JCCI's Six Questions usually focuses on volunteers, speakers and participants.  But this month, we're turning the tables....and featuring Staff!  Learn more about the folks in the office and let us know what you think!

Name:  Dr. Laura Lane

Role with JCCI:  Vice President and Chief Operations Officer

JCCI:  What do you do from 9-5?

LL: I am Vice President at JCCI and my main work is securing contract work for the organization. I'm about telling people what JCCI does, writing project proposals and then helping get the work done. Last week I sent proposals to a Community Foundation in the Chicago area and one to an agency here in Jacksonville.

JCCI:  What do you do outside of work?

LL: I teach yoga at the University Athletic Center on Wednesday mornings at 6am and also to a handful of employees at the Mayo Clinic on Tuesday evenings. I practice at Bliss Yoga Shala in San Marco. My partner is pretty good at noticing when I haven't been practicing, and she'll say, "do you need to go to yoga?" I'm not a naturally well-adjusted person, so I grab all the support I can get.

JCCI:  How and when did you get involved in JCCI or JCCI Forward?

LL:  I applied for a 6-month contract in fall 2000. I was hired to do some research for the upcoming review of the Quality of Life Indicators. My job was to find all the same data we had for Duval County but for Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Leon, and Orange counties. It totally opened my eyes to where I had been living for 6 years. I parked myself in this guy Ben Warner's  office, and he made me laugh a lot.  When he made really bad jokes I couldn't help but forgive him because he had no idea how bad his jokes really were (he has  a lot more self-awareness now).

JCCI:  What is your favorite hidden gem in Jacksonville?

LL:  We have one of the coolest events in the nation when it comes to marathons and it is coming up next weekend. The 26.2 with  Donna Marathon draws people from all over the U.S. and the world. It's the National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer. People come to Jacksonville for the weekend to  1) support breast cancer research and 2) run on Jacksonville Beach. And the entire Beach community turns out for it. It's very cool because of the cause, it is homegrown, and the marathon shows off our stuff. It's like getting our swagger back on the marathon course.

JCCI:  What issue is on your radar right now and does not get enough attention right now?

LL:  In September, the Jacksonville City Council voted to exclude me from protections ensuring everyone has an opportunity to make it here. I know a lot of people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender who move away from Jacksonville because they think their life will be better elsewhere. I did it, too. I moved back, fortunately. I love Jacksonville even though City Council says it's okay to fire me because I'm a lesbian. I love Jacksonville enough to get mad and stamp my feet but not run away. The part that is not getting enough attention right now is my transgender people. My transgender people deserve a lot more respect than they get.

JCCI:  Why is JCCI important to you and Jacksonville?

LL:  JCCI is important to me because it is where people see how and when they can contribute to the future of their neighborhood and city. I need to work for an ideal and JCCI's ideal is that everyone has a voice, a stake, in the policies and decisions that get made here everyday. JCCI is important to Jacksonville because one of the things we learned in the JAX2025 survey is that people like the small-town feel here. Lots of people want to live in a community with big city amenities. Jacksonville is only going to grow. That doesn't mean that we have to lose the community idea. We can grow and continue to build consensus, engage with each other, and keep the community idea alive.

Get to know Laura, and all the JCCI Staff and volunteers, even better - join us at an upcoming event like our quarterly JCCI 101.  Check out our Calendar of Events for details.

Is Jacksonville a senior-friendly city?  If you had joined me and my 86-year-old grandmother at a fairly swanky downtown nightclub for a night of dancing, you might have answered, “Well, no . . . and yes.”  The pretty twenty-something bartender flashed a frown and gave Grandma a sideways look while begrudgingly pouring her a Sprite, but maybe it wasn’t ageism and just annoyance at the non-alcoholic drink order (whether for a designated driver or not).  It wasn’t just the bartender, though.  One bar patron--who was clearly not the designated driver--found it hilarious that this little old lady was on display for her amusement.  The grey hair!  Her frail-looking wrinkled body!  Tipsy Girl reached for her camera phone to take a photo of this side-show moment: a woman who was obviously in the wrong place for her generation.  When I leaned toward the high-top table and gave Tipsy Girl a knowing look, my “Whatcha doin’?” scooted her off.  (My spunky grandmother could have handled her, but I wanted to spare Grandma the shenanigans.)

I know, I know.  There’s a reason well-meaning friends were giggling about our being there, why my dad strongly suggested that I not encourage her to join me.  He knew Grandma was going to be conspicuous.  Did I feel a bit weird being seen with this little old lady?  Well, I have to admit that I expected some looks and wondered if it was appropriate to invade this space that was designed for “young” adults looking to mingle and let their hair down.  I know that the sight of silver hair makes some people shudder at the thought of growing old, and the point of a nightclub is to live it up and relish being young, not to have to dwell on end-of-life planning or feeling like your grandparents may be watching you and judging your nightclub behavior.  Perhaps I should have taken Grandma out for an afternoon tea at a place with a higher lace doily than disco ball ratio.

I hear you, hipsters and socialites.  You think you have nothing in common with my grandmother, and you certainly don’t want to be near a walking reminder of mortality, a visible symbol of responsibilities in making preparations for your aging.  These are taboo topics even in the most sober surroundings.  So I can understand how you may not have wanted to make Grandma feel welcome.

