Daily Record FINANCIAL NEWS &
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2016
Vol. 103, No. 221 • Two SecTioNS
35¢ www.jaxdailyrecord.com
The political success of ‘the boys’
Baker and Hughes firmly entrenched in area politics The boys. That’s what Tim Baker and Brian Hughes said they were called in their early days as political consultants for Lenny Curry’s mayoral campaign. Hughes said the inference behind the nickname was he and Baker were in town to help get the first-time candidate elected, then would shift their focus back to Tallahassee. Then, Hughes said, “The old guard Jacksonville people will be back where they need to be.” But that was not the case. Nor, was it ever intended to be, they said. “From the start of that race to
today, the two of us and Lenny have become this sort of political entity,” Hughes said. Their efforts in helping Curry defeat Mayor Alvin Brown last year signaled a changing of the guard for high-profile political consultants in the area. Baker’s meticulous polling and Hughes’ disciplined communications were in high demand for Northeast Florida candidates in last month’s primary. The boys won at every level. In Congress with John Rutherford. Countywide with Curry’s pension reform plan. In the Legislature with Jason Fischer. And in the 4th Judicial Circuit
with Melissa Nelson. Baker and Hughes ended the primary with nearly a clean sweep. They also ended the night with a firm grasp on politics in Northeast Florida and how to win here.
Their differences work
Clients and peers say Baker and Hughes have different skill sets and personalities that complement one another. Baker is passionate about his polling and confident in his knowledge of the electorate. “He is so precise,” said Susie Wiles, a veteran political consultant who has worked with both CONSULTANTS
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Photo by Fran Ruchalski
By Marilyn Young, Editor
Mayor Lenny Curry is flanked by political consultants Tim Baker and Brian Hughes the night the pension reform referendum passed.
Leading from the front Cook has overcome doubters to rise through JSO ranks By David Chapman, Staff Writer
‘I never wanted to make waves’
Cook went to what was then Florida Community College at Jacksonville and the University of North Florida in the late 1980s to become a teacher. She took a criminal justice course as an elective because it fit her schedule. One of the requirements was a police ride-along that ended up changing her COOK
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Michelle Cook is the director of patrol and enforcement for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. She’s just the second woman to head the area, but her experience and demeanor make her a great fit, supporters say.
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Photo by David Chapman
Michelle Cook was 5-foot-5-inches and about 100 pounds when she signed up to be a police officer back in 1990. Some had their doubts it was the right decision. Almost 30 years later, she’s still the same height. She doesn’t weigh much more. But she’s proved doubters wrong with attributes that don’t show up on charts. Cook, 47, has worked her way through the ranks at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the latest being named head of the Department of Patrol and Enforcement. She’s the second woman to lead the group of men and women who guard Jacksonville’s streets. “She will do fantastic,” said Carol Hladki, the first woman to run the department for a year before retiring after 30 years last year. Determination. Passion. Eagerness. Work ethic. Hladki says Cook has those attributes and more. There were some who thought she was making a mistake signing up for the job. Some of her peers in the department weren’t as eager to work with a female in what traditionally was a maledominated line of work. Cook hasn’t let any of it get to her. She just proves the doubters wrong — just as she always has.
EverBank sought out TIAA for buyout Before TIAA agreed to buy Jacksonvillebased EverBank Financial Corp. for $2.5 billion, EverBank initiated negotiations by seeking out TIAA and several other potential acquirers. According to a preliminary proxy statement filed by EverBank, the company and its investment banker, UBS, contacted TIAA and six other parties in April to gauge their interest. TIAA came back in May and said it was interested and the talks moved forward. An agreement was eventually reached in August. The process of selling EverBank actually began in December 2015 during a board of directors meeting, with UBS in attendance, to discuss the company’s business plan. Several strategic alternatives were discussed including a sale of individual business lines “which other parties had previously indicated a potential interest in acquiring,” the proxy said. As the board considered deals to sell certain business lines, it also was approached by an unnamed “banking organization” about a possible merger of the companies. In light of that bank’s interest, “challenges associated with the sale of certain company businesses” and other market factors, the board in April decided to investigate a possible merger of the entire company. TIAA in early June indicated it was
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