PerspectivesA.G. Gancarski Jacksonville Today Contributor
A.G. Gancarski's work can be seen in the Washington Post, the New York Post, Florida Politics, the Washington Times, and National Review, among other publications. He writes about the intersection of state and local politics and policy.
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February 2, 2023

OPINION | LeAnna Cumber’s political peril

With the political establishment lining up with Daniel Davis, the ultimate insider, LeAnna Cumber is vulnerable.…

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Daniel Davis speaks at the opening of the Beyond Van Gogh exhibit in Downtown Jacksonville in September of 2022. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
January 29, 2023

OPINION | Is Daniel Davis opening Pandora’s Box?

Republican Daniel Davis issued the most audacious proposal of the campaign mayor campaign: pension reform.…

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Sheriff T.K. Waters, a Republican, has retained his job unchallenged in the 2023 election. Dan Scanlan | WJCT News
January 16, 2023

OPINION | A tale of two parties

It looks from the outside like Urban Meyer is coaching the Duval Dems and Doug Pederson the GOP, but it’s…

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Photo: WJCT News
January 2, 2023

OPINION | The 2023 mayoral race is getting real

It is now 2023, and city elections are all but upon us. If you’re in the mayoral race, you’d better…

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Kent Stermon was a member of the Board of Governors. | State University System Of Florida
December 18, 2022

OPINION | ‘Citizen of the year’: Notes on Kent Stermon

Warning: This essay addresses the topic of suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis, dial 988 for…

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Duval Schools Superintendent Diana Greene presents proposed changes during an October 18th, 2022, School Board workshop. | Jax Today
December 4, 2022

OPINION | The education of Diana Greene

Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Diana Greene is nearing half a decade in her position, a remarkable feat. Greene, who…

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Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, center, and Jax Chamber of Commerce CEO Daniel Davis, left, rub shoulders in 2018. | WJCT News
November 20, 2022

OPINION | The ‘resign to run’ trap

I’ve written about politics in this town for many years and expressed my share of frustrations, including with candidates running…

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The new map Council passed on Friday | City of Jacksonville
November 6, 2022

OPINION | What redistricting reveals about the Jacksonville City Council

Anyone from a dysfunctional family would have felt at home during Friday’s redistricting schmozz on the Jacksonville City Council.  Proving…

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Duval County sheriff candidates T.K. Waters, right, and Lakesha Burton, left, participated last month in a debate hosted by Jacksonville Today. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
October 23, 2022

OPINION | Molly against the machine

Dozens of endorsements are flying, and most of them are of the “Well, it would be news if they didn’t…

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Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist speaks on Sept. 12, 2022, in Miami.(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
October 9, 2022

OPINION | Will Crist’s empty bus hurt in North Florida?

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist brought his “Together Florida Tour” to Northeast Florida last week. Sort of. The Crist campaign…

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In this file photo, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry presents his proposed budget for 2021-2022 to the Jacksonville City Council. | WJCT News
September 25, 2022

OPINION | Auditing Lenny Curry’s budget legacy

If Jacksonville hadn’t faced budget crunches for years coming out of the 2008 crash, Mayor Lenny Curry might never have…

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Photo: WJCT News
September 11, 2022

OPINION | Crowded field could mean chaos for Jax mayoral race

The public phase of the mayoral campaign of Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce CEO Daniel Davis, who didn’t quit his day…

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April Carney, right, was among three local candidates who won primaries in Jacksonville after landing Gov. Ron DeSantis' endorsement. | Raymon Troncoso, WJCT News
August 28, 2022

OPINION | What we learned from the August elections

The 2022 primaries taught us a lot about how surprises are possible in local politics, even if some things stay…

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All five Jacksonville sheriff's candidates attended a July 20th forum. | Claire Heddles, Jacksonville Today
August 14, 2022

OPINION | Expect status quo for JSO after ‘22 election

Is reform coming to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office during the post-Mike Williams era? Based on what we’ve seen thus far…

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Photo: AP
July 31, 2022

OPINION | August is the cruelest month

T.S. Eliot famously posited that “April is the cruelest month.” This tells us that he didn’t follow primary politics in…

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis | AP
July 17, 2022

OPINION | DeSantis shares blame for Aguilar fiasco

Former Florida Times-Union journalist Matt Dixon, now of POLITICO Florida, had a “scoop” the other day that illustrated tragedies throughout…

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Donna Deegan announced her candidacy for Jacksonville mayor last year on WJCT News 89.9's First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross. | Heather Schatz
July 10, 2022

OPINION | Have Democrats lost the Jax mayoral race already?

For the first time in many years, two serious Democratic candidates are running for Jacksonville mayor. And for backers of…

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Photo: Claire Heddles, Jacksonville Today
June 26, 2022

OPINION | ‘Discipline and punish’: the Duval way

To the best of my knowledge, French philosopher Michel Foucault never made it to Duval County. And he likely never…

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Gov. Ron DeSantis | AP
June 12, 2022

OPINION | Will DeSantis get his Duval revenge?

In the final analysis, Gov. Ron DeSantis may be the big winner of the Jacksonville sheriff’s race in 2023. Consider…

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Charlie Crist announced his candidacy for governor on May 4, 2021. | AP
June 5, 2022

OPINION | Have Democrats already lost the governor’s race?

Democrats are in a bad position vis-a-vis Ron DeSantis, and it seems to have them hamstrung as time starts to…

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A.G. Gancarski (center-right) walks behind Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams in this photo from 2020 | WJCT News
June 1, 2022

OPINION | Where the sheriff lives matters

One of my least favorite fictions about our region is that Jacksonville and the rest of Northeast Florida are the…

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May 22, 2022

OPINION | Corrine Brown’s pyrrhic victory

Months back, I pleaded to the federal government in this column space to stop prosecuting Corrine Brown. Last week, they…

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Cord Byrd has served three terms in the Florida House | News Service of Florida
May 15, 2022

OPINION | Byrd’s the word

The great unanswered question of the 2022 election cycle for Northeast Florida Republicans was what Cord Byrd would end up…

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Rents are rising faster in Jacksonville than most places in the U.S. | AP
May 8, 2022

OPINION | ‘Ain’t nothin’ goin’ on but the rent’

Not too many years ago, it was possible to eke out a living on the fringes of society and maintain…