Name: Kenneth Gregg
How long resided in Jacksonville: 9 years

Why are you running for City Council and, if elected, what do you hope to achieve?

I am running for a third term as a City Councilor because I wish to continue to help preserve the town’s past, support its present and shape its future. To achieve this, I bring to the Council a deep passion for problem solving (inclusive instead of either/or thinking) and the use of common sense along with an understanding and respect for the laws and code that we uphold. To be this type of an effective leader, I have learned that it also requires me to bring an open heart to the table.

Using those talents, I have helped achieve many significant improvements to the town, but there’s still more I would like to see completed.

For my third term, my top priorities are:

  • work towards securing additional sources of income to cover the ever-increasing costs of our public services such as the police and fire
  • judiciously study the City’s Urban Growth Boundary options as that may be the only viable way to increase the town’s income (my least favorite option)
  • continue to address all types of safety measures to ensure that the town and its residents will not suffer from any devastating fires or earthquakes
  • develop a history museum to fill the void left by the closing in 2010 of the previous museum in the old historic Courthouse

 

What city committee and/or commission posts or other volunteer service work have you done to prepare for this office? What were your contributions and successes and how have they prepared you for this office?

Before becoming a City Councilor, I served on a Citizen Advisory Committee working to re-write the Jacksonville Development Code. I also consulted with the Planning Department to help streamline the process for many of the City’s applications for various permits.

Once being elected a City Councilor, some of the committees I served on and some of the major issues I supported were:

  • serving on the Public Safety Committee to study numerous issues concerning the welfare and well-being of the residents and visitors
  • serving on the Transient Lodging Committee as liaison for the City Council
  • retrofitting and remodeling the County Courthouse to serve as the new City government offices
  • serving on the Personnel Committee to ensure that new job applicants were the most qualified and well-suited employees for staffing the City’s various departments
  • rebuilding a new fire station
  • approval of critical budget expenses such as purchasing generators for the City’s pump stations to continue serving water during power outages
  • a fire fuel reduction program to reduce chances of a major fire in and around Jacksonville
  • the development of a Citizen’s Emergency Guide for fires and earthquakes

My accomplishments outside my official role as a City Councilor include:

  • volunteering as a founding member of Historic Jacksonville Inc., and creating a website with the most comprehensive and inclusive history to date of Jacksonville in stories, photographs and videos
  • updating the branding of the City by designing a new logo, letterhead and other print materials
  • developing a new expansive website for the City that meets both the residents’ and visitors’ needs for information about all things related to the City government, the community and the business sector
  • assisting in the design of the Jacksonville Booster’s “Path Through Time” historic plaques embedded in the sidewalk in front of New City Hall
  • producing and installing two permanent exhibits totaling almost one hundred historic photographs of Jacksonville’s early residents, homes and commercial buildings in the main hallway of New City Hall (the former historic County Courthouse) and in Old City Hall
  • developing a history museum for Jacksonville (in process)

 

What are the current strengths and/or weaknesses of the current City Council and how would you improve the existing council?

The strengths of the current City Council are many. It is composed of seven individuals (including the mayor). Many have been members of various community organizations, committees and commissions and some have decades of experience in leadership positions, all of which have given them skills in group decision-making.

All members take an objective stance to issues that come before them. They have a proactive approach to what the Council should be focusing in both the short and long term. They are able to explain clearly how they come to their decisions on the issues at hand and are willing to change their stance on matters if given good reasons to do so.

Especially important, the Council tries to strike the right balance between directing and overseeing the work of the City staff and maintaining a collaborative relationship with them without micromanaging their professional work.

The addition of monthly study sessions is an efficient and effective way to gather information and gain insight into issues before they come to a vote. Individual Council members research areas of interest to the residents and the town as a whole, then share their findings with the other members along with any recommendations. These include updating Titles 1-15 of the Jacksonville Municipal Code, developing a blackberry eradication program, creating a Citizen’s Emergency Guide for fires and earthquakes, and developing a history museum and much more.

Finally, the current Council members understand that they are stewards of the entire town, representing ALL the citizens of Jacksonville, prioritizing the issues of greatest concern that effect the greatest amount of people as well being attentive to concerns that may affect only a few.

Given my eight years experience of the Council as described above, no significant weaknesses stand out to me. However, to get a more objective view, I asked several residents for their input. Some said they didn’t know enough about the City Council to make a comment. Other responses were related to the Council meetings themselves. Attendees expressed having trouble hearing the Councilors, even with new desktop microphones, because each member has a different volume of speaking and often turn their heads away from the microphone. This issue also makes listening to the recordings of the meetings difficult for those who don’t attend them. I will be recommending upgrading to clip-on body microphones or find some other solution.

The second complaint was the meeting times. Clearly, meetings at 6:00pm are a problem with people just getting off work and/or settling down to dinner. Nor are the 12 noon work sessions/meetings convenient for working people. It is a dilemma, indeed.

As a councilor, I am always open to feedback and comments.

Ken Gregg