JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The campaign for Mayor Alvin Brown did an about-face Sunday afternoon and agreed to a debate that will be broadcast and streamed on-line at News4Jax.
The debate is currently scheduled to take place at 8 p.m. May 12 on the campus of Jacksonville University.
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Campaign Manager Isaiah Nelson sent this statement to News4Jax.
"Mayor Brown is passionate about sharing his vision for Jacksonville's future across the city. On Friday, the campaign incorrectly declined the debate invitation from WJXT and Jacksonville University. We are correcting the record now."
"The Mayor is very pleased to announce that he will participate in the WJXT/JU debate. He thanks Channel 4 and Jacksonville University for hosting and looks forward to the discussion."
On March 25 -- the day after the first election -- Curry told Kent Justice, moderator of the JU/WJXT events, that he would debate Brown anywhere at any time.
In a statement from Brian Hughes with the Lenny Currry campaign, he said "We are thrilled that Alvin Brown finally decided to show the people of Jacksonville the respect they deserve."
On Monday, Curry released a letter he wrote to Brown suggesting they appear at a series of town hall meetings, one in each of Jacksonville's 14 City Council districts.
"I hope you will accept this idea in the spirit it is intended; a chance to demonstrate how seriously we take the future of this city and the hands-on role we want people of Jacksonville to play in charting that course," Curry wrote.
Late Monday, Nelson, released a statement calling Curry's proposal "a campaign stunt."
""Mayor Brown is running a positive campaign about Jacksonville's future, and he will be sharing his vision with voters across Jacksonville for the next six weeks as well as in the two debates before the May election," Nelson said.