But it was worth sticking around a little longer.  An upbeat, friendly, well-dressed gentleman asking my fun-loving grandmother to dance.  He teased her, too, but this time the teasing was playful, not mocking.  He claimed that she had stolen his seat.  She sassed him back, staking her claim to the best spot from which to watch the dance floor come alive.   He didn’t discriminate against Grandma for being old, something she certainly didn’t wish upon herself or could help.  (You should hear her bemoan her wrinkles.)  He invited her to dance, and in twirling her on the dance floor, he delighted her and the rest of us.  He treated her like a person who enjoyed dancing, not “an old person” who was out of place.  Others smiled, snapping celebratory photos, later commenting on Facebook that my grandma was super cool.  (I know this, but it was nice to see her made truly welcome and celebrated for not letting go of things she was supposedly too old to do, that age-ism, in the end, didn’t fly.)

Later in the night a roller derby girl was surprised to learn that Grandma had been one herself.  Our eyebrows shoot up sometimes when we forget that “old people” have had rich, full lives, that they aren’t just the knitting-in-a-rocking-chair version of themselves we peg them to be now (though my grandmother did crochet me several towels for my kitchen while she was visiting!).  It is sometimes unsettling to discover we are guilty of having bought into stereotypes that limit what we let others or ourselves achieve.  I found myself being overly attentive, constantly asking my grandmother if she wanted to leave.  My hearty grandmother finally set me straight by saying, “They haven’t turned the lights on yet!” as she continued to dance the night away.

So as you think about your vision for Jacksonville for the year 2025, imagine what it will be like for the many elderly citizens who live, work, and play here.  Do we give our elders sideways looks when they voice their concerns, or do we take their ideas for a more senior-friendly city for a twirl? 

What kind of quality of life do our elders have now, and how will things change for them and with them as we achieve our vision for 2025?  When we discuss transportation and mobility in the conversations that determine priorities in our shared vision, how much will we take our growing elderly population into account?   What issues in healthcare will be significant?  How about transit?   The AARP has been exploring how transit affects an older population, and we already know that Jacksonville could stand to be safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.

What about mental health?  Our Quality of Life indicators show that elders in our community have an elevated risk of suicide, higher than other adults and youth.  This is not unique to our community, but should our vision for Jacksonville be to become the place where seniors are “Stayin’ Alive”?

Should our community’s shared vision include Jacksonville achieving the Senior-Friendly City designation?

If you want to answer, “Yes!”—whether you are a caregiver for elders, a retiree, or a concerned citizen of any age—then we need you at our January 19 community meeting.  If you’re a retiree, make sure your community’s vision includes you!  If you’re a 20- or 30-something ordering a fancy drink at a swanky club, speak up for your future silver-haired self (or for your grandma!).  And if nothing else, speak up about continuing to build a vibrant downtown, because you never know how important it may still be to you when you’re 86 and haven’t outgrown dancing and being sassy.

______________________________________________________________________________

If you want to learn more about issues affecting elders and their caregivers and what you need to do to plan for your future or talk with your family members about theirs, visit our “Am I My Parents’ Keeper?” page and read our Engage Jax “Am I My Parents’ Keeper?” posts.  We have podcasts for listening, fascinating articles, and resources galore. 

And while we’re on the subject, if you are brave like my grandmother and not afraid to embrace the taboo topic of end-of-life decision making, see the documentary, “Consider the Conversation,” a look at the taboo subject of end-of-life.  It airs again on WJCT November 21 at 10:00 p.m., or, if you’re just getting in from the nightclub, again at 4 a.m. on November 22. http://www.wjct.org/tv/schedule/.

Name: Candace Thompson

Role with JCCI: New (and excited) Board Member

JCCI - What do you do from 9-5?

CT - My title is Sales Consultant and Solutions support.  I create proposals and presentations for the Convergys sales force.

JCCI - What do you do outside of work?

CT - I am active member of The Jacksonville Chapter of the Links.  I am also an obsessive scrapbooker!

JCCI - How & when did you get involved with JCCI or JCCI Forward?

CT - After I graduated from Blueprint for Leadership program, I served as the intern on the JCCI board.

JCCI - What is your favorite hidden gem in Jacksonville?

CT - I love the Riverside Arts Market!

JCCI - What issue or concern is on your radar that doesn’t get enough of the community's attention right now?

CT - I would like to see more job opportunities and attractions located downtown for the citizens of Jacksonville.

JCCI - Why is JCCI important to you and to Jacksonville?

CT - JCCI provides tools and information that reflects the “voice” of Jacksonville.   JCCI is the credible resource that is the “pulse” of the leadership in Jacksonville

At JCCI, it’s not unusual to see international groups come in to see what we’re about. In fact, over the past year, more than nine separate international groups have come into our doors and learn more about what we have done and continue to do for our community.

Wednesday, November 7, a group of international professionals with international resource center GlobalJax met with our own Ben Warner. Among many topics, the meeting covered everything from JCCI’s community work to the philosophical goal at work in JCCI’s nonpartisan approach.

When asked why JCCI doesn’t attempt to sway voters toward a particular politician, whether locally or nationally, Ben’s answer was simple.

“Most people, regardless of party, want the same things. And it’s our shared dreams that bring us together.”

In essence, we don’t just work for OUR people, we work for THE people. It’s this care for the issues deemed important by the people that allows us to function as an important resource for everyone.

And these guests in JCCI’s conference room, some of whom come from countries where democracy is a foreign concept, were impressed with the extremely democratic way in which JCCI brings the concerns of the people to elected officials like Mayor Alvin Brown.

“Our decision making process is to operate by consensus,” Warner said. “This shared learning process creates respect between community members, as they decide together what matters most.”

It amazed me that a single day after an extraordinarily polarizing presidential election, professionals from all over the world gathered and discussed the importance of shared learning and consensus, the importance of true community.

