I was excited to see the new website for the City of Jacksonville Office of Special Events.  My social and business calendar is filled with local events.  I enjoy every venue in my hometown and am proud of all we have to offer for fun and relaxation.

So – I eagerly scanned the website to see what was up and coming and something struck me.

The Landing was no where to be found.  I hit the search button and could not find it listed in any events including watching the Boat Parade or the fireworks as we have done for years.  All the other venues were listed and had a link to their websites.

But not The Landing.

It’s as if it doesn’t exist.  Yet, I live downtown and I can see it from my balcony.  It’s still there.

It’s just that the Mayor and his back room friends don’t want it to be there.  It’s obvious and it’s been disgusting watching the Mayor act like a mob boss towards the owners of the Landing.  Eye has reported many incidents by the Mayor to shut down the Landing and the most recent was the Jazz Festival moved the Landing stage to the courthouse.  That went over like a lead balloon.  The press release called the Courthouse an iconic building and we all laughed at the ridiculous thought of that being Jacksonville’s iconic building.  It’s not even on the St. John’s River for crying out loud.

Mob tactics have worked well in politics and at a national level it is becoming a major issue.  If big government doesn’t like you – an IRS audit is due on your business or your personal life.  Try leading a Tea Party and find out that is true.  Or if big technology doesn’t like what you have to say – they simply erase you off their social media platforms.  You are done and your voice is silenced.  And if your credit card provider doesn’t like what you sell, they will shut down your ability to freely sell your merchandise.

It’s become a real problem in our culture and it’s a big deal.  I would have thought our local politicians would be a little better than those at the national level.

But I am wrong about that.

In fact, local politics is a training ground for their movement up the ladder to DC where they can erase even more of their enemies.

We are living in a strange time in our history.  We encourage you to keep your Eyes open and watch your back and while doing so, have courage to stand up to your local politicians.  You see them in the grocery store, at church and out and about at events.  Walk up to them and let them know when they do something good and when they are stinking.

Maybe together we can turn them from their mob tactics and get them to focus on the important issues of our day.

Note to the Mayor:  It’s time to realize who your enemies are.  How about the criminals shooting up our streets?  Spend some time on that and then walk down the hall and tell your Special Events team to add The Landing to the site.  It’s the right thing to do, boss.

[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://eyeonjacksonville.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Billie-Tucker-1.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Billie Tucker has worked in the CEO world for more than 30 years and was the Chief Operating Officer of Vistage Florida, a think tank for CEOs. She started her own consulting practice, CEO Service Bureau, in 2001 and earned a reputation for her keen understanding of the motivations, challenges and goals of people and became a life-long student and teacher of leadership principles. She craved anything leadership related and enjoyed being around the world of entrepreneurial CEOs. She watched as they made decisions; pondered how they would make payroll when cash flow was tight; and appreciated how they created career opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people. Because of her experiences, she has emerged as a key resource for the media and others who want to understand important insights about executives, management teams and board dynamics. In 2008, Billie became discouraged as she watched some of her clients struggle with the political economic impacts on their businesses. The same CEOs who mortgaged their home and charged up their credit cards to make ends meet to build a business and keep others working, now watched as their government bailed out the big banks who had mismanaged their resources. She cringed as most of her clients laid off employees for the first time and she vowed she would help them… somehow…someway. That somehow…someway showed up in the Tea Party Movement in America. She formed one of the largest tea party group’s in America (more than 9,000 members strong) and helped bring attention to America’s debt problem, out of control spending, over taxation and regulation strangulation on companies. With her background in working with leaders and her influence in the political and leadership world, Billie has continued her dream to help CEOs navigate these troubling waters that permeate the world of capitalism in America. She has been an active participant in the media as a guest on CNN, Fox News, Fox Business, Bott Family Network Radio and co-hosts a political/financial radio show in the Northeast Florida market entitled, Smart Money. She was the first speaker at the House of Representatives Tea Party Caucus inaugural event and was invited by Heritage Foundation to speak at their prestigious annual Heritage Resource Bank, and on their National Security Panel live broadcasts. She spoke at the Congressional Republican House Retreat in Pennsylvania in 2012. She was also the co-host and co-producer of the CNN Tea Party Express Debate in the 2012 Presidential Election. She is a firm believer that America needs more entrepreneurs and more opportunities for people to use their God-given talents and passions to better themselves, their communities and America. Her favorite quote has become her mission to help CEOs succeed: “Vision without execution is hallucination.” – Thomas Edison[/author_info] [/author]