Most of the races in Clay County were over with the primary election in August. But there is still one key race and that’s the race to represent District 2 in the Clay County Commission, a district that covers the Oakleaf area in the northern part of the county. Election Day is one week from today.
Republican Alexandra Compere is going up against Democrat Leroy Edwards to fill the seat currently being held by Commission Chairman and Republican Wayne Bolla.
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Compere and Edwards visited the News4JAX studio to sit down with This Week In Jacksonville host Kent Justice.
During the show that aired on Sunday, the candidates were asked questions that came straight from our viewers, part of News4JAX’s Your Voice Matters campaign.
Here’s a question from reader Charles Knight: What would you do to bring good-paying jobs to Clay County?
Thanks for your question, Charles. Now, here’s what each candidate had to say.
“First, you got to introduce or invite good paying jobs to come in to look at the land you have, and the space they are going to get to build their business. With Clay County commissioners that we have now they are not doing that. All they are bringing in is just houses. I challenge them all the time to bring, invite businesses to come in. We cannot grow a county without having business. Building all these houses without business it just don’t make much sense,” Edwards said.
“I think that in Clay County in general, we have a lot of ways to market our county,” Compere said. “We have three large hospitals in Clay County. And so if we are painting a picture that the medical industry can have a platform here that’s one way you can with the resources that you already have. We’re nice people in Clay. I know that the business, the business industry knows that we’re here, however we are competing with St. John’s County and Duval County and St. John’s County has two hospitals and they have 50,000 more people than we do. And so I really do think that especially with the medical industry, you can invite businesses here.
“The other thing is Oakleaf is in District 2 and the Cecil Commerce Center is right outside of Clay County. And the Expressway is so close, it connects us, virtually, it connects us, and so reaching out to Cecil Commerce Center and developing a partnership with them, it would be very important. One of the questions that I get quite often is congestion, right? We’re partnering with our regional business leaders makes sense because those business leaders have transitioned quite a bit since COVID so that they have a hybrid schedule. So you bring in large companies that offer salaries that are higher earning but you don’t have as much congestion because most of those employees are working from home a couple of days of the week.”
To watch the entire half-hour show and hear their answers to questions about other key issues that are important to voters, click here.
As part of our commitment to making sure Your Voice Matters in our election coverage, News4JAX is more focused than ever on what issues are important to you and how the candidates plan to address them -- not on the candidate ‘back and forth’ and political theater, though we will continue to fact check claims made by candidates.
In the weeks leading up to the 2022 midterm election, and the elections held in the spring of 2023, News4JAX has been working hard to find out what issues are most important to you and taking your questions and concerns to candidates running for office.
It’s all part of our Your Voice Matters campaign. (More on our mission can be found at the bottom of this newsletter.)
Understanding amendments, judges 🏠 🧑⚖️
There are three proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution that the Florida Legislature voted to place on the ballot this November.
News4JAX has been working to help you better understand all of them by talking to experts and hearing arguments both for and against:
Even if you know your stuff when it comes to amendments, you still might not be very knowledgeable when it comes to Florida Supreme Court and appellate judges. But you better be informed because there are A LOT on the ballot.
Once nominated by the governor and ratified by the legislature, the judges face the voters in a “yes” or “no” vote as to whether they should remain in office in the first general election after selection and again every six years.
Five of the seven Supreme Court justices and five of the 15 judges in the First District Court of Appeals are up for retention votes this November.
Reporter Claire Heddles with our news partner WJCT put together a helpful guide on judges where she looked at key decisions made by each of them in recent years. You can check it out here.
News4JAX Voter’s Guide 🗳️
We also created a comprehensive voter’s guide so you are informed on where all the local candidates stand on key issues heading into the Nov. 8 election. As Thomas Jefferson once so eloquently said: “An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people.” So with that in mind, we packed as much information as we could into our guide so you can be prepared at the polls.
MORE HERE: NEWS4JAX VOTER’S GUIDE
Our guide begins with interactive maps to help you find your congressional, state Senate and state House districts, and we break down the rest of the races by county. We hope you take a few minutes to learn something about the candidates’ backgrounds and their views on the issues. Plus, learn about the amendments and any ballot initiatives for your county or city.
More: Your Voice Matters stories
Ask your questions ❓
News4JAX anchor and host of This Week in Jacksonville Kent Justice wants to hear from you, too. As these important elections approach, Kent plans to have many of the candidates on his weekly show that airs at 9 a.m. Sundays on Channel 4.
This week, Kent’s guests are Republican Wilton Simpson and Democrat Naomi Blemur, who are competing for the office of the commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in November’s general election.
The winner will take the seat held for the last four years by Democrat Nikki Fried, who ran in the Democratic primary for governor but came in second to Charlie Crist.
News4JAX sent a questionnaire to each candidate asking about their background and their views on several issues. Check out the News4JAX Voter’s Guide to read the responses of those seeking your vote in their own words.
Do you have any questions for Simpson or Blemur? Both will be interviewed by This Week in Jacksonville host Kent Justice this week and we want to hear from you.
Click here to submit your question and we will pick at least one question to ask each of the candidates.
Your Voice Matters mission statement 🗣️
WJXT is THE local station, and there is nothing more local than elections. When it comes to making sure our viewers and digital consumers are informed, we take that role seriously. Nothing affects the changing world more than politics and elections. Education, the environment, the economy and equal rights are driven by elections. We will not pursue stories that frame elections as a horse race, we will not focus on candidate theater, and we will not stray from the issues important to you. News4JAX election coverage will empower you as you vote and take part in the democratic process.
News4JAX is making a commitment to consistent community outreach to hear from you both digitally and in person. We will then take your input and your questions and bring them right to the candidates running for office. We will also hold the candidates accountable for their words and actions using our “Trust Index” and fact-checking. News4JAX.com will give you a ‘Voters Guide’ that will empower you with information before you head to the polls, information directly from the candidates, ballots and elected leaders. We promise all this, with a foundation of diversity, equity and inclusion in our coverage. Telling the story of the local community, everything WJXT does is with our community in mind. That’s why WJXT has been the market leader for more than 65 years.
Contact Us 📧
Feel free to share your story ideas with the Your Voice Matters team by sending an email to the leaders, including Kent Justice (kjustice@wjxt.com), Jim Piggott (jpiggott@wjxt.com) and Travis Gibson (tgibson@wjxt.com).
