City Councilman Matt Schellenberg represents all that is wrong in Jacksonville politics, amoral, ignorant and mean.
When talking about the half cent sales tax to help Duval County's resourced starved schools he said, the School Board should withdraw its request for a referendum and demonstrate it is fiscally responsible by reducing bureaucracy and selling its downtown headquarters property on the riverfront. He said the district also must show it “has the backbone and leadership” to consolidate schools.
When talking about the half cent sales tax to help Duval County's resourced starved schools he said, the School Board should withdraw its request for a referendum and demonstrate it is fiscally responsible by reducing bureaucracy and selling its downtown headquarters property on the riverfront. He said the district also must show it “has the backbone and leadership” to consolidate schools.
Schellenberg said the city could find a “fair-minded solution” that shares some of the annual contribution the JEA gives each year to city government, but the case hasn’t been made for sales tax increase.
“Quite frankly, they had a disastrous roll-out because they didn’t engage the public,” Schellenberg said. “Basically, they dismissed that, and I think that’s appalling.”
First fiscal responsibility by reducing bureaucracy and by selling its downtown riverfront headquarters are nothing but two canards that are thrown out to distract. Who does he want to get rid of? What position does he think we have to many of? I bet if pressed he wouldn't be able to name a single person or position. This is what ignorant people say because they heard other ignorant people say it. As for the school board building, it is completely paid for and nobody is offering what it would take to replace it elsewhere. Selling it would be a colossal mistake.
Then he calls for a fair minded solution from a city that has never been fair minded to education, saying perhaps JEA which does not pay property tax could be made to pay some of its city contribution to the district. This is ironic because I couldn't see Curry ever allowing that money to be touched and JEA just said they may have to both increase rates and scale back the contribution and Schellenberg has to know that.
Then he talks about the disastrous roll out and I think it could have been done better. Months ago at one of the many meetings that Schellenberg could not be bothered to attend, I could see what they were doing and asked it it was going to be a sales tax or millage increase and was kind of blown off. It would have been a lot better had they just admitted that was their plan then. That being said there have literally been about 20 meetings all over town and they solicited input on-line for over a month. Did Schellenberg want them to go door to door? What's appalling is his complete lack of facts and up to now interest.
Then do you know what Schellenberg has done during his term in office to help public schools? ... crickets... nothing, which means while turning his back on public education, he has the nerve to complain when the district finally decided to do something. He should shut his pie hole and allow the people of Jacksonville to decide.
There is absolutely nothing the district could have done that would have satisfied Schellenberg because like Curry and more than a few others in City Hall, I believe he wants our schools to fail.
This guy, ignorant, mean and amoral represents all that is wrong in Jacksonville.
Schellenberg wants to sell JEA. Why not give the proceeds to DCPS? As for not making the case to the public I'm not surprised Schellenberg & Curry are willfully ignorant on this issue. They're not big on charettes (as evidenced by their $18M buyout of the Landing without public input)so you have to put up giant flashing billboards & 30 second tv spots to catch their short attention spans.
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