A Few Minutes With the Mayor, March 2019 – Mayor by Paul Becker

The women seen dining here are members of the “Jacksonville Belles and Beaus Old West Society.” They celebrate history by donning costumes for almost any era dating back to the Civil War—but with an emphasis on the Victorian days. You’ve seen them in Jacksonville’s Christmas and Chinese New Year parades; at other times strolling sidewalks […]

By |2020-09-30T14:16:08-07:00February 28th, 2019|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on A Few Minutes With the Mayor, March 2019 – Mayor by Paul Becker

With Gratitude – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – June 2018

I need to start this column by thanking a couple of people, who through their efforts have made a positive contribution to our city: Donna McMann and Donna Williams, neither of whom lived in Jacksonville.

Donna McMann possessed a beautiful, circa 1880s upright piano which she treated with […]

By |2018-06-05T12:14:55-07:00June 5th, 2018|A Few Minutes with the Mayor|Comments Off on With Gratitude – by Mayor Paul Becker

Real Life Lessons – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – May 2018

A visitor stopped by my office the other day to discuss a dream she has. That dream is to one day see a world where everyone who is handicapped and wheelchair-bound will have the freedom of movement to go where others go who take it for granted. […]

By |2020-09-30T14:16:25-07:00April 27th, 2018|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on Real Life Lessons – by Mayor Paul Becker

“Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear” – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – March 2018

I know a young man who was recently visiting who needed to pick-up two weeks of work in order to earn money to return home. When the time came for him to be picked-up and taken to the job, he became flustered because he couldn’t find his […]

By |2020-09-30T14:16:30-07:00March 1st, 2018|A Few Minutes with the Mayor|Comments Off on “Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear” – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Day in the Life of Your Mayor – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – September 2017

We all have one of “those days,” a day when unforeseen circumstances alter our plans. Sometimes they offer pleasant surprises. Oftentimes they are anything but pleasant. I had one of these in late July, and thought it worth sharing.

By |2020-09-30T14:16:44-07:00September 5th, 2017|A Few Minutes with the Mayor|Comments Off on A Day in the Life of Your Mayor – by Mayor Paul Becker

Thanks for the 4th! – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – August 2017

July 4th has come and gone… now for the “lazy hazy days of summer.” If you missed it, we had one “swellegant” party here in town on the Courthouse lawn with 350 to 400 people this year. That’s not counting the many volunteers as well as the […]

By |2017-08-07T07:55:02-07:00July 28th, 2017|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on Thanks for the 4th! – by Mayor Paul Becker

Potpourri a la Winchell – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – May 2017

I’ve always wanted to “play” Walter Winchell in one of my columns. Walter would jump from topic to topic in almost every other sentence. So… with the forbearance of my publisher, here goes.

Greetings Mr. and Ms. Jacksonville wherever you are, in your home or in one of […]

By |2020-09-30T14:16:53-07:00May 2nd, 2017|A Few Minutes with the Mayor|Comments Off on Potpourri a la Winchell – by Mayor Paul Becker

Ah. . . Politics! – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes With the Mayor – September 2016

Here comes September. “Where did the summer go?” is a common question dating back long before our time. The yearly cycle repeats itself: children go back to school… vacations end… commerce picks up… and soon squirrels will begin to hoard fall nuts for the long winter. Speaking […]

By |2020-09-30T14:17:13-07:00August 25th, 2016|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on Ah. . . Politics! – by Mayor Paul Becker

The Passing Parade – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – April 2016

An odd thing happened a few days ago… I saw a penny on the sidewalk and kept on walking, never bothering to pick it up. That would be unthinkable at an earlier time… a time when a penny meant something.

When I was ten-years-old, five pennies could buy […]

By |2016-04-12T14:08:41-07:00March 30th, 2016|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on The Passing Parade – by Mayor Paul Becker

Downton Abbey…Revisited – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – March 2016

Downton Abbey has ended. We knew it must. One of the most watched series in television history, it carved out a special niche in the hearts of its audience… one that will be difficult to ever duplicate. Even its cast may never again see a production as […]

By |2020-09-30T14:17:28-07:00March 1st, 2016|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on Downton Abbey…Revisited – by Mayor Paul Becker

February 2016 Movie Night at Old City Hall

Hello everyone…  Here is the coming attraction for February 2016… and what an attraction it is.  It’s certainly one our Lucille Ball fans will want to see, though it’s not a comedy.  The film is Lured, and it also stars George Sanders, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Boris Karloff, George Zucco, Alan Mowbray, Robert Coote, and Alan […]

By |2020-09-30T14:17:31-07:00January 28th, 2016|Event News, Now|Comments Off on February 2016 Movie Night at Old City Hall

The Spirit of Christmas – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – Dec 2015/Jan 2016

Year end approaches and so does Christmas. For some, it is a time of giving and perhaps not much more. This act of giving, which most of us engage in, began a long time ago when the Magi brought gifts to celebrate the birth of the […]

