When will Jacksonville City Councilman Michael Boylan care more about quality of life issues in Mandarin?
Does he think giving a zoning exemption for an outdoor liquor store at Haley Road and San Jose–where just eight years ago a drunk driver killed a woman and injured another–is a responsible thing to do? Does Boylan think giving Lot J more than $200 million increase the quality life in Mandarin? Does he think voting to increase the gas tax and giving almost $400 million for the Skyway Express benefit the quality life in Mandarin? When will he stand up and improve the many parks in Mandarin?
Boylan should keep his focus on his district, such as extending the sidewalks on Mandarin Road and many other roads so people can enjoy the outdoors and not walk on the roads. Mandarin is waiting for Boylan to represent his 70,000 constituents and not spending tax dollars and the Skyway to nowhere.
Duval County residents have been neglected for far too long. Think about all the opportunities to improve the quality of life in your own neighborhood. Most of those improvements would help improve quality of life in Jacksonville more than dumping hundreds of millions into Lot J and the Skyway.
Boylan should vote to improve roads and fill pot holes, not for boondoggles like the Skyway. He should also fight for better parks, sidewalks and other quality of life issues for Mandarin and the rest of Duval County.
Instead of spending 40 percent of the gas tax on unproven technology, those funds should be spent to benefit the million residents of the First Coast, almost all of whom will never use the Skyway Express.
Jacksonville is known for a large park system but who cares? We should be known for the most engaging and fun park system in the country.
We can make these kind of improvements if elected officials actually represented their constituents. By focusing on the people who already live here and not potential businesses whose employees work in Duval County but live in St. Johns, Clay or Nassau Counties, elected officials would be doing a great service for of us who love Jacksonville and live here.
Matt Schellenberg was first elected to the Jacksonville City Council back in 2011 and won a second term in 2015. He was term-limited in 2019.
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