Voicing their issues and concerns with those who make the laws, about 800 of Jacksonville's senior citizens went to Metropolitan Park downtown Monday for a luncheon with Mayor Alvin Brown.

The event was to celebrate the first year for Brown's Excellent Senior Team, or BEST.

Different people had various issues they wanted to address. For Emma Warren, one of them was public transportation.

"In our area, the Mandarin area, we have two buses, and there are a lot of people who come, and sometimes it's not sufficient," Warren said.

She said the buses take too long to get there and take too long to get her where she wants to go.

"It's ridiculous. We're seniors, we're old, we can't ride that long," Warren said.

For others, prescription programs and health care in general need to be fixed.

"Give us some more money so we can have our medicine when we need it," Lenna Nickerson said.

Many seniors at the luncheon were concerned about their utility bills. They've been in their homes for years and don't understand why they're paying more for electricity and water.

The city has had to slash its budget this year amid a poor economy. Some workers involved in senior programs were laid off, but the mayor is still optimistic.

"Seniors are fine," Brown said. "I mean, we did well, they did well. We still have a lot of activities. We haven't cut any activities out. We had a senior summit several weeks ago and brought them in to talk about the issues they care about."

Overall, seniors were satisfied and happy to interact with Jacksonville's top leader.

"I just think it's so important for us to not just talk about our seniors, but to really engage them and support them and the things they like to do," Brown said.

In January, there will be a free lunch for seniors, where they can voice their issues and concerns with members of the Duval Delegation for the Elderly. Reservations with the city are required.