Elected to lead the city of Jacksonville for another four years, Mayor Lenny Curry is preparing for his second mayoral inauguration on Monday.
On Thursday, First Coast News sat down with the mayor and his wife Molly Curry to discuss their journey to office, what the first term was like for their family and what the future holds.
"I remember we were on our tenth wedding anniversary in South Florida contemplating if I should run or not," Mayor Curry said.
The two thought back to their first conversations about political office and how it became a reality.
"Finally I said Lenny if you’re going to do it, let’s do it, but it was also a conversation about how it would affect us and our family," Molly Curry said.
As the Curry's can attest, the public spotlight is a full-time job, which isn’t always easy when you’re raising three kids, with the youngest just ten years old.
"It doesn’t bother me, I signed up for this," Mayor Curry said. "It bothers me when one of my kids comes home and they were attacked because of me, or if they attacked me and it bothers one of them. We try to tell them to just brush it off and try to roll with it."
While those instances have happened at school, they say 'by and large' their kids have had a good experience during his time in office.
During that time, Molly has nurtured her passions for the non-profit sector. She's also focused on projects she says are close to her heart, like the Jax Kids Book Club, an effort to increase child literacy in schools, and The Family and Medical Leave Act.
"That [act] meant a lot to me because as a mom, I was able to experience that when I was working and had our first two kids," she said. "I was able to get time off and spend time at home with them, that’s such a crucial time that you have to bond with your baby."
It's an act she says benefits the mother and the father.
We asked Mayor Curry if he would have done anything differently over his past four years in office and he admits he could work on his level of competitiveness when pursuing a goal.
"So I’m a very competitive person," he said. "Goal-oriented, hard-charging, and I'm going to continue to be that way. But because I'm competitive when I get into an issue or policy issue I'm trying to accomplish, it's like, it takes the hill. I've recognized everything doesn't have to be a fight. Sometimes you have to fight to get a result, but with a little diplomacy on the front end. I'm trying to be mindful of that."
He admits that was a learning curve for him when dealing with conflict.
"I'd say my entire life I've recognized that," he said. "If it's a policy initiative I care about and we have to fight to get to the finish line I'll do that, but it doesn't necessarily have to be a fight on the front end. Is that what you tell me [Molly]?"
"Yes, yes," Molly Curry said.
Looking forward, he’s facing heated battles going into his next term, specifically with education and the controversy surrounding a half-cent tax referendum to support aging public schools in Duval County.
While he isn’t on board with that yet, he recently welcomed IDEA Public Schools to Jacksonville, a non-profit charter school system based out of Texas. He says he welcomed them because he believes in school choice.
He says if DCPS can bring him a concentrated, detailed plan that will explain where the dollars will go and for what purpose, he will support them.
"With the right plan I will be 100 percent behind their referendum idea come November 2020," Mayor Curry said. "I will campaign for it, I will make sure it passes."
Another issue that’s followed Mayor Curry throughout his time in office is JEA. Most recently, the utility announced it may have to hike up prices or downsize to maintain sustainability.
He says JEA leadership will make that decision. He believes they are weighing their options and doing so in the public eye. If it comes to the point where jobs may be lost, he says he will weigh in before that happens.
As for downtown development, Mayor Curry says The Landing will be a blank slate.
"I have said that a part of that should be public green space, some have misinterpreted that as we are going to turn it into a park and leave it as a park," he said. "No, there should be some form of development there, the highest and best use.
"Just something that is family friendly and inviting because it’s a beautiful river to showcase," Molly said.
Curry was also in support of $8 million in funding in workforce housing for downtown Jacksonville. However, his longtime ally Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed the proposal. Curry says he respects the Governor's decision and they plan to work together going forward to find another solution to support housing.
Aside from politics, the mayor says finding a solution to violence is a top priority over his next four years. He says that's the main issue that keeps him up at night.
For Molly, her top priority is being a mom to their three kids and keep on them "on the right track", but she also wants to continue work on non-profits.
As for Curry's political aspirations following this next term in office, he shied away from committing to anything but left the door open.
"I don’t have any, none at this time, if my term were ending right now it would be to go back into the private sector," he said. "However, you should never say never."
He says his priority will be what’s best for his family.
"Timing may rule out any kind of political future, and I’m okay with that," Mayor Curry said.
Molly says she's 'okay' with that too, as they both work to keep family a top priority.