By |2015-12-08T16:18:07-08:00December 1st, 2015|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on The Spirit of Christmas – by Mayor Paul Becker

December 2015 & January 2016 Movie Nights at Old City Hall

December’s film at Old City Hall is a heart-warming redemption story of two men…one a hobo who occupies a mansion on Fifth Avenue during the winter when the owner is gone…the other, the owner who is unaware of his uninvited guest. Add to that a mixture of the owner’s divorced wife, their daughter, a GI […]

By |2015-11-30T12:11:17-08:00November 29th, 2015|Event News|Comments Off on December 2015 & January 2016 Movie Nights at Old City Hall

Just Who Is the City Of Jacksonville? – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – August 2015

The idea crossed my mind the other day that many who read this column haven’t met many of the dedicated people responsible for making our City work as well as it does. And dedicated is the word. I realize this sentiment runs counter to much of what […]

By |2020-09-30T14:17:51-07:00July 29th, 2015|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on Just Who Is the City Of Jacksonville? – by Mayor Paul Becker

June Move Night at Old City Hall

Movie Night at Old City Hall is Friday, June 12, 2015

Zounds!  “They seek him here… They seek him there… Those Frenchies seek him everywhere… Is he in Heaven… Is he in Hell… That damned elusive Pimpernel.”

Yes, it’s The Scarlet Pimpernel and it is scheduled for our June show at Old City Hall.  This is the […]

By |2015-06-08T09:44:49-07:00June 8th, 2015|Event News, Now|Comments Off on June Move Night at Old City Hall

On Email and More! – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – April 2015

As you know, this column seldom devotes attention to affairs outside of Jacksonville; numerous other news and opinion outlets exist for such information. However, reports on the national level about Hillary Clinton’s emails prompted me to join in the conversation, so please bear […]

By |2020-09-30T14:18:08-07:00March 29th, 2015|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on On Email and More! – by Mayor Paul Becker

Not-So-Idle Thoughts – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor, February 2015

Before beginning this first column of the year, I wish to thank the editor/ publisher of this newspaper who approached me four years ago with the offer to write my own column, promising to allow me total freedom to write whatever I felt like. Now I ask you, […]

By |2020-09-30T14:18:20-07:00January 22nd, 2015|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on Not-So-Idle Thoughts – by Mayor Paul Becker

Change! Change? – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – September 2014

Now there’s a word that can strike fear into the hearts and minds of otherwise stout-hearted men and women. How many times have we all heard someone say, “I wish they’d stop changing things all the time,” or “Why do we need to change… I like things […]

By |2020-09-30T14:18:42-07:00September 18th, 2014|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on Change! Change? – by Mayor Paul Becker

Thoughts on Thinking – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – August 2014

How many of you remember one of the most common commands in the English language appearing in the business community following the end of World War 2? The command was short… one word… and it seemed to be posted wherever one worked, especially in the tabulating department… […]

By |2020-09-30T14:18:47-07:00July 29th, 2014|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on Thoughts on Thinking – by Mayor Paul Becker

Our Crucible of Freedom – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – July 2014

This June marked the 70th anniversary of “D Day,” when a brave and mighty fleet of soldiers landed on Normandy’s beach, where virtually the entire first wave of Americans, 10,000 in all, was annihilated by enemy fire—one of the most difficult missions ever carried-out by our soldiers […]

By |2020-09-30T14:18:50-07:00July 2nd, 2014|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories, News Flow|Comments Off on Our Crucible of Freedom – by Mayor Paul Becker

City Councilor Dan Winterburn Resigns Council Seat

At the January 21 City Council meeting, Council President David Jesser informed council that...

By |2020-09-30T14:19:08-07:00January 22nd, 2014|About Jacksonville, City Hall Happenings, News, Now|Comments Off on City Councilor Dan Winterburn Resigns Council Seat

MY THOUGHTS – By Mayor Paul Becker

I believe the first duty of a Mayor is to meet the needs of the citizens...

By |2020-09-30T14:20:16-07:00August 29th, 2012|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, About Jacksonville, City Hall Happenings, Columns, Featured Stories, Heroes and Achievers|Comments Off on MY THOUGHTS – By Mayor Paul Becker

WHICH WAY DOES THE WIND BLOW? By Mayor Paul Becker

Politics, trust, respect, duty...and Will Mayor Becker run again for Mayor?

By |2020-09-30T14:20:25-07:00July 27th, 2012|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, About Jacksonville, City Hall Happenings, Columns, Featured Stories, Heroes and Achievers, News Flow|Comments Off on WHICH WAY DOES THE WIND BLOW? By Mayor Paul Becker

My Word on the Matter – by Mayor Paul Becker

The topic of the MRA land swap proposal was once again introduced to the City Council...

By |2020-09-30T14:21:52-07:00September 29th, 2011|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, About Jacksonville, City Hall Happenings, Columns, Featured Stories|Comments Off on My Word on the Matter – by Mayor Paul Becker
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