In every meeting, press conference and community conversation I’ve attended as part of JCCI, I’ve seen the remarkable care that binds everyone. Whatever we title ourselves, whatever moniker that adorns us, we are the people of Jacksonville.

It seems that consensus like the kind at JCCI is what this country needs right now.

When the results of the countrywide vote came through, some groups were truly disappointed and others elated. But now, regardless of party affiliation, we must work together now as we haven’t done for quite some time in the recent past to create a better future for everyone.

I, for one, am ready to roll up my sleeves.

Name: Rena Coughlin

Role with JCCI: Board Member

JCCI - What do you do from 9-5?

RC – I work as President and CEO at the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida.

JCCI - What do you do outside of work?

RC - One of my favorite quotes is by E.B. White, and sums up my non-work time pretty well. “I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day."  My newest hobby is bee-keeping; I also like being in or on the ocean (no power craft, though), biking, and walking -- especially destination walking when traveling.  Reading remains an all-time favorite past time.

JCCI - How & when did you get involved with JCCI or JCCI Forward?

RC - When I moved to Jacksonville in 2001, one of the few persons I knew was deeply involved in the Race Relations study and so I started participating in the meetings.  I was hooked after that.

JCCI - What is your favorite hidden gem in Jacksonville?

RC - 1.) DeWees Street Access to the beach

2.) Breakfast at Lily's in Neptune Beach

3.) Walking across the Main Street Bridge.

JCCI - What issue or concern is on your radar that doesn’t get enough of the community's attention right now?

RC - Making Jacksonville seriously bike-friendly.  Pedestrian-friendly would be nice, too!

JCCI - Why is JCCI important to you and to Jacksonville?

RC - JCCI was my first introduction to civic life in Jacksonville.  I can't think of a better option for newcomers -- or anyone for that matter -- wanting to learn more about a serious, local issue than joining JCCI.  Having a unique asset like JCCI in our community advertises the best of Jacksonville to anyone wondering what kind of place it might be.

Name: Peter O’Brien

Role with JCCI: Board Member, JCCI

JCCI - What do you do from 9-5?

PO - I am Financial Advisor with Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. But, 9-5? My working day rarely fits inside a 9-5 routine...

JCCI - What do you do outside of work?

PO- Unsurprisingly my family is the most important part of my life. I take a special delight in seeing my children grow and flourish. I am a passionate Manchester United fan, and my love of soccer extends to coaching and refereeing. I am a voracious reader, and I do everything I can to keep fit.

JCCI - How & when did you get involved with JCCI or JCCI Forward?

PO - I took part in the 2007 Quality of Life Review, and I have been a participant in several subsequent JCCI studies, all of which have opened my mind and my eyes.

JCCI - What is your favorite hidden gem in Jacksonville?

PO - It is hardly hidden. The Main Library downtown. It is a couple of blocks from my office.

JCCI - What issue or concern is on your radar that doesn’t get enough of the community's attention right now?

PO - The region has extraordinary unfulfilled potential. I wonder if we are doing enough to stay within touching distance of other major cities, never mind the rest of the world, especially in terms of education and broader economic development. I am hopeful that our our 2025 initiative will provide some impetus.

JCCI - Why is JCCI important to you and to Jacksonville?

PO - JCCI has shown a tremendous capacity to take on acute issues which no other local institution seem to have the skill, resources or will to tackle . There is an irresistible combination of intellectual curiosity, courage and inclusiveness in so much of the work that has been undertaken by JCCI. I am thrilled to be involved.

Name: John Thompson

Role with JCCI: Member, Board of Directors

JCCI - What do you do from 9-5?

JT - I meet with our clients. We provide business owners and families with consulting services, speak with our clients’ attorneys and CPA's, analyze financial plans, develop investment strategies, then I try to get to the gym early enough to get home for dinner with Renee, Foster, and Luci.

JCCI - What do you do outside of work?

JT - I enjoy being a volunteer for causes which improve our community and help children.  I love spending time with my family - Renee and I have 30 family members in town!  We enjoy our friends, volunteering at our 4-year-old son's school and I have a lot of fun coaching his soccer team.

JCCI - How & when did you get involved with JCCI or JCCI Forward?
JT -  It was a board leadership training session with Lois Chepenik, 10 years ago.  She was strong, direct and very effective. I went on to receive more training. Then, I joined the JCCI Forward Social Committee and was immediately amazed by the effective leadership of Michelle Simkulet, who became an advisor and mentor when I worked with the great folks at the Chamber of Commerce to help launch ImpactJax in 2005. I first worked with Ben Warner when I served on the Quality of Life Report review committee. I remember he had an incredible grasp of our community's conditions and all the facts & figures that represented them - which gives me great confidence we will always stay "on mission" at JCCI. Fast forward a few years and I had the opportunity to work with Steve Rankin. Steve had worked on the Our City, Our Finances study and I was researching the city's pension deficits for Audrey Moran during Audrey's mayoral campaign. Steve spent two hours getting me up to speed on the issue. He introduced me to the key people surrounding the pension issues and continued to help lead the effort to resolve the pension crisis as we worked with Mayor Alvin Brown on the transition team tasked with a review of the pensions. Our report was full of information from JCCI’s report and sources which Steve recommended. As a member of the financial industry, I was very impressed with JCCI's willingness to tackle such a complex issue and the fortitude of JCCI volunteers and staff to see it to conclusion, something we expect the Mayor to address in the coming year. While this recollection does not completely sum up my experience with JCCI and all the great people I have had the honor to meet and work side by side with, these are some of my fondest memories. 

