Joe Cury
Encyclopedia
Joseph H. Cury was the owner of the Mandarin Super Market and a resident of Mandarin, Florida
. He gave generously to the poor and the disadvantaged of Mandarin, and was widely known as the founder of POWER, an advocacy group on utility rates, and as an opponent of the Dames Point Bridge
and nuclear power plants.
. At the age of eighteen, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps
. After the Marines, he became involved with heavy-weight boxing. At one point he won 27 straight fights. After he got married to Betty D. Cury, he settled down and opened a hardware store. He was unsuccessful. He then opened a grocery store, the Mandarin Super Market, a very successful business (featured in the video tape, "History of Jacksonville" a PBS publication, narrated by Dick Stratton). It was his principal means of business until his death. "Joe" often referred to the people of Mandarin with love and adoration as "his people", and, they were for the duration of his life and thereafter. Joseph and his wife Betty had two children, Charles (deceased) and Pamela.
, now the State Attorney for the city of Jacksonville, Florida. When Ralph Nader
found out about POWER, he decided to get involved. He came to Jacksonville and became Cury's friend. Joe was so inspired by the visit he changes P.O.W.E.R. to Consumer P.O.W.E.R.
He strongly opposed the construction of the Dames Point Bridge
, and was the vocal leader of the opposition to the project. His efforts lead to years long delays in the inception of the project. He was also an enemy of the movement to bring an Offshore Power Systems
(O.P.S.) assembly facility to the Jacksonville area. In honor of his work in this and other areas, the local Southside Business Men's Club established the Outspoken Citizens Award less than a month after his death. Cury was a large part of the opposition of the Dames Point Bridge
movement. His main opposition in this project was Wesley Paxson, the chairman of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority
(JTA). He was also opposed by George Truett Ewton, the chairman of the JEA. At his store, he sold a copy of Ralph Nader's newsletter, Critical Mass.
announced they were forming a joint company "OPS", to build floating nuclear power plants. They decided Blount Island
would be the location for their production facility. JEA formed a contract to buy the plants, even though it meant going instantly bankrupt. It turned out JEA bought oil
from Ven Fuel. Ven Fuel had one customer, JEA. No one knew who exactly who Ven Fuel was. Ven Fuel was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service
and the FEA, and found it illegally did business. The city of Jacksonville, represented by Harry Shorstein
, sued Ven Fuel, which settled for $1.2 million and went out of business. In 1976, the JTA voted in an illegal meeting to build the Wesley C. Paxson Memorial Bridge across the Atlantic ocean. When built, the bridge went from Arlington to Blount Island
, where no one lived, only a company constructing two power plants. The bridge was going to cost $150 million of taxpayers money that would ultimately never be used.
From 1972 to 1976, a number of related events occurred. They all involved Jacksonville's government, price gouging
, and suspect reasoning. These were:
Why did these events occur?
They were:
Cury frequently traveled to Washington D.C., Tallahassee, and the Jacksonville City Council to openly voice his opinions. With the help of his friends, he was a major force in the community. The city council decided not to approve JEA's contract. Tenneco pulled out of OPS, leaving Westinghouse alone with OPS. OPS had a half-built production facility and no customers, so they fired 500 employees and went to Washington to lobby unsuccessfully.
Cury's protest resulted in the removal of OPS from Jacksonville, exposed all of the authorities that would harm Jacksonville, and protect the citizens of Jacksonville from government corruption. Cury considered running for mayor of Jacksonville. Hans Tanzler
, the current mayor at the time, felt Cury could beat him and told him as much. Cury became known to the community through his public interest work and was frequently in the local press, including
The TV stations in the area also featured him frequently. A good friend and radio personality was Steve Kroft
. Joe became nationally known when Joe Klein
featured him in the Rolling Stone Magazine, March 25, 1976/issue no. 209 in a 6-page article entitled "Tales of Jacksonville." Apart from receiving many local awards, there is an award named after him awarded annually in Jacksonville.
At his funeral, people who had never met him came to simply pay their' respects. The crowd was so large it poured into the streets.
Mandarin, Florida
Mandarin is a neighborhood located in the southern most portion of Jacksonville, in Duval County, Florida, United States. It is located on the eastern banks of the St. Johns River, across from Orange Park...
. He gave generously to the poor and the disadvantaged of Mandarin, and was widely known as the founder of POWER, an advocacy group on utility rates, and as an opponent of the Dames Point Bridge
Dames Point Bridge
The Dames Point Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge over the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida on State Road 9A. Construction began in 1985 and it was completed in 1989. The main span is 1300 feet, and is 175 feet high...
and nuclear power plants.
Life
Joseph Cury was born in Allentown, PennsylvaniaAllentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
. At the age of eighteen, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
. After the Marines, he became involved with heavy-weight boxing. At one point he won 27 straight fights. After he got married to Betty D. Cury, he settled down and opened a hardware store. He was unsuccessful. He then opened a grocery store, the Mandarin Super Market, a very successful business (featured in the video tape, "History of Jacksonville" a PBS publication, narrated by Dick Stratton). It was his principal means of business until his death. "Joe" often referred to the people of Mandarin with love and adoration as "his people", and, they were for the duration of his life and thereafter. Joseph and his wife Betty had two children, Charles (deceased) and Pamela.
