JEA Board Vice Chairwoman LisaWeatherbyresigned a week after Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry first demanded it.
Weatherby announced her resignation in a letter Tuesday amidst controversy over how the board conducts its official business.
Weatherby left little question as to why she decided to step down. Calling herself a political independent, she accused the news media of using a possible violation of public records law to incite a “political dog-fight” between JEA and the mayor’s office.
She also referred to Curry’s actions as an astonishing politicization of his authority. Emails from the mayor’s staff asked Weatherby to step down last week after she refused to meet with Curry one-on-one.
Curry asked for closed-door meetings with each JEA board member after the Florida Times-Union reported the board used prepared statements at a meeting deciding whether to renew CEO Paul McElroy’s contract.
The city’s general counsel, Jason Gabriel, says he doesn’t think the prepared talking points violate Florida’s Sunshine Laws, but JEA should reform its practices moving forward.
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