JCCI - What is your favorite hidden gem in Jacksonville?

JT - I recently learned from a consulting group we hired to evaluate our personalities that aesthetics are not something that drive or motivate me.  However, people do motivate me. Jacksonville is full of great people, willing volunteers, talented leaders and developing young leaders.  We are on the verge of great things.

JCCI - What issue or concern is on your radar that doesn’t get enough of the community's attention right now?

JT - Well, there are a lot of great issues that get a lot of attention.  Perhaps we should focus on the obstacles to resolving those issues as a community and address them with clear intentions and strength in numbers.  If an issue is important, we never quit.

JCCI - Why is JCCI important to you and to Jacksonville?

JT - Behavioral psychology researchers have found that it’s very difficult for people to be introspective and objective about their own strengths and weaknesses.  I think the same can be said for a community.  JCCI provides a forum for objectivity and puts the issues front and center. It removes the makeup and shows us the reality of who we are as a people.  It is up to us to accept the truth, and once we know it, to determine what we can do to make it better.

Name: John Hirabayashi

Role with JCCI: Board Member, Immediate Past Chair

JCCI - What do you do from 9-5?

JH - I am the President and CEO credit union of Community First Credit Union.  Community First is serves 107,000 residents of Northeast Florida and is $1.2 billion in assets.

JCCI - What do you do outside of work?

JH - I do a variety of things outside work.  I row most weekends on a men’s 4x with the Jacksonville Rowing Club.  Right now we’re preparing  for the Head of the Hooch Race in November in Chattanooga.  I’m also training for the Donna Marathon in February, my very first marathon.  Although I’ve run every Gate River Run since 2005 and several half marathons, this is a big move up for me.  Recently I started flying small planes again.  I’d gotten my license back in ’83 but hadn’t kept up with it since moving here from California.  Most of all I like to do things with my four kids. In August the five of us went to Lake Tahoe for a week and had a fabulous time!

JCCI - How & when did you get involved with JCCI or JCCI Forward?

JH - I’ve served on JCCI’s Board since 2007.  Michael Boylan from WJCT approached me and said he thought I’d be a good fit for JCCI.  After meeting with Skip Cramer and attending a board meeting, I was very impressed and energized by the work of JCCI and the role it plays in the community.  I’ve also spread the word to our employees at Community First about JCCI Forward’s leadership training.  We now have several employees participating in Forward’s leadership.

JCCI - What is your favorite hidden gem in Jacksonville?

JH - Although it’s not a hidden gem, one of my favorite parts of Jacksonville is the downtown riverfront.  It’s a real privilege to row with my friends on our quad from the JRC boathouse up the Arlington River, under the Hart Bridge and follow the St. Johns downtown to the Main Street Bridge.  The views are fantastic and there is no better place to be at sunrise on a Sunday morning.

JCCI - What issue or concern is on your radar that doesn’t get enough of the community's attention right now?

JH- Overall, I believe we’re making progress on a couple issues of greatest concern to me – improving public education and creating a more livable and vibrant downtown.  I’m excited about JAX2025 and  creating a progressive and unified vision for Jacksonville.  We still have a lot of work to do in recapturing the jobs we lost during the recession.  JCCI’s Recession Recovery … and Beyond study does an excellent job outlining what it will take to attract, retain and create the types of jobs we need for sustained economic growth.

JCCI - Why is JCCI important to you and to Jacksonville?

JH - No other organization in Jacksonville does what JCCI does – convening the community, engaging in problem solving and acting to make positive change.  Over the years JCCI has involved literally thousands of our residents in studies that have improved the quality of life in Jacksonville.  Moreover, JCCI has trained many of the leaders within our community  and built our intellectual capital through disciplined inquiry into many of our toughest issues.

Name: Alexis Lambert

Role with JCCI: Mystery Guest Lunch Speaker

JCCI - What do you do from 9-5?

AL - I run the Office of Public Accountability for the City of Jacksonville.  I help citizens, the media, and government officials understand their rights and responsibilities under Florida’s 103 year old Public Records law.  Yes, it’s fun.  Yes, I am fully cognizant of the fact that this makes me a colossal nerd.

JCCI - What do you do outside of work?

AL - Things I am known for: My homemade ice cream, my pastitsio, my infinitely nerdy taste in pop culture. Things I love:  The Florida Gators, The Junior League, St. John the Divine Greek Orthodox Church, when someone else does the dishes.

JCCI - How & when did you get involved with JCCI or JCCI Forward?

AL - Revenge of the Prom was really fantastic.  People really went out of their way to dress up and the music was incredible.  I loved it. I was the one with seriously crimped hair.  I created this style using the crimping iron I received as a birthday gift in the third grade and a quantity of Rave hairspray that probably quadrupled my carbon footprint.

JCCI - What is your favorite hidden gem in Jacksonville?

AL - I like that there are so many dog friendly places to go around the city.  Justin, my Pembroke Welsh corgi, is particularly happy about it.

JCCI - What issue or concern is on your radar that doesn’t get enough of the community’s attention right now?

AL - I wish more businesses would move downtown.

JCCI - Why is JCCI important to you and to Jacksonville?

AL - More cities should have a JCCI- a young, vibrant, diverse, smart, fun group of people looking to build better communities by engaging up-and-coming professionals.  This city is growing and changing in truly impressive ways.  The endgame is for people from all walks of life to know that Jacksonville is a great place to live, work, go to school, and raise a family.