Founding of POWER
Cury became alarmed at an electrical bill that he had received from the Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) which was double the cost of the month before. He called the company to inquire and they said it was because of the high cost of oil. Later that day, Cury drove up to the JEA offices to talk with a manager. The manager refused to tell him anything. In outrage, Cury founded People Outraged With Electric Rates (POWER), a local advocacy group. The treasurer was Harry ShorsteinHarry Shorstein
Harry L. Shorstein is an American lawyer who served as State Attorney for the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, covering Duval, Clay and Nassau counties, from 1991–2008. He was appointed to the post in 1991 by Governor Lawton Chiles to fill the remaining term of Ed Austin, who resigned to...
, now the State Attorney for the city of Jacksonville, Florida. When Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government....
found out about POWER, he decided to get involved. He came to Jacksonville and became Cury's friend. Joe was so inspired by the visit he changes P.O.W.E.R. to Consumer P.O.W.E.R.
He strongly opposed the construction of the Dames Point Bridge
Dames Point Bridge
The Dames Point Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge over the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida on State Road 9A. Construction began in 1985 and it was completed in 1989. The main span is 1300 feet, and is 175 feet high...
, and was the vocal leader of the opposition to the project. His efforts lead to years long delays in the inception of the project. He was also an enemy of the movement to bring an Offshore Power Systems
Offshore Power Systems
Offshore Power Systems was a 1970 joint venture between Westinghouse Electric Company, which constructed nuclear generating plants, and Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock, which had recently merged with Tenneco, to create floating nuclear power plants at Jacksonville, Florida.-History:The MH-1A...
(O.P.S.) assembly facility to the Jacksonville area. In honor of his work in this and other areas, the local Southside Business Men's Club established the Outspoken Citizens Award less than a month after his death. Cury was a large part of the opposition of the Dames Point Bridge
Dames Point Bridge
The Dames Point Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge over the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida on State Road 9A. Construction began in 1985 and it was completed in 1989. The main span is 1300 feet, and is 175 feet high...
movement. His main opposition in this project was Wesley Paxson, the chairman of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority
Jacksonville Transportation Authority
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority is the independent agency responsible for public transit in the city of Jacksonville, Florida, and roadway infrastructure that connects northeast Florida. However, they do not maintain any roadways.-History:...
(JTA). He was also opposed by George Truett Ewton, the chairman of the JEA. At his store, he sold a copy of Ralph Nader's newsletter, Critical Mass.
Opposing nuclear power plants
In 1972, two corporate giants, Westinghouse Electric and TennecoTenneco
Tenneco is a $6.2 billion Fortune 500 company that has been publicly traded on the NYSE since November 5, 1999 under the symbol TEN...
announced they were forming a joint company "OPS", to build floating nuclear power plants. They decided Blount Island
Blount Island
Blount Island is an island of approximately on the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida, nine nautical miles west of the Atlantic Ocean. One of three public cargo facilities at the Port of Jacksonville is located there, and it is also the site of the United States Marine Corps Blount Island...
would be the location for their production facility. JEA formed a contract to buy the plants, even though it meant going instantly bankrupt. It turned out JEA bought oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
from Ven Fuel. Ven Fuel had one customer, JEA. No one knew who exactly who Ven Fuel was. Ven Fuel was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
and the FEA, and found it illegally did business. The city of Jacksonville, represented by Harry Shorstein
Harry Shorstein
Harry L. Shorstein is an American lawyer who served as State Attorney for the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, covering Duval, Clay and Nassau counties, from 1991–2008. He was appointed to the post in 1991 by Governor Lawton Chiles to fill the remaining term of Ed Austin, who resigned to...
, sued Ven Fuel, which settled for $1.2 million and went out of business. In 1976, the JTA voted in an illegal meeting to build the Wesley C. Paxson Memorial Bridge across the Atlantic ocean. When built, the bridge went from Arlington to Blount Island
Blount Island
Blount Island is an island of approximately on the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida, nine nautical miles west of the Atlantic Ocean. One of three public cargo facilities at the Port of Jacksonville is located there, and it is also the site of the United States Marine Corps Blount Island...
, where no one lived, only a company constructing two power plants. The bridge was going to cost $150 million of taxpayers money that would ultimately never be used.
From 1972 to 1976, a number of related events occurred. They all involved Jacksonville's government, price gouging
Price gouging
Price gouging is a pejorative term referring to a situation in which a seller prices goods or commodities much higher than is considered reasonable or fair. In precise, legal usage, it is the name of a crime that applies in some of the United States during civil emergencies...
, and suspect reasoning. These were:
- The Jacksonville Port AuthorityJacksonville Port AuthorityThe Jacksonville Port Authority also known by its brand name, JAXPORT, is the independent government agency in Jacksonville, Florida that owns and operates much of the seaport system at the Port of Jacksonville.-History:...
