Party affiliation: Republican
Age: 58
Family: Married to Melody Bishop. Our son, William IV, is 26. Our daughter, Starr, passed away at 21 in 2009 from ALS.
Occupation: Registered architect in Florida, Georgia and Ohio; current City Council member, District 2
Education: Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Lawrence Technological University; Master of Architecture and Master of Business Administration from University of Detroit Mercy
Political experience: Current City Council Member for District 2. Completing my second term. Served as Council President in 2012/13.
What do you see as the top three issues in this race?
The City's financial stability: The underfunded state of our three pension systems are driving every economic decision made by the city. The increasing costs are rapidly consuming our revenue needed to provide basic city services such as law enforcement, infrastructure maintenance, and other quality of life services such as parks and libraries. Left uncorrected, Jacksonville will turn into a city in which people will not want to live and business will not want to locate.Public Safety: The state of our public safety services (police and fire) have decayed over the past few years. This is primarily attributed to the recession reducing available revenue to hire enough personnel as well as increased pension costs described above. As the city is perceived to be less safe, it becomes harder to attract new businesses to Jacksonville resulting in fewer job opportunities for our citizens.The economy and job creation: Historically, Florida in general and Jacksonville in particular have relied on growth to fuel our economy. The recent recession showed us that this limited model is too uncertain. The best way to grow and sustain our economy is through business expansion. Jacksonville has several strong business sectors including healthcare, financial services, and logistics and transportation. We also have a growing high tech sector and a strong military presence. One area where we are lacking is in manufacturing. Expanding this sector would give us a well rounded economy that can sustain a good rate of growth as well as provide stable high paying jobs.
Campaign website, other links: billbishopformayor.com | Facebook | @Bishop4Mayor |
Candidate's statement, campaign financial reports on DuvalElections.com
