Despite Lenny Curry’s “no to HRO” position, both Council bills moving forward

Jax City Councilman Bill Gulliford (Photo: A.G. Gancarski)

Despite Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry’s position that no further legislation on the Human Rights Ordinance expansion is “prudent,” Councilmen Bill Gulliford and Tommy Hazouri plan to go ahead with their competing bills, to be debuted and debated heavily starting Thursday at the Committee of the Whole.

“I’ll withdraw mine if Tommy wants to withdraw his,” Gulliford said.

Despite Curry’s efforts to postpone the HRO debate until after the pension tax is approved by referendum, Council has other ideas.

Hazouri said Friday that while Curry’s move is a great “first step,” he’s committed to his legislation.

The co-sponsor of the Hazouri bill, Aaron Bowman, talked to Florida Politics after Finance Committee, at which time he said he was “surprised and disappointed” by Curry’s position.

Saying that he couldn’t “fathom why we won’t agree to treat all people with respect,” and that “victims of discrimination” have asserted the need for comprehensive legislation during both the Community Conversations and in front of Council, Bowman noted that “20 years from now, this is going to be a non-issue.”

The question now for Bowman: will Jacksonville be at the “tail end” of instituting these reforms.

Bowman wondered what Curry’s “plan of action” was from the outset, given the protracted deliberation.

“The way I work,” Bowman said about launching an initiative, is to “have a plan of action for how it goes.”

Many are questioning, outside of City Hall, what that plan of action was.