Mayor Lenny Curry’s Chief of Staff Brian Hughes denies claims made last week by City Council President Anna Lopez Brosche that he pressured her into hosting a joint meeting of council and the JEA board of directors.
He also denies that he directed her to approve emergency legislation dealing with a potential sale of the public utility.
Brosche told a group of former council presidents, city employees and others March 19 that Hughes and the mayor’s council liaison, Ali Korman Shelton, pressured her into holding the meeting with JEA so that Public Financial Management Inc. could present a financial audit it completed Feb. 14.
According to Brosche, the meeting between the three took place Feb. 5 – two days before JEA released a draft of the Public Financial Management report.
Hughes said the council president agreed at first to hold the joint meeting.
He said instead of Public Financial Management presenting its report only to the JEA board Hughes suggested that “in an effort to make the report contents available to everyone at the same time, she could hold a meeting and invite them.”
“She agreed that was appropriate,” he said.
Hughes, who joined the mayor’s staff in December, said he did not tell her to adopt or allow emergency legislation “about a sale or any other privatization outcome.”
He said among the many ideas they discussed, “perhaps there would be a need to tell JEA what council felt were appropriate next steps.”
“She informed me that it shouldn’t be done as an emergency,” he said.
Hughes said he did not pressure the council president in any way.
“There was an agreement to hold the meeting,” said Hughes. “Later she reversed course. Period.”
Brosche ultimately declined to host the meeting. Curry called his own meeting hours later on Feb. 12, which is allowed under council rules. Public Financial Management presented its report Feb. 14, and no one introduced legislation.
Brosche said March 19 that Hughes told her Feb. 5 the Public Financial Management report would be available soon, which she said gave her pause.
“I’m scratching my head already because I wasn’t sure how the mayor’s chief of staff would know that,” she said.
Hughes said he speaks to board members of the city’s independent authorities as part of his role as chief of staff, and that “there was absolutely no reason for head scratching.”
“It’s part of my job and a wholly legitimate part of my duties,” he said. “I learned from one such discussion that the report was in progress.”
The JEA board began exploring a potential sale of the utility to a private buyer after a Nov. 28 board meeting at which outgoing former board Chair Tom Petway asked the board to consider privatization. Brosche referred to that event as “Petway did his mic drop.”
Since then, Brosche and other council members, including Garrett Dennis, implied the mayor’s office has had and continues to have an active role in pushing for a sale.
Curry has denied that. He said previously he has no position on a potential sale and that he would need more information to make a decision.
JEA Chief Executive Paul McElroy said Thursday the mayor’s administration has had no role in the utility’s decision-making.
In response to a reporter’s question at a Thursday news conference, McElroy said Curry’s administration, specifically Hughes, is not directing JEA leadership’s communications efforts.
“JEA employees report to me, and I report to the board,” McElroy said.
