Lenny Curry

Last updated
Molly Lefeber
​
(m. 2005)​
Lenny Curry
Lenny Curry portrait.jpg
8th Mayor of Consolidated Jacksonville
In office
July 1, 2015 –July 1, 2023
Children3
Education University of Florida (BS)

Leonard Boyd Curry (born July 19, 1970) is an American politician, accountant, and businessman who served as the 8th mayor of Jacksonville, Florida from 2015 to 2023 after defeating then-incumbent Alvin Brown in the city's 2015 mayoral election. He was re-elected in 2019. A Republican, Curry formerly served as chairman of the Republican Party of Florida and co-founded the professional services firm ICX Group.

Contents

Early life and education

Curry was born in Key West to parents Linda and Roy Curry. [1] [2] He later grew up in Middleburg, Florida and graduated from Middleburg High School. Curry began his higher education at St. Johns River Community College, then transferred to the University of Florida and graduated summa cum laude with a degree in accounting. [3]

Career

From 1994 to 2002, he practiced as a certified public accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers. In 2002, he co‐founded a Jacksonville-based professional services firm, ICX Group Inc., providing finance and accounting consulting, executive recruiting, and staffing services.

On June 3, 2014, Curry filed to run in the Jacksonville mayoral election in 2015. He said he decided to enter the race because beginning in late 2012 and early 2013, he began hearing about leadership troubles under incumbent Democratic mayor Alvin Brown. [4]

In the blanket primary election on March 24, 2015, Curry received 38.40% of votes while Mayor Brown received 42.64% of the votes out of a field of other candidates, thus necessitating a runoff election between them as the top two vote receivers. [5] Curry defeated Brown in the runoff election on May 19, 2015 with 51.31% of the vote to Brown's 48.69%. [6]

On March 19, 2019, Curry was re-elected to a second term as mayor of Jacksonville in the 2019 election. His major competitor was Anna Brosche, who earned 24% of the vote, while Curry got 58%. He won a majority of the votes in the blanket primary, and was therefore re-elected without a runoff election.

Curry had co-chaired the Jacksonville host committee for the 2020 Republican National Convention, which was, for a period, planned to be held in Jacksonville. [7] [8]

Mayor of Jacksonville

Vice President Mike Pence meeting with Florida Governor Rick Scott and Curry in March 2017 Mike Pence and Rick Scott.jpg
Vice President Mike Pence meeting with Florida Governor Rick Scott and Curry in March 2017

COVID-19 pandemic

Jacksonville/Duval County detected its first case of Covid-19 on March 12, 2020. [9] On June 22, Curry stated that he would not implement a mask mandate in the city of Jacksonville, [10] however, one week later on June 29, 2020 he did implement a mandate. [11] The city's mask mandate was in place for nearly a year until it was lifted by Curry on March 26, 2021. [12] Curry also implemented a work from home order on March 23, 2020. [13] The work from home order was lifted only a few months later on May 12, 2020. [14] In a poll conducted in 2020, Curry was given a 70% approval rating by Florida voters for his handling of the pandemic response. [15] In 2021, again amid rising case numbers, Curry refused to implement a mask mandate and instead encouraged residents to get the new Covid-19 vaccine to control the spread. [16] Curry himself tested positive for Covid-19 on January 4, 2022, despite being vaccinated. [17]

Public safety

Part of Curry's campaign platform included improving the state of public safety in Jacksonville. [18] Because Duval County and Jacksonville are an integrated city-county government, police duties are carried out by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. This had limited Curry's ability to influence policy as the sheriff is directly elected rather than appointed by the mayor. Curry had claimed to have worked closely with Sheriff Mike Williams throughout his tenure. [19] In 2021 controversy arose about the residency status of Williams and Curry refused to comment on the matter. [19] After Williams decided to retire in the face of the controversy, Curry and his wife endorsed two different candidates for sheriff during the 2022 election cycle. [20]  In 2018, three years into Curry's first term, violent crimes were still on the rise in Jacksonville. [21] In 2019, responding to the rising crime rates, Curry implemented a new bystander intervention program called Cure Violence. The program was also supported by one of Curry's opponents in the mayoral election primary that year, though they had concerns over how it would be funded. [22] In 2020, Curry's budget proposal to the city council suggested adding $6.1 million to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office budget, which was met with backlash from activists in the community. [23] In 2022, Curry was criticized for rising homicide rates in the city despite blaming his predecessor for such high rates during his 2015 campaign. [24]

