[0:00] of port st. Lucie.
[0:04] Clerk, please call the roll.
[0:05] >> [Roll call]
[0:06] >> please stand for the pledge
[0:11] of allegiance.
[0:28] [Pledge of allegiance]
[0:30] >> to public to be heard.
[0:32] Would anyone like to address the
[0:34] council on any nonagenda related
[0:35] items?
[0:36] Seeing no one, I'll close public
[0:37] to be heard.
[0:39] Moving onto item 5, which is
[0:41] unfinished business, so we had
[0:43] a, in the last hour, we had a
[0:45] public meet and greet for our
[0:47] city attorney candidates, and I
[0:48] would like to thank our
[0:50] candidates so much for
[0:51] participating, for being here.
[0:53] I know that for me, and I'm sure
[0:55] for the rest of the council, it
[0:56] was a pleasure to meet with you
[0:59] and to interview you for this
[1:02] most important position in our
[1:04] city.
[1:07] So unless there are any public
[1:07] interviews that want to be done,
[1:10] I know I got everything I needed
[1:12] from the candidates through
[1:14] one-on-one unless there are
[1:15] public interview questions I
[1:16] would like to move right to the
[1:19] decision make by the council.
[1:20] -- making by the council.
[1:21] Everyone good with that?
[1:22] Okay.
[1:27] Yes?
[1:30] Council member pub picket?
[1:33] >> I
[1:34] >> since we're not doing
[1:34] interviews I want to move
[1:35] forward with the process.
[1:36] Go ahead.
[1:37] You asked to speak first.
[1:39] >> first I would like to thank
[1:41] renee for this, this is a
[1:42] painstaking process what eight
[1:43] months in the making to get to
[1:44] tonight.
[1:44] additionally I would like to
[1:48] thank the candidates for their
[1:49] indulgence in our participating
[1:52] in our interviews, and based on
[1:54] the interviews that I conducted,
[1:57] I'm not going to make this a
[1:59] long drawn out thing, based on
[2:01] the interviews I conducted, I,
[2:05] my selection is MR. Berrios.
[2:05] >> mayor: okay.
[2:13] Who would like to go next?
[2:15] COUNCILWOMAN Morgan, go ahead.
[2:15] >> sure,.
[2:16] >> mayor: we'll finish on this
[2:18] end and go down this end.
[2:19] >> [Off mic]
[2:20] >> it's all about me right now.
[2:21] >> it is.
[2:22] >> mayor: it's all about you.
[2:24] [Laughter]
[2:28] >> so I echo the same words that
[2:31] COUNCILMAN Pickett has said.
[2:32] After spending all day today
[2:35] along with the mayor
[2:37] interviewing and picking and
[2:40] getting to the end of for the
[2:42] fire district, and then more
[2:45] next week, it must be interview
[2:49] season, but it's been a long
[2:53] process, and it's not as easy as
[2:55] you think because great
[2:56] candidates, and I don't know
[2:59] about everybody, but I had three
[3:01] great interviews, and I think
[3:03] I've met some friends that will
[3:05] continue after this even
[3:05] happens.
[3:09] I hope anyway.
[3:12] But moving on and thank you,
[3:13] renee and sorry you were calling
[3:14] the wrong phone.
[3:17] That's we we never spoke.
[3:17] [Laughter]
[3:18] But it was a pleasure meeting
[3:20] you in person too, so it's not
[3:22] an easy task.
[3:26] But I will also be recommending
[3:27] MR. Richard berrios to continue
[3:30] and to be named our city
[3:31] attorney.
[3:32] >> mayor: okay.
[3:34] Thank you very much.
[3:39] Councilwomancouncilwoman -- council member
[3:40] bonna.
[3:41] >> sure, important process and I
[3:43] had three excellent interviews.
[3:47] I think the, the tie breaker
[3:50] here is that we've had the
[3:52] opportunity to work with
[3:54] MR. Berrios for the past number
[3:55] of months, and we know his
[3:59] product and it's a good product,
[4:00] and I think he'll do well,
[4:02] especially here in the
[4:02] conversation -- hearing the
[4:05] conversation among my
[4:06] colleagues, so those are my
[4:07] comments.
[4:07] >> mayor: okay.
[4:09] Thank you.
[4:11] >> so thank you so much,
[4:13] MS. Norlock for finding us this
[4:14] great candidates.
