At last week's raucous Jacksonville City Council meeting, roughly 80 people took to the podium to address the council, with the overwhelming majority opposing a tax hike.

But only one was quizzed on her occupation.

Elexia Coleman-Moss, a young entrepreneur who serves as chair of JCCI Forward, was called back to the podium by Councilman Clay Yarborough after she spoke in favor of preserving social services.

Coleman-Moss responded with an explanation of her vocation and was then asked if she received city money.

She doesn't. But the same can't be said for some speakers who opposed the hike.

Astoundingly, they didn't face the same query.

Scott free

Those 9-9 votes that left the council deadlocked? They wouldn't have happened if Rick Scott had not picked Jennifer Carroll as his running mate. Carroll's successor in the Legislature, Daniel Davis, chaired the council's Finance Committee and crafted the budget that went before the council last week. But Davis resigned effective Sept. 22 - the earliest date to avoid a special election to fill his council seat. Last year, he cast a vote against the budget and tax hikes; by resigning, he didn't have to face that vote again.

Davis is now traveling the state campaigning for fellow Republicans who stand four seats away from a two-thirds majority in the House.

Dawg gone

City Councilman Ronnie Fussell announced he wouldn't run for re-election during the budget vote.

That leaves the council absent its only rabid Georgia Bulldogs fan.

'No Diet Coke for you'

Council members should be forced to cast an up or down vote on controversial legislation, according to Councilman Richard Clark. That belief led him to introduce legislation during his last week as council president that would have automatically cast a "yea" vote for council members who stepped away without approval.

"It doesn't allow people to take walks on votes," he said.

The legislation was withdrawn this month after concerns about its feasibility, but Clark said he's working on answering those questions and hopes to have new legislation within a month.

Meanwhile, some have noted that, if the legislation had been in effect, Clark would have cast 10 "yea" votes last month after he left a council meeting early to dine with lobbyists for Jaguars after the council approved the EverBank Field deal. He had e-mailed a request to be excused while the meeting was ongoing, but council rules require requests to be submitted prior to the start of a meeting. He has since apologized for leaving the meeting early.

link: http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/401026/abel-harding/2010-10-05...