After more than three decades of service to JEA and the Jacksonville community, Vickie Cavey has submitted her resignation as JEA’s CEO and managing director, effective September 25.

At Eye on Jacksonville, we want to say something that may get lost amid all the headlines, investigations and political maneuvering:

Thank you, Vickie.

Cavey didn’t arrive at JEA as an outsider looking for the next big executive job. She started there in 1984 as a mechanical engineer — one of JEA’s first female engineers — and spent 32 years working her way through the organization before retiring in 2016. She later came out of retirement when JEA needed experienced hands during another difficult transition. She eventually became the first woman to lead the utility.

And her service to Jacksonville has never been limited to JEA.

Over the years, Cavey has given her time and talent to organizations throughout our community, including the United Way, BEAM, Mission House and PACE Center for Girls. She has served with the Rotary Club of Ponte Vedra Beach Foundation and supported the Stellar Academy of Engineering at Nease High School.

That is a record worth remembering.

Unfortunately, the final chapter of her JEA career became consumed by accusations of a toxic workplace, political disagreements and a City Council investigation. Cavey defended herself vigorously. Earlier this year, the JEA board voted 6-1 to express confidence in her leadership, even as the allegations continued to swirl. More recently, an employee survey reportedly did not substantiate the broader accusations of racism and a toxic workplace, although it did raise concerns about Cavey’s management style and led the board to seek executive coaching. Cavey has been on medical leave since late July.

We don’t agree with the way this played out.

Leadership should be scrutinized. Public institutions should be accountable. Tough questions should be asked.

But there is a difference between accountability and allowing whispers, accusations, politics and personalities to consume an organization — and perhaps a person along with it.

And somehow, at JEA, the drama never seems very far away.

JEA is supposed to be a utility. Keep the lights on. Keep the water flowing. Plan for growth. Maintain reliable infrastructure. Charge customers fairly.

Simple enough, right?

Apparently not.

For decades, JEA has somehow managed to become fertile ground for intrigue, investigations, political battles, executive departures and outright scandals. If Netflix ever produces “JEA: The Scandals,” there is probably enough material for several seasons.

It might make great television.

It makes for a terrible way to run a public utility.

Vickie Cavey answered the call when JEA needed her. She brought decades of institutional knowledge with her and stepped into a job few people would envy after everything the organization had already endured.

Now she is leaving.

We hope the noise subsides, that she gets some well-deserved rest, and that Jacksonville remembers the entirety of her career rather than simply the controversy surrounding its final months.

Thank you for your service to JEA and to our community, Vickie Cavey. Enjoy retirement. You’ve earned it.

And perhaps JEA’s next leader can finally accomplish something that has proven surprisingly difficult:

Make JEA boring again.