Lincolnville group holds reception for mayor

Last night, the mayor’s Administrative Aide, Danielle Shuman, reported to Historic City News that “300 Concerned Citizens”, one of the grassroots community organizations that Mayor Shaver credits with her November election, held a reception in her honor at the Willie Galimore Center.

The group discussed many of Shaver’s achievements and evaluated her overall performance during her first 79-days in office.

“Mayor Shaver was commended for her welcoming and likeable personality,” Shuman told local reporters. “Those in the audience seemed pleased with how Mayor Shaver has continued to interact with the citizens of Saint Augustine since her election.”

After the August primary, the citizen’s group interviewed the mayoral candidates and polled the members. Those responses indicated that Shaver was their clear choice.

On Sunday, October 26, 2014, St. Paul AME Church Pastor Ron Rawls and First Baptist Church Pastor Michael McConnell organized a motorcade, complete with charter bus and motorcycle escort, to bring voters to the St Johns County Elections Office to cast early ballots after church services.

Historic City News editor, Michael Gold, was invited and accompanied the residents. Read his report about the “Souls to the Polls” event on historiccity.com.

The majority of those attending the reception last night rated the mayor on her overall performance during these first two and a half months as “very satisfactory”.

Generally, the 300 Concerned Citizens found that the city is being well served under Mayor Shaver and the current board of commissioners. The agenda has moved away from elitist, self-serving galas and junkets to Spain, and the focus has returned to the elements of public service; repairs and maintenance of municipal utilities, roadways, sidewalks, and the establishment of efficient, open, transparent, and accountable administration of local government.

Shaver was credited with having done an excellent job of reconnecting overlooked and blighted parts of the city with their local government. Phone calls and e-mails from constituents are returned, and not just to campaign contributors or those with political influence. Mayor Shaver has opened a new dialog that addresses the lack of diversity in city employment and appointments to citizen boards — a move that has endeared support from the black and Hispanic community.