Jax library board nominee Elizabeth Andersen voted down

The Jacksonville City Council has denied a former Duval County School Board Chair and current CEO of the nonprofit OneJax a seat on the Library Board of Trustees. 

Thirteen council members voted against Elizabeth Andersen’s nomination to the 12-member library board Tuesday following weeks of what her supporters and Mayor Donna Deegan, a Democrat, considered political attacks on her school board record.

Several opponents to Andersen’s nomination pointed to comments in she reportedly made in 2022 regarding Moms for Liberty.

In the days leading to the council vote, Andersen received a swell of public support, including a bit of bipartisan backing from city lawmakers, as the success of the former Duval school board member’s nomination was in doubt.

Andersen told Jacksonville Today last week that council members were getting outside political pressure to not support her nomination.

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“I think what’s difficult is that I think the majority of the community may not understand the political structure and the pressure that members have to fall in line with expectations of their party,” Andersen said. 

“It’s about doing what they’re told and not serving the interest of the community,” she said.

In a nearly party-line vote, Democratic members Tyrona Clark-Murray, Reggie Gaffney Jr., Rahman Johnson and Jimmy Peluso, and Republican Matt Carlucci cast their vote in favor of Andersen’s nomination.

Carlucci praised Andersen’s work to help secure a voter referendum in 2020 to institute a half-cent sales tax in Duval County to improve existing and build new school facilities.

Peluso called her a community asset.

“We found ourselves in a place that I really didn’t think we were capable of getting into, where we are getting so emotional and angry about somebody trying to serve one of our volunteer boards,” Peluso said. “This is such an uncontroversial thing that we have turned into circus.”

Republicans on council overwhelmingly opposed her, including President Randy White, Vice President Kevin Carrico, Ken Amaro, Raul Arias, Joe Carlucci, Rory Diamond, Terrance Freeman, Nick Howland, Mike Gay, Will Lahnen, Chris Miller and Ron Salem. They were joined in opposition by Democrat Ju’Coby Pittman.

After the votes were cast, chants of “shame!” were shouted from the public gathered in council chambers.

Some council Republicans said Andersen’s nomination is an example of what they characterize as yet another politically divisive nomination from the mayor’s office. 

Deegan’s picks of former Republican council members early in her administration to lead two key offices – Al Ferraro, a former mayoral candidate, for the Neighborhoods Department and Randy DeFoor to be the city’s general counsel – were met with swift pushback from several GOP members on council. They ultimately withdrew their nominations.   

Who is Elizabeth Andersen?

Andersen, a Jacksonville native and former teacher who has a master’s degree in mental health counseling from the University of North Florida, has been involved in public service locally for years. She’s been the chief executive of the nonprofit interfaith community group OneJax since February 2024 and sat on the Duval School Board from 2018 to 2022.

Most of the public controversy surrounding Andersen’s nomination stemmed from comments made during a candidate forum for her 2022 school board reelection campaign, which she lost to April Carney. 

Andersen reportedly accused the far-right education advocacy group Moms for Liberty of engaging in tokenism by referring to outreach director Tia Bess as a “token person.” Andersen apologized to Bess, who is Black, during her committee hearing last week when Johnson gave her the opportunity.

Current DCPS Board member Reginald Blount spoke after the vote during the meeting’s public comment against Andersen, as did Bess, who also confirmed she and Andersen spoke one-one-one after last week’s committee vote.

“Minorities in leadership are not DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) hires because of our identity. When you refer to us as ‘tokens,’ it strips away our contributions that are so needed in our community,” Bess said.

In a news release after the vote, the Duval Democratic Party accused council members of siding with a smear campaign against Andersen led by the Duval GOP and Moms for Liberty.

“At a time when Jacksonville needs steady, inclusive leadership, too many members of the City Council sent a chilling message to public servants across this city: if you lead with compassion, if you advocate for inclusion, you will be targeted, maligned, and slandered”, Jacksonville Young Democrats President Millie Leeds said in the news release.

Andersen would have replaced board member Mario J. Payne to serve a term through Sept. 30, 2028. A Deegan administration official told Jacksonville Today in an email before the vote that the mayor’s office will not rush the decision of who Deegan will nominate next to sit on the library board. 

“Regardless of how tonight’s vote turns out, we are grateful for Elizabeth’s willingness to serve on this volunteer board and her commitment to civil discourse that unites our community,” spokesman Phil Perry said. “Mayor Deegan will continue to keep her campaign promise to diversify and activate Jacksonville’s boards by nominating qualified leaders who bring a passion for service.”

Deegan earlier this month posted a video to the social media platform Threads criticizing online attacks against Andersen’s character and a growing breakdown in “civil discourse” in Jacksonville city politics.

Ellen Glasser, former Atlantic Beach mayor, also appeared Tuesday and thanked the members who had voted yes on Andersen.

Glasser said, “I know Elizabeth Andersen. I worked with her for many years when she was on the school board. We also did good work together. This woman is not a racist.”