A week from taking office, Mayor-elect Lenny Curry announced Wednesday who will help him dig into city finances that many have labeled as being in disarray.
Mike Weinstein, the chief financial officer for former Mayors Ed Austin and John Delaney, will come back to City Hall as Curry’s Finance Department director. Most recently, Weinstein has served as CEO for Volunteers in Medicine.
His background includes also serving in the Florida House from 2008-12 and 19 years with the State Attorney’s Office.
Weinstein said Wednesday he’s coming back because Curry reached out to him for help. Weinstein has been serving on incoming Chief Administrative Officer Sam Mousa’s budget task force, which is reviewing finances department by department.
“I think it’s gone very well,” Weinstein said of the early analysis. “It’s bigger than it used to be.”
He said it was too early to provide definitive analysis of city finances and would leave any description to Curry.
The role is another change for Weinstein in the past couple of years. He filed to run for a City Council seat before changing to make a run in the 2016 election for Public Defender.
But as finance director, he’ll drop that pursuit.
“This will take up all my time,” he said. “There needs to be no other distractions.”
He’ll make $175,000.
Weinstein wasn’t the only appointment Curry made Wednesday. Others with a variety of governmental experience will join Curry in his first term. They are:
• Allison “Ali” Korman Shelton as director of intergovernmental affairs. She will lead the team that represents Curry’s administration to council, elected state and federal officials, and government agencies. Korman has served most recently as vice president of government and public affairs for Jacksonville-based Stellar, a mechanical, engineering and construction firm. She also served in the office of former Florida Senate President Jim King and before that held positions in other state agencies. Her salary will be $130,000.
• Bill Spann will join Curry’s team as director of public affairs. He most recently was vice president of procurement for the WG Pitts Co. in Jacksonville. His past includes time as chief of staff for the Florida Office of Financial Regulation and public relations director for the U.S. Naval Academy. He retired from the Navy in May 2003. He will annually make $92,500.
• Charles Moreland will join Curry as his director of community affairs. Moreland is a 24-year veteran of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department and currently serves as Curry’s transition committee co-chair. His past includes being appointed division chief of fire and rescue in 2003 by former Mayor John Peyton. Moreland will make $135,000.
@writerchapman
(904) 356-2466