Something caught me by surprise when I began working at JCCI as a summer intern. The first major project I had my hands in was “Am I My Parents’ Keeper?” It allowed members of the community to gather and discuss end-of-life decision making for Baby Boomers and “the sandwich generation.”
For most people in their early 20s like me, that doesn’t sound like an immediate issue, right? Wrong.
As people filed in to the weekly meetings and discussed sometimes-uplifting, sometimes-upsetting truths about care-giving, an electric charge filled the room. A tangible sense of community permeated the solemn moments, and then helped us laugh and joke together.  What impressed me most, though, was the grace with which the weekly speakers and attendees alike handled these very delicate topics.

It didn’t matter what the conversation was about. Whether it was an intense discussion of patient rights or a debate over hospice care, everyone involved spoke with dignity and addressed the issues, not people or personalities. Seeing that something as drastic as end-of-life decision making could be handled with such class causes me to squint my eyes at the current political climate.  As the muckraking rages on from both sides of this heated Presidential election, it’s refreshing to see and hear that not all debate of relevant issues must get so ugly.

Funny thing, though. It’s the people who keep a cool head as they present their points, that best seem to handle confrontation assertively, not aggressively. These are the people that I respect the most.

And it’s nice to know I can always find them inside the walls of JCCI’s Conference Room.

Name: Rabbi Joshua Lief

Role with JCCI: Chair-Elect
 

JCCI - What do you do from 9-5?

JL - I am the Senior Rabbi at Congregation Ahavath Chesed, Jacksonville’s oldest and largest Jewish congregation.

JCCI - What do you do outside of work?

JL - I enjoy time with my wife and daughter, I volunteer for many community organizations, and I like to play golf, though I don’t play very well!

JCCI - How & when did you get involved with JCCI or JCCI Forward?

JL - My first JCCI involvement was the Quality of Life Study review committee in 2008.

JCCI - What is your favorite hidden gem in Jacksonville?

JL - Restaurant: Check Barbeque. Yum!

Place: Guana Tolomato Reserve Beach in Ponte Vedra. It’s also my favorite place to go to the ocean.

Person: Edwinna Green, my Executive Assistant.

JCCI - What issue or concern is on your radar that doesn’t get enough of the community’s attention right now?

JL - The role of the faith community in our city.

JCCI - Why is JCCI important to you and to Jacksonville?

JL - I believe that becoming the city we’d like to be requires the participation of all of our citizens.

As we talked with people this summer before launching JAX2025, one of the important aspects of the project that always came up was the need to be inclusive and pull together all of the community's voices. I was reminded of those conversations last night at the 1st Hispanic Heritage Month Town Hall Meeting sponsored by Jacksonville University Political Science Society and LULAC Northeast Florida. I had a chance to speak with a number of Jacksonville residents about their desires for the future of this community, and many filled out surveys (in English or in Spanish.) One of the comments on a survey struck me: "Hispanics are invisible in Jacksonville." Can you see why this commitment to outreach and making sure we hear everyone's voice is so critical to the success of the vision?

In a few moments, I'll be on a conference call with the National Association of Planning Councils. JCCI is a founding member of this organization, which seeks to improve the human condition through encouraging research-based community planning and action. We're about to review the organization's values, and I thought I'd share them with you, because the JAX2025 project and everything else we do at JCCI are built on these values.

The values are:

1.  Commitment to community and involvement of a broad and diverse constituency

2.  Comprehensive perspective reflected in decisions and actions

3.  Inclusive decision-making that strives for consensus

4.  Diverse viewpoints respected and encouraged in decisions and actions

5.  Positive working relationships with all sectors of the community

6.  Objective data and information used to support decisions and action

7.  Focus on systems change and sustainable, long-term solutions

8.  Principled leadership producing measurable results

I like this picture that came out of one of NAPC's conferences:

Sounds like JCCI, doesn't it? 

Name: Jennifer Mansfield

Role with JCCI: Board Member, Marketing Committee Chair, and Immediate Past Chair of JCCI Forward

JCCI - What do you do from 9-5?

JM - Commercial and general litigation attorney, including social media law.

JCCI - What do you do outside of work?

JM - I am known for being very active in the community, including Theatre Jacksonville, Mental Health America of Northeast Florida, and Riverside Avondale Preservation.  I’ve met really great friends through my community activities, making my volunteer work fun.  That makes me happy.

JCCI - How & when did you get involved with JCCI or JCCI Forward?

JM - I become involved with JCCI Forward a number of years ago.  I think since 2006.  That work has transitioned into being a board member for JCCI.

JCCI - What is your favorite hidden gem in Jacksonville?

JM - My neighborhood -- Riverside near Five Points.  I can be on I-95 or I-10 in two minutes. Yet I’m also within walking distance of stores, restaurants, and a movie theatre.  And I’m half a block from a large nice park.  Perfect.

JCCI - What issue or concern is on your radar that doesn’t get enough of the community's attention right now?

JM - Quality of life issues for residents of Jacksonville.  Businesses may want tax breaks, but people want quality of life.  We’ll never get educated people with higher salaries in Jacksonville if we cheap out on basics such as trash pick-up, street lights at night, and public safety.

JCCI - Why is JCCI important to you and to Jacksonville?

JM - JCCI is important to me precisely because Jacksonville is important to me.  Jacksonville is my home and where I’ve planted roots, yet it has lots of opportunities to be better.  I want to be a part of making Jacksonville better.  That’s my vision.

Name: Chris Lester

Role with JCCI: Chair, “Children 1-2-3” Implementation Task Force

JCCI - What do you do from 9-5?

