Mayor Lenny Curry is recruiting new residents for Jacksonville but, as is often the case, his message is unclear.

He is shopping in cities where a majority of the residents are liberal Democrats, putting up billboards suggesting that people buy a one-way ticket to Jacksonville.

Is he soliciting liberal Democrats?

Whatever the merits of diversity, the Gateway City does not need more Democrats.

Of the 660,101 voters here, 272,083 are Democrats and only 232,670 are Republicans. To the city’s great shame, 51.11 percent cast their ballots for the current resident of the White House, who clearly is suffering from dementia.

The billboards are appearing in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and Washington D.C. They feature a photo of Curry and the Web address move2jax.net.

Curry should have made it clear he is addressing Republicans, who likely are disaffected by the crime, high taxes and other maladies in those cities ruined by Democrat rule.

Jacksonville needs all the Republicans it can get. Curry is registered as a Republican and, although he cannot run again, it is essential that his office not degenerate into one controlled by the party of taxing and spending.

Recruiting in other cities is not a new idea. Sheriff Mike Williams has been seeking new police officers for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for years. Now that many of the Democrat politicians running those cities have made known their dislike for the police, and law and order, his campaign probably is bearing more fruit.

Had Curry specified that Jacksonville wanted only non-Democrats, it might have been a worthwhile exercise.

We would have asked Curry about it but he does not talk to Eye on Jacksonville or allow city employees to speak to us.

It must have been something we said.