Welcome to “The Horse’s Mouth” with Tom McManus, live from Lynch’s Irish Pub. Sponsored by All Dry Services of SE Jacksonville, The Horse’s Mouth is a unique talk show where Tom’s guests sidle up to his bar to discuss the intersection of sports, business, and life. On today’s show, Tom talks with Steve Strum, April Ethridge, Coach Mark Duffner and Todd Marshall
Speaker 1
From studio three, at Buzz TV. It’s The Horse’s Mouth with Tom McManus!
Speaker 2
All right, time once again for the Horse’s Mouth here at Lynch’s Irish Pub in Jacksonville Beach. It’s always a great time here. Brought my good friends at All Dry Services of Southeast Jacksonville. Todd Marshalls here from All Dry, Coach Toughness here. My man I always love him on the show, Steve Strom is here for the Daily News Network and April Averages here.
Speaker 2
She’s a candidate for city council. Guess right. This whole show’s SUV centered around April. How are you doing, April?
Speaker 1
I’m doing great. I’m ready for it.
Speaker 2
Hey, y’all.
Speaker 1
Thank you so much for joining me.
Speaker 2
Always a pleasure, sir. Driver. Pleasure. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Okay. You running for city council? What got you involved? How did you get started?
Speaker 1
So I am a Jacksonville native. I boy raised here, live here almost all my life. Except for when I was in the army. I went away, came back, raised my family and just the direction of Jacksonville, how I was going. I got tired of complaining about it and decided I was going to do something about it.
Speaker 2
Thank you for your service. First and foremost, think what? What’s your stance like? What do you want to see? What would be your plight if you would to change or help Jacksonville.
Speaker 1
So safer stronger smarter I think that we need to be safer. Jacksonville. We feel safe walking to our cars. We need to feel safe with our kids. Where they’re going. I think we need to give, our JSO, our first responders, the resources and the training that they need to be able to be proactive and preventative. I think that we need to bring back community to Jacksonville.
Speaker 1
We are such a great town and so spread out and we need to keep that uniqueness. But we also need to feel like a family. And then we need to be smarter. We need to think about infrastructure. We need to think about growth. We need to think about supporting our small businesses.
Speaker 2
I love the law and order of fact because I don’t care what party that should be, everybody should be. We got to have law and order. I mean, just simple common sense, law and order. You know what I mean? And then our world would be much better place. So here’s my issue with politics, if I may, since it’s an open forum here on the show, is two political, is two party driven.
Speaker 2
I had lunch with the congressman years ago, and he told me a friend of his who was a Democrat signed a bill, and he’s like, I knew he didn’t believe him, but I told him he’s like, I get fired if I don’t sign it. And you’re like, that’s that. Like, is that politics? That shouldn’t be. It is what it shouldn’t be.
Speaker 2
So why can’t we just come together? Whatever part, you know, like, I don’t know, it seems hard. I think like if you represent a party, you have to represent the party the whole way. Even if you don’t believe in everything, the party represents, it’s hard. It’s really hard. I think if I’m way off. Just saying I’m not.
Speaker 1
No, I don’t disagree. I think that, policies have gotten too political. I don’t think of myself as a politician. I’m a public servant. I’m called to serve. And I think that we need to put what’s best for Jacksonville and the people of Jacksonville first. You know, God, country, family is what I think our our values need to be for our city.
Speaker 2
Yeah. Starting with God. Yeah. We got to start with God absolutely everywhere in my opinion. So you must be a JAG fan. You’re a native.
Speaker 1
I mean, come on.
Speaker 2
I have what? It’s your, your, affiliation. Florida, Florida State and anywhere around there. What were you talking?
Speaker 1
So I graduated with my master’s from Franklin University, so I don’t have that.
Speaker 2
So it’s a Tennessee.
Speaker 1
That is Ohio. Ohio? Yeah.
Speaker 2
You can say. You could say Buckeyes. It’s fine. Go. But I’ll go I think I’ll okay. Keep saying go back to the conversation we got. We got half the team on Ohio over here. Now you’re darn right you can do we do I was I grew up and I grew up in Cleveland area. So yes it’s an always Cincinnati, Ohio where it’s oh hey Tommy is our our rule.
Speaker 2
We’re here. I go so, hey, for what’s the process for you? You’re in it three months. What what happens for a year moving forward?
Speaker 1
Great question. So I’m new to this. I’m learning kind of as I go, I, I have the education experience to do the job. Being a candidate is completely different. Animal. So I am getting signatures. I want to qualify for the ballot by petition. I only need 8000. And so I am doorknocking shaking hands. And that is what I’m doing.
Speaker 1
Get out there getting name recognition because I never thought I would be here. I have no political capital. I am.
Speaker 2
That’s the best, I think.
Speaker 1
Yeah, it is, it is. Yeah. I think so.
Speaker 2
I think that’s you’re not a you’re not a career. Right. It’s you want to do something good for your.
Speaker 1
I wanted to serve Jacksonville and only Jacksonville Duval County. So yeah I’m not a career politician.
Speaker 2
Listen we’re we love everybody. So long as you’re not breaking the law and hurting yourself. Hurting others. I know the military background is going to help you. I got I got a little training on getting along. Yeah, a little training on how to fight because you’re going to have other people on that council that, you know, may not see eye to eye.
Speaker 1
You know, I.
Speaker 2
Think that’s the hardest part.
Speaker 1
Right? Yeah. No. What. So I think raising kids and running a business in Jacksonville kind of gave me the patience and the perseverance, the kind of perseverance.
Speaker 2
The city. Absolutely. Well, we wish I could go real quick is as tough as things are. I’m highly impressed that you want to get in the in the fray. If you want to try and serve. I mean, thank you that God bless your heart is no, no, I’ll say a prayer for you. Okay?
Speaker 1
Yeah. Please do.
Speaker 2
Yes. Tremendous.
Speaker 1
Thank you. I appreciate we.
Speaker 2
Need more people like you, that’s for.
Speaker 1
Sure. I think it was. Spread the word. Yeah, right. Please.
Speaker 2
Well, thanks for spending time on this show to talk about it. Okay. How are you feeling about the Jags? That’s a really important question. Are you. Well two and one. Why did you think we’re going to be two. And what.
Speaker 1
About you.
Speaker 2
Tom has always been to join us. Yeah it’s always been the Jags. So he’s been a it’s always been the Jags and San Francisco. Be easy. Just roll right over him. Well Bose is out. So we got to still be a tough one. But thank you get it done. Yeah April thanks so much for being here.
Speaker 1
Yeah thanks for having me.
Speaker 2
Best of.
Speaker 1
Luck. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2
Yeah I feel like you got a nice centered aura and you’re just there to help people.
Speaker 1
I am, thank you. And thank you.
Speaker 2
Thanks so much for being here. Thank you. All right. That’ll do it for us this time around, man. Check out April’s, her profile, everybody else’s profile. This conversation, I don’t know, millions. If all this is we’ve been at this from, like, eight years, it’s the best. It’s the best show, and I love doing it. Till next time, stay safe and be cool out there.
Speaker 2
We’ll see right here on the horse’s mouth. Chief.
Speaker 3
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Speaker 3
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