Working with city council

The city of Jacksonville’s mayor has strong powers, but Jacksonville is a special case where Curry had fewer powers than other strong mayors. [25] While the task of choosing officials such as the police sheriff is left to the people, Curry was able to endorse candidates in attempt to swing the votes of Jacksonville’s population. [26] [27] [28]   Curry was able to appoint people to other positions, such as in 2015, when he appointed new officials to Jacksonville’s Fire and Rescue department. [29] Another example of Curry exercising his powers is his 2019 proposal that JEA (Jacksonville Electric Authority) [30] should be bought and owned by the city of Jacksonville. [25] Both of these proposals had to be reviewed and approved by the City Council. [25] [29]

Environment

As mayor, Curry had focused on environmental issues in Jacksonville. In 2019 residents improperly managing their recyclables cost the city more than $530,000. [31] As a response to this, Curry went throughout the city educating residents on how to separate and manage their recyclables. [31] However, recyclables curbside pick-up was suspended in October 2021 due to the continuous problems in the system and lack of sufficient waste management workers. [32] As a result there was a decrease of more than 80% of recyclables in Jacksonville and heavy backlash from Jacksonville citizens. [33] Curbside recycling pick-up was brought back on April 4, 2022. In addition, Curry continued to work in educating citizens on recycling through a public education campaign. [32]

Jacksonville was the last major Florida city without a Chief Resiliency Officer (CRO). The CRO focuses on preparing and equipping the city for the consequences of climate change. [34] After including it in his 2020/2021 budget proposal, the city council approved and established the position. Curry put forward his candidate Anne Coglianse and after approval by the city council, she began her position in July 2021. [35]

In July 2022, Curry proposed a $1.5 billion budget for the 2022/2023 fiscal year. [36] $10 million is allocated for preparing and fighting against the effects of climate change through resiliency projects focused on the coast, rising water levels, and flooding. [37] An additional $108 million is to be allocated for repairing and improving parks. [37] The budget also focused on creating river walk/park areas which would create public spaces for walking, biking and other recreational activities. [37] The budget was approved by the city council in September 2022. [38]

Personal life

Curry married his wife, Molly, in 2005. [4] They have three children: Brooke, Boyd, and Bridgett Curry. As a family they live in San Marco, a neighborhood in Jacksonville's Urban Core. Curry is active in many organizations outside of the mayor’s office, including the Rotary Club of South Jacksonville, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Southside Methodist Church, and the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. [39]

