What I've done over in the economic development area is I've made Bonnie Clark the chairman of the surface transportation effort which is the five-year update of the Transportation Improvement Program. I've asked Jim Stringfellow to chair the air transportation component of our effort. That does a couple of good things. He has a long string of history with the airport. He's also old Gainesville and we need to plug In leadership positions here so we're not perceived as being, you know. the young Turks taking over and besides which he has a great history. He said no, and I begged him and he said maybe.

MT: Isn't he the chairman of that board at AGH this year? Or Santa Fe?

JS: So he has some problems and I told him that I understood all that, but there just really was nobody better. There are times when you can say, "Well, you know. OK, you were our first choice and we'll go to our second and our third but there's such a gap between what he can bring to this and what anyone else can bring to it that we just really need him there and so he backed off his no. He had intended to go to this Saturday morning meeting anyway so you know I think he's gonna come along. but if he doesn't then we'll be...

MT: You know another guy that's old Gainesville and old Chamber is Joe Dunlap...

JS: That's a good backup.

(Discussions of John Fielding of School Board, and brochure sent to applicants for teaching positions; last year. brochure was jointly sponsored by School Board and Chamber; which Chamber division education belongs in--public affairs or economic development: Charlie Pinkoson on Green Belt Committee]

MT: Do we have an inventory of Chamber members who serve on the various advisory boards and committees. City and County?

MH: That would be real easy to get.

JS: Why don't we make that one of Nancy's first efforts?

MT: 'Cause then we can just plug in people, rather than having to [???]

JS: I think what we need to do is get that Inventory and inquire of them if they're interested in continuing. That saves a whole lot of brainstorming. Also with regard to what we're trying to do in the transportation committee, you know. the problem with the MTPO thing is that we're going to have to be active In two arenas--in the political arena on your side, and in the transportation factual thing which is Jody's (Davisl side. In the political thing, the key component is going to be getting in front of the Citizens' Advisory Committee. If they're going to use the existing Citizen Advisory Committee for the MTPO--which I'm sure they are--we need to know who they are, are there any vacancies, can we plant any people In there that can see things our way? If not. we need to be very, very active in molding the opinion of the Citizens' Advisory Committee because that's going to have a major influence on the MTPO's decisions. It would be one thing if the Chamber comes and says "We need a 3% modal split," and if the CAC says, "We're convinced that we need a 3% modal split."

MT: So what we need is some one-on-one lobbying?

JS: That's right. that's right. Because I know staff will, from the Regional Planning Council. So. it's going to be hard for them to overcome that but if CAC gives it the Kermit Sigmon thing of 15% bicycles, then It's us and the staff against them and that's just going to be tough. So that's a place from a political strategy standpoint, they may not deal with until July, but we need to start finding out who's on the CAC, when they meet. you know, what their agenda is, that kind of...

MT: Are you writing all that down, Mo?

MH: Got it.

(discussion about using Gene Fleming. administrator of North Florida Regional, as an 'AdHoc, roving ambassador' on ground transportation issues]

JS I think it's clear from what we've said so far that we've got some fairly narrow focuses. One, we're gonna hit hard transportation. Two, we agree that we have to make sure that we have a good educational environment e for economic development. And three, we need to do something to showcase and enhance the cultural, the evident cultural ambience here. That's what we've said all along through this whole process. And In order to make us work we have to be more effective in the public arena. So those are the three. the four major places that we've got to devote most of our energies and transportation's gonna be very critical this year, both the airport thing and the Transportation Improvement Program, going to be very critical.

I don't know whether he (Gene Fleming] has a bias there...

MT I think ground would be our bias because we've got to get that thing straightened out in front of us.

(Continuing...)