News

December 19, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

City Council Member Boylan Gives Final Report of Critical Quality of Life Issues Committee Findings

Vision for next steps given for helping at-risk families and citizens throughout Jacksonville

During Tuesday night’s Jacksonville City Council meeting, Councilman Michael Boylan (District 6) introduced the Critical Quality of Life Issues (CQLI) Committee’s final report giving a brief overview of the issues at hand—healthcare, affordable housing, and homelessness. He also charged the City Council to move forward with some of the outlined recommendations.

“There are tens of thousands of [local] families, friends, and neighbors struggling to keep a roof over their head,” said Boylan. “Let us not forget our responsibility to them.”

Identified in the report are policies, practices, and/or funding vehicles that can help with these three issues through partnerships with local nonprofits and a variety of private sector companies including landlords, developers, and healthcare service providers.

“I want to stress…for those nonprofits laboring in these fields to continue to be proficient in their efforts,” said Boylan. “For those in the private sector…there is the social responsibility of creating business plans and practices that strive for a balance between profits and service to our neighbors.”

In his closing remarks, Council Member Boylan charged the Council to turn many of the report’s recommendations into reality as part of their responsibility to Jacksonville residents who are looking to elected leaders for assistance in overcoming these critical quality of living issues.

The CQLI report was a collaborative effort among the City Council, local and national subject matter experts, and local citizens many of whom gave firsthand accounts of the hardships they face in securing basic needs for taking care of themselves and their families.

Boylan chaired the CQLI Committee which formed in August 2022 at the behest of City Council President Terrance Freeman. Four other Council members served on the subcommittees including Council Vice President Salem (Vice Chair of the CQLI Committee), Councilman Newby (Access to Healthcare working group), Council Member Pittman (Affordable Housing working group), and Councilman Howland (Homelessness working group). The collaborative effort included nearly 30 presentations over the course of 19 meetings.

Michael Boylan was first elected in 2019 and is up for re-election to Mandarin area’s District 6 seat in March 2023. For more information visit www.VoteBoylan.com.

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October 1, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jacksonville City Council Forms Special Committee to Address Local Critical Quality of Living Issues
Healthcare, Affordable Housing, and Homelessness are Top Priorities

Jacksonville City Councilman Michael Boylan is spearheading the newly formed Critical Quality of Life Issues (CQLI) Special Committee aimed at tackling some of the pressing concerns Jacksonville residents face including access to healthcare, affordable housing, and homelessness.

We want to see the citizens of Jacksonville not just survive, but thrive, and that’s why I’m volunteering to lead and chair the CQLI Committee,” said Boylan.

Councilman Boylan, along with Council Members Newby, Pittman, Salem, and Howland, have begun meeting with public, private, and nonprofit stakeholders in Jacksonville to learn about the current efforts being used to deal with these issues locally.

Boylan and the CQLI Committee will use this local information, along with analysis of how these issues are being successfully addressed in other communities around the nation, and synthesize the data to gain a broader perspective on how to better handle these challenges facing Jacksonville residents.

Ever the innovator, Boylan and the Committee will not just analyze the information but they will also make recommendations about how Jacksonville can turn the tide on these issues through policies, practices, and funding ideas.

While I’m happy to lead this committee, and get a broader understanding of the challenges our citizens face, it’s not enough to just recognize the issues,” said Boylan. “I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and use this information to get to work and improve the lives of people and families who need help during this tough financial climate.”

The final report detailing the CQLI Committee’s findings and recommendations will be presented at the December 13, 2022 City Council meeting.

Not one to shy away from hard work, Councilman Boylan has a proven history of taking on tough assignments. Since winning election in 2019, he has chaired several committees including the Rules, Finance and Neighborhoods Committee as well as the Land Use & Zoning Committee which handles the arduous task of managing the tremendous growth Jacksonville is experiencing.

However, his most significant committee contribution was serving as the chair of the Future of JEA Committee, which took a year to re-craft Article 21 of Jacksonville’s city charter to make sure safeguards are in place that provide greater transparency and accountability of the organization after the public utility was almost privatized. His work helped ensure JEA will remain an asset of the city for many years to come.

Councilman Boylan is seeking re-election to his District 6 seat in March 2023. For more information visit VoteBoylan.com.

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