CL - In addition to family life with my husband and two teenagers, I'm an advocate, consultant and volunteer on several Birth-to-Three initiatives with an emphasis on pre-natal care and newborn development. At THE PLAYERS Center for Child Health at Wolfson Children's Hospital, I'm involved in the creation of a System of Care to support wellness from birth. I am author and lead trainer of the Newborn TOUCH Pilot Project at Baptist Heath, which is funded by The Chartrand Foundation.

JCCI - What do you do outside of work?

CL - Every morning I walk to the beach to enjoy the sunrise... a ritual that keeps things in perspective. What makes me happy? Keeping in mind this quote, attributed to Epictetus, 100 B.C: "The key is to surround yourself with people who uplift you, whose very presence calls forth your best."

JCCI - How & when did you get involved with JCCI or JCCI Forward?

CL - I learned about JCCI when I first moved to Atlantic Beach in 1995. Through the years I've kept up with the Quality of Life Indicators and various reports, then payed closer attention as the Infant Mortality work unfolded while I worked in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit at Wolfson Children's Hospital. In 2011, I joined JCCI when I learned about the Children 1.2.3. effort.

JCCI - What is your favorite hidden gem in Jacksonville?

CL - Howell Park in Atlantic Beach. It's a 5-acre passive park the surrounding community fought hard to preserve in the mid- 90's. This spring my son did his Eagle Scout project in the park and my daughter uses much of the park foliage, bridges and wildlife as subjects for her photography class.

JCCI - What issue or concern is on your radar that doesn’t get enough of the community's attention right now?

CL - Newborn and infant caregivers are almost entirely off the radar in Jacksonville, which includes parents, family and paid providers of infant care. During the months of the most rapid brain development of any time across the lifespan, the care of our tiniest citizens is among our lowest priorities as a community. The child care workforce has one of the highest attrition rates of any industry, estimated to be as high as 40%. New parents, often stressed and sleep-deprived, are reliant on their own ability to sort through conflicting guidance on newborn care and infant development. Unless we address the "upstream" imperative to improve newborn and infant care for the 10,000 babies born each year in Jacksonville, we will never solve the education and child health issues that confound us downstream.

JCCI - Why is JCCI important to you and to Jacksonville?

CL - JCCI's role as a neutral convener is vital in advancing public discourse. The current dialogue on every major issue has become increasingly polarized and partisan. The JCCI process guides energy and resources otherwise expended on solidifying positions and redirects that effort toward the crafting of viable recommendations to improve our community.

Name: Lee Poechmann

Role with JCCI: 2012/13 Chair of JCCI Forward

JCCI - What do you do from 9-5?

LP - I am a licensed architect and just celebrated five years with Haskell, one of the largest integrated design and construction firms in the U.S. I specialize in healthcare design, and work to identify clients, shape strategy, and develop opportunities to increase sales for the Healthcare Division.

JCCI - What do you do outside of work?

LP - I embrace being a daddy (a 4-year-old daughter - Quinn) and try to keep things interesting for her. Activity-wise, I enjoy cooking, writing, refereeing soccer, and playing chess. I have my favorites no doubt, but I consider myself a pretty well-rounded sports fan as well. Otherwise, I generally find myself exploring (on foot, by car, and occasionally by plane) the built and unbuilt environment.

JCCI - How & when did you get involved with JCCI or JCCI Forward?

LP - I got involved with JCCI and Forward in 2005, within a few months of moving to Northeast Florida. I live in Fernandina Beach and had no network whatsoever when I arrived, so I sought out a group that was smart, diverse, engaged and shared similar learning interests. Forward fit that bill perfectly. I attended a training, "How to Run an Effective Meeting," and was hooked.

JCCI - What is your favorite hidden gem in Jacksonville?

LP - As a Nassau County guy, I’m not really an official townie, so I don’t have a favorite Jax hangout. I am amazed, though, at the size and neighborhood diversity of Jacksonville; there are fabulous ones that ring the water, like Riverside and Ortega, and all over. But honestly, I have a thing for industrial areas; I really like seeing parts of the city colored with the patina of authentic machine labor, so trains and the port area are fascinating to me. I am always finding roads I have never been on and recently approached Jacksonville via the Kings Road corridor---very cool!

JCCI - What issue or concern is on your radar that doesn’t get enough of the community's attention right now?

LP - Opportunities in, and the quality of, public education is an easy target; however, I am really excited about the upcoming JAX 2025 visioning because it will help address what I think Jacksonville needs most:  a plan and inspiration to become, and in the process let everyone else outside the city know, what an outstanding city we are. People need to get on board the Jacksonville train now because we are picking up steam!

JCCI - Why is JCCI important to you and to Jacksonville?

LP - JCCI is the most important community asset Jacksonville has never heard of.  Its power lies in its methods of total community involvement with essential issues---and then making something happen.   JCCI lets the community determine the content (subjects needing attention) and then has the ability to bring the important community leaders together so everyone learns and is empowered.   Its activities and research are part think tank, part university seminar, part city press conference, and part neighborhood round table---all in one.  Every city needs an organization like JCCI, and Jacksonville is lucky to have the only one.

Some years ago, I heard a story about piano moving that I've never forgotten. It seems a group of guys had to move a piano and were struggling with how to accomplish this task. As they gathered around the piano to discuss different options, one person spoke up and said, "Stand close together and lift where you stand." With that, they successfully moved the piano -- and provided a great title for this blog post. 

We've been talking about ways to build community and asking people for their ideas. How do you build community? is the theme of our annual meeting on September 14. And yesterday we had a moment to reflect on the passing of a true community-builder.

