Katie Ross, community planner at JCCI was granted the opportunity last Thursday to interview retired U.S. Senator Bob Graham on behalf of the League of Women Voters. The interview focused on his new fiction novel, Keys to the Kingdom. Graham was one of the Senate's most respected authorities on national security, but he continues to give national commentary on intelligence issues. He was a two-term Governor of Florida, Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, a presidential candidate, and he is able to boast 18 years of service in the United States Senate.
Sen. Graham used his extensive background as an inspiration for the story. His book tells the fictional tale of retired U.S. Senator John Billington, a co-chair of the 9/11 Congressional Inquiry Commission who ignites protests when he implies in The New York Times that “The Kingdom” — Saudi Arabia – was behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Billington is murdered. And the story continues as Billington’s daughter and Tony Ramos, an ex-Special Forces operative, team up to solve his murder and in the process discover hidden agendas that threaten the security of America and the rest of the world.
His concern for security and the condition of our country and particularly for the state of conditions in the state of Florida was evident. Sen. Graham is a native of South Florida. He said that the biggest issues facing the state are the consequences of our failure to diversify our economy.
According to Graham, Florida failed to participate in the industrial revolution and continues to have an economic structure that hasn’t changed in the past 200 years. Florida needs to be able to attract high technology business as a way to create more high-paying jobs so that Floridians can have a better quality of life for their families.
The final issue facing Florida, according to Sen. Graham, is education. According to him, education is what will determine whether Florida has the opportunity to change its economic profile. A change that can’t be done by cutting funding to lower level schools in order to support solely higher education.
Sen. Graham’s concerns were in line with the results of Leadership Florida’s Sunshine State survey that concluded that the two main issues concerning Floridians are the economy, education, and lack of trust in government officials.
A lack of public trust is a national trend, according to Sen. Graham, but the lack of faith is particularly strong in Florida.
JCCI indicators show that only 24% of citizens in Jacksonville, FL feel they have a great or moderate level of influence on local government and 32% of Jacksonville citizens feel that the elected leadership is good or excellent.
According to a 2008 survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, Florida is the number one state in the country for state and local officials convicted of some crime relative to the use of their office.
Sen. Graham’s concerns were in line with the results of Leadership Florida’s Sunshine State survey that concluded that the two main issues concerning Floridians are the economy, education, and lack of trust in government officials.
A lack of public trust is a national trend, according to Sen. Graham, but the lack of faith is particularly strong in Florida.
JCCI indicators show that only 24% of citizens in Jacksonville, FL feel they have a great or moderate level of influence on local government and 32% of Jacksonville citizens feel that the elected leadership is good or excellent.
According to a 2008 survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, Florida is the number one state in the country for state and local officials convicted of some crime relative to the use of their office.
So it’s no wonder that public trust of elected officials is a large concern in the Sunshine State.
So are we getting better as a society in the United States?
According to Sen. Graham, six months ago Florida was the role model for the nation on how to organize to enhance environmental resources. Twenty million acres were purchased in order to protect resources such as the St. Johns River from pollution. There was a system of regional responsibility for managing water consumption. We were “adding to the treasury of land held for the public interest,” Graham said.
But now the plans have “zeroed” out.
“I think we’re going to pay a heavy price if we continue this policy very long,” Graham said. “And I hate say negative things about the state but you have to be honest. But if you’ve got a stage tuberculosis, you do the following things you can to suppress it. The state needs to take on an aggressive role to get people more involved."
According to a civic involvement survey conducted by the National Conference on Citizenship, Florida ranks 46 out of the 50 states for civic participation.
So are we getting better as a society in the United States?
According to Sen. Graham, six months ago Florida was the role model for the nation on how to organize to enhance environmental resources. Twenty million acres were purchased in order to protect resources such as the St. Johns River from pollution. There was a system of regional responsibility for managing water consumption. We were “adding to the treasury of land held for the public interest,” Graham said.
But now the plans have “zeroed” out.
“I think we’re going to pay a heavy price if we continue this policy very long,” Graham said. “And I hate say negative things about the state but you have to be honest. But if you’ve got a stage tuberculosis, you do the following things you can to suppress it. The state needs to take on an aggressive role to get people more involved."
According to a civic involvement survey conducted by the National Conference on Citizenship, Florida ranks 46 out of the 50 states for civic participation.
Sen. Graham offered the following advice for a person interested in a career in public service:
- Get a good education – It doesn’t matter what you study, but it’s important to gain knowledge in some of the key building blocks that make a good civic participant: economics, communication, history, and ethics.
- Have an alternative to public service – Be able to work a job where you can be successful and financially support yourself. An individual should not be in public service to satisfy their need for money and self-validation.
Sen. Graham retired in 2005, but he continues to serve his community. He established a center at the University of Florida to stimulate an interest in active civic participation from college students. Graham thinks it is important for people to play a role in their communities particularly young people, women, and minorities.
Graham continues to serve on commissions, and when he is not writing or inspiring our future young leaders, he is playing with his 11 grandchildren.
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