About little mayor

[BosTech]

Sunday edition of TU had article about mayor and city officials posting their earnings for year (last year I belive).

Well so-called "little" mayor who looks like it doesn't know what is doing is making $156.000 as mayor ,from $153.000 working at Gate.

Gate reported profit for year,funny considering rise of prices of oil yet still making big profits (Exxon Mobile also posted some 30% profit or something).

Owns shares in Wachovia (bank that charges $5 to cash check and have separate non-account holder line) and share in ...ahemmm.....WalMart.

Funny that Walmart and Wachovia are doing good these days in Jacksonville.

They also mentioned owning like 3-4 houses......Newest one getting build "near" San Marco area.

Cost?

2.5 milion dollars.

Funny southbank is getting build rapidly and now own mayor is building new 2.5 mill home....while northbank is getting delayed and almost every project is havign some problems.

If it is true that Gate owns Southtrust building,I would say in 5-10 years southbank real estate will be VERY expansive...ala NY city expensive.

What is your thought on all this?

[Viper]

You sure love your conspiracies. Can't prove them but they are somewhat interesting to know.

[bobliocatt]

I don't buy into the conspiracy theory. The southbank was already on the verge of booming well before Peyton became mayor. Due to years of neglect and its density, its much harder to develop a project in the Northbank. Many of the projects waiting for tax incentives involve decayed and cost prohibitive historic buildings. The Southbank is pretty much like the suburbs....a clean slate. Nevertheless, the conspiracy theory dies, because several Northbank projects appear to finally be moving forward.

[BosTech]

Its habit from war (Bosnia),while war was going on and people were dying politicians and I say ALMOST ALL politicians where spining big bucks,regardless of what side they were on......You name it from making money on direct war effect to more indirect like resale of weapons,food,oil and just about everything to more exotic like drugs or selling tanks to Saddam.

Most of times nothing was done directly ,usually it would "create" situation where they will indirectly profit from it,basicly you could not prove it.

Agatha Cristy wrote book called "Perfect murder" where man creates situation where other people kill his enemies while hes not linked to killings at all,all he did is accidently left weapons,reveal sensitive info to potential murders who would carry acts for him.

These days most politicians know that well so they work by creating situations where they could "accidently" profit from it,where it is difficult to link to them.

Most politicians that I knoiw work for their own profit and interest then everyone else.

[Captain Obvious]

I don't really buy into any conspiracy theories.

Even if Peyton somehow were artifically inflating the value of southbank land - good for him! Maybe someone will eventually buy up all the surface parking lots for condos. But, in reality, the Southbank boom has been a natural function of the marketplace.

Also, Peyton's family company recently bought a few thousand acres of land at the southern edge of Duval county, near Phillips and Racetrack road. Yet, Peyton has actually CUT funding for the 9B connector which would service that area. The project has been delayed indefinitely, even though it would personally benefit his family's real estate holdings. Peyton gets major points for that.

That being said ... I think the man has been a mediocre Mayor, and he might very well get destroyed in the Republican primaries. Those empty courthouse blocks will make great locations for his opponents' campaign commercials.

[jjoshjl]

Has any progress been made witht he courthouse???

It has been alomost a year since they said ok start over... Very little has been seen or heard form since. Using the old library as an example, they released the RFP back in march(?) we are pretty sure we know who and what is being built. The MOMENT Peyton backed out of the previous courthouse desing, any repectible developer would have immediatly begun redrawing plans in order to hopefully get the bid.

WHAT IS THE HOLD UP?!!!!