As we prepare for the annual meeting and the launch of a transformative project for Jacksonville, I think it's time to think about what we can do -- as individuals, as people working together -- to build a better Jacksonville. Perhaps in all the political clutter surrounding the notion of who built what we can think instead of how we build something together that we couldn't ever build separately -- this notion of community.

I like repeating my favorite definition of community -- "In a community, there is no them." Building community is not them doing something -- it's about us taking action. It's not about doing something for them -- it's about lifting us all up. 

So what can we do, we who are not wealthy philanthropists or powerful makers of policy or front-line fighters? We can lift where we stand.

And working together, we can create a better Jacksonville.

Find out more at our annual meeting on September 14 when Darryl Byrd will speak of the power of community action.

Name: Jennifer Chapman

Role with JCCI:  Member of the Board

JCCI - What do you do from 9-5?

JC - I am the Director of Public Affairs for a local finance investment firm.  I am in charge of government, community and public relations for our 750-person operation in Jacksonville and the other areas around the state where we have operations.

JCCI - What do you do outside of work?

First and foremost, my husband Josh and I have three little boys ages 7, 4 and 4 who keep us very busy.  In January of this year, I launched an IT startup company called Mystical Basket, LLC.  I volunteer a lot, serving on the board of JCCI, Leadership Jacksonville and the Early Learning Coalition of Duval County and working recently on smaller projects with Junior Achievement and the Girl Scouts.  And last, I blog at imthebossofme.wordpress.com.  If there is any time left over, I love to read and do DIY projects…which makes me a HUGE fan of the Jacksonville public library and Pinterest.

JCCI - How & when did you get involved with JCCI or JCCI Forward?

JC - I was invited to a Forward event nearly 10 years ago by my then-fiancé, Josh.  Since then, I have dabbled in Forward, been a part of the Quality of Life review process, co-chaired (with my good friend Broderick Green) the Race Relations Progress Report and joined the board.  It has been a wild ride.

JCCI - What is your favorite hidden gem in Jacksonville?  

JC - I think CoWork Jax, at the corner of Forsyth and Main, is a great addition to Jacksonville.  Every day dozens of people leave their homes to work together in this fun, vibrant industrial space.   The events are terrific and informative and the staff is eager to help “CoWorkers” get the most out of their membership.

On an unrelated topic, I think Burrito Gallery’s black bean quesadillas are amazing and worth the drive over from my office on the Southside.

JCCI - What issue or concern is on your radar that doesn’t get enough of the community’s attention right now?

JC - I believe Jacksonville is well aware of what our challenges are. We know we can do better in addressing disparities in education, wages and health outcomes.  What I would like to see is a self-motivated push to be more open-minded, to try to work together, and to recognize that we are all doing what we believe is in our best interests, even when we are in conflict.

JCCI - Why is JCCI important to you and to Jacksonville?

JC - JCCI has a proven track record of bringing tough issues to the forefront in a constructive and insightful way.  We have no agenda.  We are here to facilitate discussion and encourage problem solving.  Jacksonville is fortunate to have a group dedicated to the constant improvement of our City and I am proud to have been a supporter and now a board member.

Name: Brooks Terry

Role with JCCI: Vice Chair of Outreach, JCCI Forward Executive Committee

JCCI - What do you do from 9-5?

BT - Does anyone work 9-5 anymore? For a living I am the Director of Marketing and Communications at Florida Coastal School of Law. Basically, that means I wear a lot of hats, put out fires from time to time, and get to be creative for a living.

JCCI - What do you do outside of work?

BT - I was born in Jacksonville and I can tell you it has come a very long way. I love music and, especially, seeing acts play live. I have to say I have been very impressed with the shows northeast Florida has attracted recently. Deathcab for Cutie, Elvis Costello, TV on the Radio, and Mac Miller played the Florida Theatre this year. That’s just one venue. Pretty awesome. Otherwise, I’m probably eating at one the many new restaurants and food trucks Jacksonville continues to attract. Royal Palm in Atlantic Beach is excellent and On the Fly is my favorite new kitchen on wheels.

JCCI - How & when did you get involved with JCCI or JCCI Forward?

BT - In 2010 I went to a JCCI summer social. I knew there was something different with this group. There was good leadership, and those involved were engaged in the work they were doing. You don’t see that very often. I got involved with JCCI Forward because I felt like, if I became a volunteer, I could be effective.

JCCI - What is your favorite hidden gem in Jacksonville?

BT - I’m a nerd. I read comic books. I admit it. Universe of Superheroes – they have one location in Riverside and one in Jacksonville Beach – is one of my favorite spots to kill time. In all honesty, it’s actually pretty cool that small business owners here are thriving because, in this case, they’ve been able to meet the demand of a small, but highly engaged customer base.

JCCI - What issue or concern is on your radar that doesn’t get enough of the community’s attention right now?

BT - Lack of community awareness and engagement. I say that because to effectively overcome any particular challenge there must first be an awareness of the issue before work can begin. Having been active in JCCI Forward this year, I must say have been very surprised with how little many people know about Jacksonville's history and culture. What's worse, that lack of awareness can give rise to apathy and lack of participation to make necessary improvements in our quality of life. We have some incredible community stewards out there, but it’s going to take more than that small group to move the needle in the right direction in Jacksonville long term.

JCCI - Why is JCCI important to you and to Jacksonville?

BT - I think you can learn the most by sharing with other people who have "been there" and "done that." As JCCI exists to bring together individuals who are emerging leaders themselves, it has allowed me learn about what it is that Jacksonville really needs and how and why it can improve. Because I love Jacksonville - my home - and I want to be a part of the leadership that will take it from where it is today, to where it will be tomorrow. Because I've always been someone who wants to dig in and get things done. JCCI has given me that chance.

