While St. Johns County Commissioner JAMES KENNETH JOHNS has filed to run for Congress, a bill already passed by the Florida State Senate may require that he resign to run. My thoughts:
1. U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton, 514 U.S. 779 (1995) held that states CANNOT enact term limits for Congress.
2. By 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court struck down term limits enacted by 23 states. Our Constitution specifies qualifications for election to Congress. States have no power to to change, add to, or diminish them.
3. There is NO discussion of federal constitutional law in our Florida legislature's cabined staff analysis of SB 186.
4. Wonder why?
5. IF SB 186 were enacted, it might be subject of federal court litigation.
6. In response to Tom Reynolds, I DO appreciate his righteous indignation about Commissioner Johns' interruptions and threats when he chaired BoCC.
7. BUT my religious tradition teaches forgiveness.
8. I DO appreciate Commissioner J.K. Johns' agreeing with me, opposing the penny sales tax increase in 2015, and for agreeing with Tom and me, supporting lobbyist registration in 2017.
9. I believe that Commissioner Johns must disclose every single one of his Solid Rock Engineering Consultants, Inc. clients in order to assure compliance with F.S. 112.313(7)(a), prohibiting FL officials' contract conflicts. We need a strong county ethics ordinance, county ethics commission, ombudsman and INDEPENDENT inspector general to help extirpate corruption.
10. I believe that our former United Nations Ambassador and Deputy National Security Advisor, UNF professor Nancy Soderberg, our Democratic candidate, will defeat ANY candidate the Republicans nominate from among a field of millionaires Trump enablers, climate change deniers and cognitive misers. There are no runoffs in Congressional primaries. Thus, it will be fun to watch wealthy, ambitious Republicans try to emulate our addlepated, adolescent President, who is a stench in the nostrils of our Nation.
From St. Augustine Record:
County Commissioner Jimmy Johns enters District 6 race
By Jake Martin
Posted at 1:32 PM
Updated at 3:51 PM
St. Johns County Commissioner Jimmy Johns announced on Wednesday he’s running for the Congressional District 6 seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, who recently entered the Florida governor’s race with the backing of President Donald Trump.
Johns’ campaign is putting an emphasis on securing the border, protecting seniors and cutting spending and the national debt. The candidate says America is at a “crossroads” and that some think the country should hold onto the “failed policies of yesterday.”
“I disagree and will fight to secure our borders, keep the promises made to our seniors and work to make sure that the promise of America will exist for the next generation,” Johns said in a written statement. “I will work with President Trump to keep taxes low, build the wall and end the needless and burdensome (sic) regulations that stifle (sic) growth and hurt (sic) our economy.”
Johns told The Record that safety at home starts at the borders. He said while much of the focus of the national debate seems to be on an influx of illegal immigrants in general, he’s more concerned about terrorists and people transporting illegal drugs.
When it comes to protecting seniors, Johns said he’s most concerned about health care costs and maintaining quality of life for a growing retiree population.
He said the country as a whole is going to need to cut expenses significantly to even make a dent in the national debt.
“In order to do that, we’re going to have to spend our money responsibly, starting at the local levels,” Johns said. “We’ve got to be able to understand what’s important to people and focus our limited resources in those areas.”
Johns’ campaign touts his experience as a small business owner. He is the founder and president of Solid Rock Engineering Consultants, Inc., a company he says he founded on his kitchen table that has grown to serve clients across the Southeast.
The immediate past chair of the county commission, Johns was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott in 2015 to fill the unexpired term of his predecessor, Cyndi Stevenson, who was elected to the Florida House of Representatives.
In 2016, he defeated challenger and fellow Republican Al Abbatiello, chair of the William Bartram Scenic & Historic Highway Management Group, to retain his District 1 seat, representing much of the fast-growing northwest corner of the county. Johns ran a big-money campaign, raising $100,000 in monetary contributions from near and far and spending more than $80,000, compared to Abbatiello who raised and spent well below $10,000.
St. Johns County Supervisor of Elections Vicky Oakes told The Record on Wednesday that Johns, who’s in the middle of his term, would not have to resign from his commission seat to run for DeSantis’ seat, at least under current law.
However, this could possibly change if Sen. Travis Hutson’s proposed resign-to-run bill, currently under consideration by the Florida Legislature, is ultimately successful.
Hutson’s bill would essentially expand Florida’s existing resign-to-run rule to require state or local officeholders running for federal office to resign immediately if the terms would overlap. Such officeholders are currently only required to give up their existing seats if they seek another state or local office, assuming any part of those terms run concurrent with each other.
Hutson has previously told The Record he’s trying to close a “loophole” with his bill.
“Any state senator, like myself, could run for a seat and I would not have to resign my seat, so I could get on the ballot with no risk,” he said. “I could lose that election and I could come right back to my seat even though the voters chose someone else over me and I would still represent those voters.”
He said he could easily imagine seeing eight officeholders running for DeSantis’ seat with “nothing to lose.”
“I don’t like that,” Hutson said. “I personally think that’s ingenuous. That would just be window shopping for another seat.”
Then there’s the disruption and costs associated when the hypothetical officeholder does indeed get elected, which he said can create costly special elections and delays with appointments, among other inconveniences.
Johns said he’s looked at the bill and talked with Hutson about it. He also said he understands there are some officials in South Florida seeking higher offices who have indicated they would take action against the bill should it move forward, although he did not indicate whether he would do the same.
“I’m keeping an eye on that, but we’ll deal with that when we have to,” he said, adding he made his decision to run based on the laws as they exist today. “Based on how things come together, at that time, we’ll make decisions as we need to.”
Senate Bill 186 passed the Senate Wednesday 27 yays to 7 nays. The House version is in queue for a second reading. The Florida Senate website indicates the bill would be effective upon becoming a law.
Setting the issue of the logistics of office-holding aside, Johns currently lives outside of the District 6 boundary.
However, Oakes said it’s not a federal requirement for members of Congress to live within their districts. She said it usually becomes more of a campaigning issue than anything else.
Johns said although he lives in the northwest corner of the county, beyond the northern reaches of the district, his family has owned a “thoroughly enjoyed” condominium in District 6 for at least the past 10 years. He said the property has always been for personal use, not rented out.
He said he’s learned from his time on the county commission that people appreciate clear communication and accessibility, which he says he’s provided.
“The decisions we make, I don’t make them lightly,” Johns said. “I ask questions before making them from a wide variety of people in order to fit as many pieces to the puzzle as possible before having to make a decision.”
By entering the District 6 race, Johns joins a slew of candidates, Republican and Democrat, vying for DeSantis’ seat.
