132 | INFLUENCE WINTER 2016 Curry-era reforms. Jacksonville might not have realized two years ago that it needed Lenny Curry. However, from the moment he replaced Alvin Brown on the fourth floor of City Hall, Curry has mobilized toward a consensus politics that encompasses the entire city, attempting to right historic wrongs and do what limited government can to foster the civic good. Some of his best political allies have been Democrats. Councilman Tommy Hazouri, a former mayor and erstwhile critic, helped Curry to sell the pension reform measure. And Councilman Garrett Dennis was instrumental in helping Curry bring national attention to the horrific conditions at HUD complexes owned and managed in Jacksonville by Global Ministries Foundation. Democratic operatives called Curry a “party boss” when he was running for office. Those operatives have moved on; the people call him mayor. And almost a year and a half into the role, he’s living up to that title – and then some. There are those who see Curry as just a Republican politician. However, what drives him in office is what drove him as a candidate — an oft-stated desire to make Jacksonville a place his three kids will want to stay in as adults. “Elections are about the next generation,” Curry said at his inauguration. As has been the case, Curry’s governance model has attempted to translate that forward-thinking rhetoric into meaningful action. available to me to try to have an impact on the outcome.” Despite his hands-off approach to LGBT rights, Curry has already issued a departmental directive prohibiting employment discrimination for city employees and those of city contractors. “It took some time and some thinking to arrive at that conclusion. We made progress as a city there,” Curry said, “and I did it with my executive authority.” “There were all kinds of debates happening,” Curry added, “in and around our country, when a state specifically decided to legislate the taking away of rights from people.” “We are a constitutional republic that’s based on freedom … when you expand freedom, you have to do it thoughtfully.” “I believe in the expansion of freedom, not the restriction of freedom. I’ll just leave it at that.” Back in January 2015, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, in endorsing Curry, called him a potentially “transformational leader.” Some dismissed that as campaign rhetoric. However, when it comes to issues ranging from public pension reform to downtown development, Curry and his team have been transformational by necessity. On social issues, where consensus has proven elusive, Curry has sought a middle ground. Though there are those who say he hasn’t gone far enough on issues such as LGBT rights, it should be noted that the Human Rights Campaign increased Jacksonville’s “municipal equality” score to 49 from 23 previously, based solely on Lenny Curry speaks to the Jacksonville delegation (top) about legislative priorities in the 2017 session. The mayor was the driving force behind “Yes for Jacksonville,” (above) a referendum that extended an additional sales tax to help alleviate crushing pension obligations. PHOTOS: Wesley Lester POLITICIAN OF THE YEAR
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