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References

  1. ↑ Cassidy, Austin (August 30, 2010). "Meet Lenny Curry: The Republican Party's Quarterback for 2010". Jacksonville Observer. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  2. ↑ https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/leonard-curry-obituary?id=51983336
  3. ↑ Monroe, Nate (March 5, 2015). "Curry transformed from minor player in GOP politics to formidable Brown challenger". Florida Times-Union. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Marilyn Young (June 3, 2014). "The story behind Lenny Curry's decision to run for Jacksonville mayor". Financial News & Daily Record. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Summary Results - Election Night Reporting". enr.electionsfl.org. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  6. ↑ "Summary Results - Election Night Reporting". enr.electionsfl.org. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  7. ↑ Gibbons, Timothy (19 June 2020). "32 state, local leaders named to Jacksonville Republican convention host committee". www.bizjournals.com. Jacksonville Business Journal. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  8. ↑ "Meet the Jacksonville Host Committee for the Republican National Convention". WJXT. 18 June 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  9. ↑ Bloch, Emily. "Coronavirus: Duval, Clay each get first case, 14 more confirmed statewide". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  10. ↑ Travis Gibson, Jim Piggott (2020-06-22). "Mayor Curry says he won't mandate face masks in Jacksonville". WJXT. Associated Press. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  11. ↑ Hong, Christopher. "Jacksonville mandates wearing of masks". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  12. ↑ Freeman, Clayton. "Mayor Lenny Curry to end Jacksonville's COVID-19 mask requirement". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  13. ↑ Gibson, Jim Piggott, Travis (2020-03-23). "Mayor: No curfew, but employees able to work from home must do so starting Tuesday". WJXT. Retrieved 2022-12-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ↑ Hong, Christopher. "Coronavirus: Jacksonville's work-from-home mandate to expire next week". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  15. ↑ "UNF Poll: Curry Gets 70% Approval For COVID-19 Work; DeSantis, Trump Trail Significantly". WJCT News. 2020-04-06. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  16. ↑ "Jacksonville Mayor doubles down on not imposing mask mandate, expert says risk-benefit ratio of vaccine makes shot worth it". firstcoastnews.com. August 4, 2021. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  17. ↑ Staff (2022-01-04). "Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry tests positive for COVID-19". WJXT. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  18. ↑ "Mayor". www.coj.net. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  19. 1 2 Bauerlein, David; Scanlan, Dan. "Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry praises Sheriff Mike Williams but takes no stance on legal questions". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  20. ↑ "Jacksonville's mayor, first lady endorse different candidates in upcoming sheriff's race". Action News Jax. 2022-10-18. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  21. ↑ Pantazi, Andrew. "Violence in Jacksonville still growing". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  22. ↑ Pantazi, Andrew. "Curry commits to new anti-violence program". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  23. ↑ "Jacksonville Mayor set to unveil proposed city budget as activists call to reduce police funding". Action News Jax. 2020-07-15. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  24. ↑ Woods, Mark (2022-11-04). "The Florida Times-Union" . www.jacksonville.com. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  25. 1 2 3 Pantazi, Andrew. "In strong-mayor Jacksonville, Curry looks to City Council to lead on JEA". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  26. ↑ "Jacksonville's mayor, first lady endorse different candidates in upcoming sheriff's race". Action News Jax. 2022-10-18. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  27. ↑ Wellerman, Zak. "City of Jacksonville names new police chief". TylerPaper.com. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  28. ↑ Peel, Corley (2019-05-21). "Gene Paul Smith appointed as Jacksonville Beach police chief". WJXT. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  29. 1 2 "Mayor Lenny Curry Announces Key Staff Appointments". www.coj.net. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  30. ↑ "About". www.jea.com. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  31. 1 2 "Mayor Curry travels the City with Solid Waste crews to bring awareness to proper recycling habits". firstcoastnews.com. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  32. 1 2 Bauerlein, David. "Curbside recycling resumes with some Jacksonville residents putting carts out on wrong day". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  33. ↑ Milkes, Abby. "Recycling Returns". The Shield. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  34. ↑ "Mayor Curry Announces Pick For Jacksonville's Chief Resiliency Officer". WJCT News. 2021-07-06. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  35. ↑ "A Q&A With Jacksonville's First-Ever Chief Resilience Officer". WJCT News. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  36. ↑ Piggott, Jim (2022-07-21). "Mayor Curry presents $1.5B budget proposal to Jacksonville City Council". WJXT. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  37. 1 2 3 "'A city on the rise;: Mayor Lenny Curry unveils his final $1.5 billion budget proposal". 104.5 WOKV. 2022-07-22. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  38. ↑ Staff (2022-09-28). "Jacksonville City Council approves record-setting $1.5B budget". WJXT. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  39. ↑ "About the Mayor". www.coj.net. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
Party political offices
Preceded by Chair of the Florida Republican Party
2011–2014		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Jacksonville
2015–2023		Succeeded by
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