The new JEA board voted Tuesday to bring back retired top executive Paul McElory as interim CEO, hoping to bring stability to an authority rocked by scandal and controversies in the last two years.
He will work under a six-month contract through Nov. 8 as a full-time employee. He would receive $280,183 for a six-month period from next Monday through Nov. 8. If he continues after that point on a part-time basis, he would be paid at a rate of $323 per hour.
There would be no changes to his pension, but he would get a defined contribution plan.
McElroy stepped down as CEO of JEA in April 2018 by saying the path forward for JEA called for a “different set of leadership skills.”
Two years later, the newly-installed JEA board decided Tuesday that as the utility seeks to recover from last year’s failed sales attempt, McElroy skills fit the bill for a path based on JEA remaining city-owned.
McElroy told the board in a letter that he is interested in serving as interim CEO. He won’t be a candidate for the permanent CEO whom the board will select after a national search.
“Over the past six months, I have been contacted by many leaders in our community to discuss JEA,” McElroy said in a letter to the board. “I have told them that if the board thinks I can play a role in facilitating their goals, and ultimately their success in restoring public trust in JEA, I will help in any way I can.”
McElroy, who lives in Jacksonville, joined JEA in 2002. He was the utility’s chief financial officer and then became CEO in 2012.