Mullaney: I don't know where I'm gonna find podiums small enough for the 2027 mayoral debates

Jacksonville, FL — The Duval Tribune received a letter from Jacksonville University public policy institute director Rick Mullaney expressing his concerns about the 2027 Jacksonville mayoral race:

"Occasionally, in my job we face unexpected challenges, normally we face challenges surrounding candidate scheduling, but next year is shaping up to pose unprecedented logistical challenges. We have at least 6 candidates—filed, exploring, and likely—who will require specialized debate stage accommodations. We explored the possibility of stacking milk creates behind normal podiums for them, but Deegan wears heels and they'd slip through the holes. Last cycle, her husband just stood behind the podium and held her on his shoulders, but even if they do that again, Duggan, Salem, Holland, Armstrong, and Diamond don't have husbands to hold them up. We experimented with just cutting the podiums in half, but it screws up the balance and they just tip over; the only option we have remaining is to find smaller podiums.

I don't even know where the hell to begin looking for podiums that small, do they make podiums for kids or something? There's really no market for this, we'll figure it out, we always do, but come on."