failed to emerge from the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has held up several nominees for partisan reasons. Appointment held up Although Davis has support of both of Florida’s senators, Democrat Bill Nelson and Republican Mario Rubio, it appears unlikely the nomination will be considered by the full Senate anytime soon. If Republicans win the White House, pending judicial appointments could be withdrawn.
For the last nearly 10 years, Davis has served in Nassau County where he has presided over mostly civil, family law and juvenile cases. In 2006, he was a leader in establishing the mental health court, which diverts appropriate cases to treatment and support in a rigorous program to reduce recidivism and help those who qualify for the program to lead more productive lives. Earlier, Davis was a prosecutor and chief assistant state attorney, and he was in private practice with two Jacksonville law firms. He has been especially active in community service. After attending Jacksonville public schools, Davis graduated from Princeton University and received his law degree from the University of Florida. Active in community His community service leadership has been extensive and wide ranging with emphasis on youth and race relations in addition to his involvement in professional organizations. After becoming an Eagle Scout, Davis has continued to serve that organization in a variety of leadership roles from assistant scoutmaster to district chairman. Davis, 59, co-chaired the Jacksonville Community Council’s race relations study and has served on the board of directors of several organizations, including Hubbard House, Pace Center for Girls, OneJax and Help Center Inc. He led in his church, serving as chair of the board of trustees at Ebenezer United Methodist Church, and was recognized by the Jewish Federation with its Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award in 1997. Davis is more than prepared for the federal bench, but voters should return him to the Circuit Court as he awaits the outcome of the federal nomination.
Headline: NE Florida Community Development Collaboration – Jacksonville, FL Date: August 16, 2012 Re: Mention of Jacksonville Community Council Inc. Link to online story: http://cdccollab.wordpress.com/2012/08/13/jacksonville-community-councilinc-jcci/ Value: $30 Copy:
This month’s HUD Community Economic Development Roundtable Luncheon featured Steve Rankin from Jacksonville Community Council Inc. (JCCI) who discussed how his organization engages citizens in community improvement through research and training. An overview on various initiatives and resources available to CED
practitioners was given along with ways that we could get involved as practitioners. Studies include Jacksonville Quality of Life , Race Relations and Task Force Implementation Reports, among others. JCCI Race Relations Progress Reports – Examining progress in eliminating race-based disparities and insisting on accountability. Racial and Ethnic disparities across 6 elements of community life including education; employment and income; neighborhood housing, health outcomes, justice and the legal system; and political and civic engagement JCCI Quality of Life Progress Report – Data and trends on critical issues facing our region. These comprehensive reports help direct our resources and responses to create long lasting, positive change for our communities. See here for an archive of all current and past reports/studies. Mr. Rankin also mentioned other collaborative work taking place in Jacksonville that would be worthwhile for housing and community development professionals could get involved in. JCCI is active in promoting healthy communities through sustainable design, improved food access and visioning – especially in areas where attendees work (i.e. Health Zone 1). Visit JCCI’s website for more on their resources, calendar of events, contacts and ways to engage yourself and your community.
Headline: Community Indicators Consortium Date: August 20, 2012 Re: Mention of JCCI and CEO Ben Warner Link to online story: http://bit.ly/NSweVp Value: $100 Copy:
Frameworks Matter. A review of major trends affecting all of our communities and an overview of indicator frameworks used to drive economic, social and environmental change. How is our field evolving and how might you use these frameworks in your communities and across our field for greater impact? Overview presentation by Lyle Wray, Executive Director of the Capitol Region Council of Governments (Hartford, CT) and Co-Author of Results That Matter. Commentators Charlotte Kahn, Director, Boston Indicators Project, The Boston Foundation and Ben Warner, Executive Director, Jacksonville Community Council, Inc.
Headline: Jacksonville libraries need a plan for an independent future Date: August 22, 2012 Re: JCCI “Library Independent Funding” report Link to online story: http://bit.ly/Q5yuut Value: $100 Copy:
For a city with severe reading issues, one would think that the public library system would be a major priority. And it is, supposedly, but that’s only a surface reality. Beneath the surface, the library system is slowly deteriorating into mediocrity. Let’s review the sad facts. Roofs need repairs, for instance, but there is no maintenance budget. The Northside would like its own regional library, but there is no capital budget. The materials budget is being cut every year, so there are fewer items to meet demand that had been surging during the recession. Hours are being cut. The next step — closures. But wasn’t the library one of the centerpieces of the Better Jacksonville Plan? Yes. And weren’t beautiful new structures built and old ones refurbished? Yes, but the operating budget was not similarly protected. And the library board, which ought to be guiding the system through these tough times, has no real independent powers. So the system can’t save revenues for capital or maintenance. It can’t even save its fine revenues, which go into the general fund. Some of the library system’s issues are not connected to the recession. Just as brick and mortar bookstores are closing due to the digital revolution, libraries are facing some of the same pressures. Yet the vast majority of the library system’s loans are the oldfashioned kind: real books, CDs and movies. But this crisis still is not fully realized by the people of Jacksonville. Unfortunately, this message is not getting out to the people because the library’s condition looks OK on the surface. If the roof is leaking, people won’t notice unless they see the water dripping into a pail. If there are not enough books to lend, it won’t occur with a dramatic announcement, but it will just take longer and longer to get access to them. So a group of library lovers helped fund a study by Jacksonville Community Council Inc. to look for solutions to this dysfunctional arrangement. The conclusion was that the library system needs some independence. Accountability, yes, but not gridlock. It may look like abandoning consolidation, but the proposal that emanated from the JCCI study is a thoughtful one. The next step following the study is a straw ballot in the next local election. If successful, a binding vote would follow, then
enabling legislation. This would be a lengthy process. The district would be designed to fit into the Jacksonville culture. Elected officials would serve on the board, for instance, not appointees. And there would be no additional taxes levied without a vote of the people. But the keys would allow the board to plan, to make decisions, to get out of this cycle of gridlock. Maybe the system can’t afford so many branches. Maybe the next generation of libraries includes traveling librarians spreading the culture of reading throughout the city. Maybe there are ideas we haven’t even considered yet, but they will never be imagined, much less implemented, without independence. Libraries are just too important to the American ideal of universal education to allow them to wither. Jacksonville should be leading the way to the new library future. Right now, local libraries are just stuck. An independent board is needed to get them out of this rut.