Jacksonville residents will be happy to know that former Jacksonville mayor Lenny Curry has found gainful employment.

Furthermore, it is a gig with which he has some experience.

Curry, who headed the executive branch of local government 2015-2023, has joined the board of directors of Current Energy and Renewables.

The seven-year-old Arizona company sells electricity.

Subsequently, Zahn and another top JEA executive formulated a clever scheme.

Curry was seeking to explore the possibility of selling the city utility to a private company.

Zahn devised a plan to reward himself and other top employees with millions of dollars off the top via a “bonus.”

After the city council auditor revealed the plan, an investigation was launched, and the two top executives were tried for fraud and conspiracy. Zahn was convicted and the other suspect was found not guilty. Zahn has not yet been sentenced.

Coincidentally, Curry also was known for his interest in sewers, which also is the job of the JEA.

Curry decided to spend billions of dollars to pay for free septic tank replacement and sewer line hookup for hundreds of homes in Jacksonville, and the City Council went along. The cost will be borne by taxpayers who already have paid for their own sewer hookups and the net result will be an increase in the property values of the beneficiaries.

Curry, a registered Republican, also took credit for devising a plan to reduce the police and fire pension plan’s unfunded liability. That plan now is coming unglued with the fund’s decision to join the state pension plan.

Voters were so underwhelmed by Curry’s reign that they elected a liberal Democrat to replace him.  

Lloyd Brown

Lloyd was born in Jacksonville. Graduated from the University of North Florida. He spent nearly 50 years of his life in the newspaper business …beginning as a copy boy and retiring as editorial page editor for Florida Times Union. He has also been published in a number of national newspapers and magazines, as well as Internet sites. Married with children. Military Vet. Retired. Man of few words but the words are researched well, deeply considered and thoughtfully written.

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