(JPA) gave OPS 850 acres (3.4 km²) of choice land on Blount Island. - The JPA gave OPS a money-back guarantee.
- The Jacksonville Transportation AuthorityJacksonville Transportation AuthorityThe Jacksonville Transportation Authority is the independent agency responsible for public transit in the city of Jacksonville, Florida, and roadway infrastructure that connects northeast Florida. However, they do not maintain any roadways.-History:...
(JTA) decided to build a bridge to nowhere, except to the nuclear plant assembly facility. - The JEA would buy the plants for $2.2 billion
Why did these events occur?
- The businessmen who headed the authorities also had their own businesses
- They would personally profit from the OPS business
- The taxpayer would pay the bill
They were:
- Wesley Paxson, chairman of the JTA and owner of company that would do electrical contracting for OPS
- George Truett Ewton, chairman of the JEA and fellow who would insure OPS through his company, Gulf Life.
Cury frequently traveled to Washington D.C., Tallahassee, and the Jacksonville City Council to openly voice his opinions. With the help of his friends, he was a major force in the community. The city council decided not to approve JEA's contract. Tenneco pulled out of OPS, leaving Westinghouse alone with OPS. OPS had a half-built production facility and no customers, so they fired 500 employees and went to Washington to lobby unsuccessfully.
Cury's protest resulted in the removal of OPS from Jacksonville, exposed all of the authorities that would harm Jacksonville, and protect the citizens of Jacksonville from government corruption. Cury considered running for mayor of Jacksonville. Hans Tanzler
Hans Tanzler
Hans Gearhart Tanzler, Jr. is a former American politician and judge. He served as Mayor of Jacksonville, Florida from 1967 to 1979. During his administration, the City of Jacksonville consolidated with Duval County, making him the last mayor of the old city government and the first mayor of a...
, the current mayor at the time, felt Cury could beat him and told him as much. Cury became known to the community through his public interest work and was frequently in the local press, including
- The Florida Times Union
- The St. Petersburg TimesSt. Petersburg TimesThe St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
- The Jacksonville JournalJacksonville JournalJacksonville Journal is a now-defunct afternoon newspaper in the Jacksonville, Florida area. It began publication as the Metropolis in 1887. Renamed The Florida Metropolis in the early 1900s, it was renamed the Jacksonville Journal in 1922 upon its purchase by John H. Perry. The Journal's new...
The TV stations in the area also featured him frequently. A good friend and radio personality was Steve Kroft
Steve Kroft
Steve Kroft is an American journalist and a longtime correspondent for 60 Minutes. His investigative reporting has garnered him much acclaim, including three Peabody Awards and nine Emmy awards, one of which was an Emmy for Lifetime Achievement.-Early life:Born on August 22, 1945 in Kokomo,...
. Joe became nationally known when Joe Klein
Joe Klein
Joe Klein is a longtime Washington, D.C. and New York journalist and columnist, known for his novel Primary Colors, an anonymously written roman à clef portraying Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign. Klein is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is a former Guggenheim...
featured him in the Rolling Stone Magazine, March 25, 1976/issue no. 209 in a 6-page article entitled "Tales of Jacksonville." Apart from receiving many local awards, there is an award named after him awarded annually in Jacksonville.
At his funeral, people who had never met him came to simply pay their' respects. The crowd was so large it poured into the streets.
Colleagues and associates of Joseph Cury and his work
- Joe KleinJoe KleinJoe Klein is a longtime Washington, D.C. and New York journalist and columnist, known for his novel Primary Colors, an anonymously written roman à clef portraying Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign. Klein is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is a former Guggenheim...
, Writer for TIME Magazine - Steve KroftSteve KroftSteve Kroft is an American journalist and a longtime correspondent for 60 Minutes. His investigative reporting has garnered him much acclaim, including three Peabody Awards and nine Emmy awards, one of which was an Emmy for Lifetime Achievement.-Early life:Born on August 22, 1945 in Kokomo,...
, Reporter for 60 Minutes60 Minutes60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation.... - Ralph NaderRalph NaderRalph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government....
,Consumer Advocate and Inventor - Richard Bernard StoneRichard Bernard StoneRichard Bernard Stone was a Democratic United States Senator from Florida and later served as Ambassador at Large to Central America and Ambassador to Denmark.-Early life and career:...
, U.S. Senator - Edward Parker Westberry, Judge, Circuit Court 1922-1985
- Robert ShevinRobert ShevinRobert L. Shevin was the Florida Attorney General from 1971 until 1979 and a judge on the Florida Third District Court of Appeal.-Background:...
, Florida Attorney General 1971-1979 - Harry L. Shorstein, Florida State Attorney,
- Tommy HazouriTommy HazouriTommy Hazouri is an American politician of the Democratic Party. He represents Duval County School District 7 in the Duval County School Board, and previously served as Mayor of Jacksonville, Florida and as a member of the Florida House of Representatives .-Early life:Hazouri was born and raised...
, Florida Representative and Jacksonville Mayor, - Memphis Wood, Renown Published Artist (Paintings).