of port st. Lucie.
Clerk, please call the roll.
>> [Roll call]
>> please stand for the pledge
of allegiance.
[Pledge of allegiance]
>> to public to be heard.
Would anyone like to address the
council on any nonagenda related
items?
Seeing no one, I'll close public
to be heard.
Moving onto item 5, which is
unfinished business, so we had
a, in the last hour, we had a
public meet and greet for our
city attorney candidates, and I
would like to thank our
candidates so much for
participating, for being here.
I know that for me, and I'm sure
for the rest of the council, it
was a pleasure to meet with you
and to interview you for this
most important position in our
city.
So unless there are any public
interviews that want to be done,
I know I got everything I needed
from the candidates through
one-on-one unless there are
public interview questions I
would like to move right to the
decision make by the council.
-- making by the council.
Everyone good with that?
Okay.
Yes?
Council member pub picket?
>> I
>> since we're not doing
interviews I want to move
forward with the process.
Go ahead.
You asked to speak first.
>> first I would like to thank
renee for this, this is a
painstaking process what eight
months in the making to get to
tonight.
additionally I would like to
thank the candidates for their
indulgence in our participating
in our interviews, and based on
the interviews that I conducted,
I'm not going to make this a
long drawn out thing, based on
the interviews I conducted, I,
my selection is MR. Berrios.
>> mayor: okay.
Who would like to go next?
COUNCILWOMAN Morgan, go ahead.
>> sure,.
>> mayor: we'll finish on this
end and go down this end.
>> [Off mic]
>> it's all about me right now.
>> it is.
>> mayor: it's all about you.
[Laughter]
>> so I echo the same words that
COUNCILMAN Pickett has said.
After spending all day today
along with the mayor
interviewing and picking and
getting to the end of for the
fire district, and then more
next week, it must be interview
season, but it's been a long
process, and it's not as easy as
you think because great
candidates, and I don't know
about everybody, but I had three
great interviews, and I think
I've met some friends that will
continue after this even
happens.
I hope anyway.
But moving on and thank you,
renee and sorry you were calling
the wrong phone.
That's we we never spoke.
[Laughter]
But it was a pleasure meeting
you in person too, so it's not
an easy task.
But I will also be recommending
MR. Richard berrios to continue
and to be named our city
attorney.
>> mayor: okay.
Thank you very much.
Councilwomancouncilwoman -- council member
bonna.
>> sure, important process and I
had three excellent interviews.
I think the, the tie breaker
here is that we've had the
opportunity to work with
MR. Berrios for the past number
of months, and we know his
product and it's a good product,
and I think he'll do well,
especially here in the
conversation -- hearing the
conversation among my
colleagues, so those are my
comments.
>> mayor: okay.
Thank you.
>> so thank you so much,
MS. Norlock for finding us this
great candidates.
We were very fortunate under
your leadership in that area
that we hired you for to have
the people that you brought
forward and all of them have
been excellent candidates.
You know, MR. Armitage, I
appreciate our conversation and
the history that you have in
this arena, and I truly know
that you're going to continue to
serve as well as rodney,
MR. Edwards, what you're doing
for palm bay and then wanting to
come to port st. Lucie and
loving our city so much, I know
I'm going to be welcoming you at
some point at time to the city
of the port st. Lucie because I
already feel like you know this
is home.
But I do want to speak about
MR. Berrios and especially as
the person that was very
hesitant of wanting to put him
in the interim role prior to us
making a decision, I was
extremely concerned that it
would hurt him, you know, back
when I was discussing that, and
I felt that, you know, I wanted
him to have a fair shot, and
there were a lot of challenges
that the office has faced over
the years, and with different
attorneys, and so I really
wanted to give him an
opportunity to be on the same
playing field.
But I'm glad that I was wrong on
that, and I can admit when I'm
wrong and I'm glad that the
council overrode me on that
decision because it had provided
him an avenue to rise to the
occasion, and that is exactly
what he has done.
He has risen to the occasion,
and has exceeded my expectations
with what he has done with that
office.
I have to be honest.
I've never seen a more cohesive
team, and since I've been
elected in 2016, working in that
office right now.
And that's going to be my
expectation moving forward is
that that cohesion continues to
take place as well as the
willingness from MR. Berrios to
work with the city manager and
his office to ensure that we
have a very good high performing
organization collaboratively
with both the city manager and
the city attorney's office.
And that's also going to be my
expectation moving forward.
So with that, MADAM Mayor, I
also move that MR. Berrios be
the city attorney and then we
move forward with negotiation of
contract.
>> mayor: okay.
Thank you very much.
So I'm not going to belabor the
point.
Again I enjoyed meeting with
everyone, MR. Armitage really
enjoyed the conversation we had,
and vice mayor, I had similar
conversation with MR. Edwards
about port st. Lucie and him
loving the city, and so I really
do hope that you decide to call
port st. Lucie home, but I agree
with the rest of my colleagues
here, and I do think that
MR. Berrios has risen to the
occasion and with all the
concerns that we've had
regarding the cohesiveness in
the office, and for the
stability continuing stability,
I also have decided to support
MR. Berrios in continuing on.
So with that, I will need a
formal motion.
>> I will make a motion to
recommend MR. Berrios as the
city attorney and move forward
with negotiation of contract.
>> second.
>> okay.
>> mayor: we have a motion and a
second.
Any final discussion?
All those in favor?
Any opposed?
Motion carries unanimously.
I'm sure we can get that done by
the next council meeting?
It shouldn't be very hard, so
let's aim for that if possible.
Who would we like to assign,
MADAM Mayor, to do the
negotiation portion?
I know in the past it's been the
city manager.
Do we want too continue with
that tradition or do we want to
have someone outside like
MS. Norlock.
>> typically in the past we've
done it where it's been hr and
city manager and then I'll be
the representative of the
council just to be able to
funnel everything through.
That it's how it's been done in
the past before.
>> okay.
>> mayor: okay?
>> just want to be clear.
>> mayor: everyone good with
that?
All righty.
Congratulations,, mr.Beriose, and
to the other two candidates
thank you very much for being
part of the process, again, we
reallien joyed meeting with
you -- really enjoyed meeting
with you and spending time with
you.
Thank you very much.
Anything else?
We're adjourned.