I’m looking around and I’m realizing, I can’t be the only one here.  I just can’t be.  In the midst of a national election, I’m just gobsmacked.  What happened to all the people in the middle?

I’m not Pollyanna about this.  I’m under no delusion that presidential politics are easy or nice…and our country’s history is chock-full of tales of corruption and controversies.  Did you know that despite losing the popular and electoral votes in 1824, John Quincy Adams became president? (I forgot too, but that’s why the internet is so handy!)  And, as crazy and contentious as the results seem, most scholars attribute the founding of the modern Democratic Party to that election.

But it’s not the negativity or the propaganda that really has me riled up and confused.  It’s the idea that because I’m a member of one party or another – that I must, of course, subscribe to and espouse every last platform issue of that group.  That I can be identified and pigeonholed into a “them” because I must hold views on the far edges of the political spectrum, whether to the right or the left.  That I can be labeled and typecast as an “us,” figured out by the party I am affiliated with and pandered to on views that I could not disagree with more.

Aren’t there other voters out there who checked the box to be recognized as either a Democrat or a Republican because they agree with most of the party’s ideals?  Am I the only person watching the candidates and thinking that my party has it right in the area that I think is the most critical this year, but hasn’t got a clue in other areas I care about, but don’t influence my vote as much?  Can it be that no one else mixes religious doctrine with a little common sense and life experience?

I’ve recently had discussions with friends and acquaintances (and yes, I’m a GenX-er) who are concerned that our contemporaries, other GenX-ers and even Millennials, don’t vote, don’t get involved and are generally both apathetic and clueless as to what happens in our government, at all levels.  The hallmark traits of these generations are diversity and inclusion, so it’s not that surprising to see poll results showing they are least conservative on cultural and social values and the most conservative on economic and domestic policy.

Former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman said in an interview just this week, when both parties worked together in the recent past, “we saw both a cleaner environment and economic growth.  People were listening – people aren't listening anymore. Today everything is decided along ideological lines.”

So how do we start moving away from both parties looking for divisive issues, to score political points and appeal to their base and start moving towards identifying issues that will bring people together?

From this GenX-er’s view:  first, we have to start talking about issues.  We have to demand it.  We have to demand it from our media outlets (local and national) and we have to demand knowledge and discussion.  It’s why I love JCCI and working here.  You have a view point?  Great!  Come and join the conversation!  You’re not sure what your viewpoint is?  Great!  Come and join the conversation!  Second, we have to stop making assumptions and generalizations.  Just because someone is a (Democrat/Republican) doesn’t mean s/he is evil, intelligent, stupid, elitist, racist, bleeding-hearted or whatever other assumptions you have.  Maybe, their party affiliation makes the most sense on their path to “the middle.”

With all of that to consider, here’s my invitation: There’s room in the middle – you should join me here!

Following the release in 2009 of JCCI's inquiry on City Finances (Our Money, Our City: Financing Jacksonville's Future), a subcommittee of the project's advocacy task force began the process of looking closely at the growing crisis in funding shortages in Jacksonville's three public pension plans.  It was, and still is, the elephant in the room that dwarfs all other aspects of the financial mess the City faces.

Estimates at that time were that the unfunded liability of the three funds exceeded $1.5 billion, and in 2011, the City faced required funding obligations of $118 million to the three plans, an amount equal to nearly 13% of the entire General Fund budget.  The Mayor's Transition Committee on Pensions estimated that with no substantive pension reform measures in place, that total would grow to $180 million by 2016 and to $350 million by 2026, with no end in sight. These are clearly unsustainable numbers that, if left unchecked, will ultimately lead the City to financial ruin.

That picture became even darker recently when the results of a required periodic actuarial review determined that, because of obsolete and inaccurate assumptions, the City's pension obligation for 2012-13 is actually $44 million more than previously anticipated . The total unfunded liability probably exceeds $2 billion, considerably more than the $1.5 billion that was estimated in 2009.

When the JCCI inquiry was released in 2009, there was little public recognition of the severity of the pension crisis, so there was a corresponding lack of appetite on the part of elected officials to take politically unpopular positions necessary to do something about it.  As the two-year advocacy period unfolded, public understanding and concern grew significantly, as did the realization in the Mayor's office and at City Council that the community could no longer afford to bury its head in the sand and wish the problem would go away on its own.

Mayor Brown has recognized the need for aggressive pension reform, announcing it as one of the top priorities of his administration from the day he assumed office last summer.  Encouragingly, newly-appointed City Council President Bill Bishop has recently said the same.  To date, however, political rhetoric has been the extent of activity relating to the pension crisis, at least as far as the general public can tell.

It's no longer enough to merely talk about pension reform.  The City continues to hemorrhage while we wait for a plan for action, and the longer we wait, the worse the crisis becomes.  No one should be deceived into thinking that arriving at the level of pension reform we need will be easy.  Collective bargaining and negotiating over compensation and future benefits never is.  But for the City to avoid financial calamity, it must be accomplished, and it must begin now.  Hopefully, intensive preparations for pension reform negotiations have been unfolding behind closed doors in recent months, and we can only hope that substantive discussions will soon commence.

Much has been said and written recently about the legalities and potential ramifications of cities in even worse pension-related financial predicaments filing for Chapter 9 bankruptcy, most recently in Stockton, CA.  The article linked below provides some useful insights on that subject, one all of us hope never becomes a necessity in Jacksonville.

http://www.governing.com/columns/public-finance/col-stockton-californias-debt-problems-may-set-precedent.html

Steve Rankin