My View – December 2018/January 2019

For this citizen-publisher, Christmas came early on November 6 at the very moment the Jackson County Elections Commission released the vote count on the meals tax. Thankfully, the ballot measure was rejected by a massive 2-1 margin, sparing our restaurants and retailers the agony of losing local customers and their livelihoods. Having played a role in organizing and leading the coalition that opposed this dreadful tax scheme, I was overjoyed with the outcome. The voters have spoken—and clearly don’t wish to fund any portion of our public safety departments with a meals tax. In my view, the voters saw the folly in discriminating against and jeopardizing the economic viability of our restaurants and voted accordingly. For the time being, the $20/month police surcharge stands and I encourage you to thank our City Council and Budget Committee for their dedication to protecting us.

In the last few weeks, I’ve received positive comments from every corner of the community regarding our recent November “Gratitude” issue, wherein we highlighted the civic and non-profit groups doing wonderful work. Rest assured that in 2019, we’ll continue the tradition of telling the stories of the people who make our town tick.

Speaking of others who deserve thanks, I’d like to extend my sincere appreciation to the dozens of contributors who make this publication possible—the articles and features in the Review are a reflection of our wonderful community. Likewise, at this time of year, it’s equally important to thank the generous advertising clients from the retail, professional services and restaurant sectors who make this publication viable. Please join me in thanking them by shopping and dining locally—during the holidays and year-round.

This December/January Jacksonville Review marks our final issue of the year. As always, we are taking a month off to recharge our creative batteries and retool a few things around here—we’re looking forward to new things to come in 2019 in Our Small Town with Big Atmosphere!