[4:16] We were very fortunate under
[4:17] your leadership in that area
[4:19] that we hired you for to have
[4:20] the people that you brought
[4:22] forward and all of them have
[4:23] been excellent candidates.
[4:25] You know, MR. Armitage, I
[4:27] appreciate our conversation and
[4:29] the history that you have in
[4:34] this arena, and I truly know
[4:36] that you're going to continue to
[4:38] serve as well as rodney,
[4:39] MR. Edwards, what you're doing
[4:41] for palm bay and then wanting to
[4:42] come to port st. Lucie and
[4:44] loving our city so much, I know
[4:46] I'm going to be welcoming you at
[4:49] some point at time to the city
[4:51] of the port st. Lucie because I
[4:52] already feel like you know this
[4:53] is home.
[4:54] But I do want to speak about
[4:56] MR. Berrios and especially as
[4:57] the person that was very
[5:00] hesitant of wanting to put him
[5:04] in the interim role prior to us
[5:07] making a decision, I was
[5:08] extremely concerned that it
[5:10] would hurt him, you know, back
[5:12] when I was discussing that, and
[5:14] I felt that, you know, I wanted
[5:16] him to have a fair shot, and
[5:18] there were a lot of challenges
[5:19] that the office has faced over
[5:21] the years, and with different
[5:22] attorneys, and so I really
[5:25] wanted to give him an
[5:26] opportunity to be on the same
[5:26] playing field.
[5:28] But I'm glad that I was wrong on
[5:30] that, and I can admit when I'm
[5:32] wrong and I'm glad that the
[5:34] council overrode me on that
[5:35] decision because it had provided
[5:38] him an avenue to rise to the
[5:39] occasion, and that is exactly
[5:40] what he has done.
[5:42] He has risen to the occasion,
[5:45] and has exceeded my expectations
[5:46] with what he has done with that
[5:46] office.
[5:48] I have to be honest.
[5:50] I've never seen a more cohesive
[5:51] team, and since I've been
[5:53] elected in 2016, working in that
[5:54] office right now.
[5:56] And that's going to be my
[5:57] expectation moving forward is
[6:00] that that cohesion continues to
[6:01] take place as well as the
[6:03] willingness from MR. Berrios to
[6:05] work with the city manager and
[6:07] his office to ensure that we
[6:10] have a very good high performing
[6:11] organization collaboratively
[6:12] with both the city manager and
[6:14] the city attorney's office.
[6:15] And that's also going to be my
[6:16] expectation moving forward.
[6:18] So with that, MADAM Mayor, I
[6:20] also move that MR. Berrios be
[6:21] the city attorney and then we
[6:23] move forward with negotiation of
[6:25] contract.
[6:25] >> mayor: okay.
[6:25] Thank you very much.
[6:29] So I'm not going to belabor the
[6:29] point.
[6:32] Again I enjoyed meeting with
[6:34] everyone, MR. Armitage really
[6:36] enjoyed the conversation we had,
[6:39] and vice mayor, I had similar
[6:41] conversation with MR. Edwards
[6:41] about port st. Lucie and him
[6:43] loving the city, and so I really
[6:45] do hope that you decide to call
[6:48] port st. Lucie home, but I agree
[6:50] with the rest of my colleagues
[6:53] here, and I do think that
[6:54] MR. Berrios has risen to the
[6:56] occasion and with all the
[6:56] concerns that we've had
[6:58] regarding the cohesiveness in
[7:00] the office, and for the
[7:02] stability continuing stability,
[7:07] I also have decided to support
[7:09] MR. Berrios in continuing on.
[7:11] So with that, I will need a
[7:12] formal motion.
[7:13] >> I will make a motion to
[7:14] recommend MR. Berrios as the
[7:16] city attorney and move forward
[7:18] with negotiation of contract.
[7:19] >> second.
[7:19] >> okay.
[7:20] >> mayor: we have a motion and a
[7:20] second.
[7:21] Any final discussion?
[7:23] All those in favor?
[7:25] Any opposed?
[7:27] Motion carries unanimously.
[7:29] I'm sure we can get that done by
[7:30] the next council meeting?
[7:32] It shouldn't be very hard, so
[7:35] let's aim for that if possible.
[7:36] Who would we like to assign,
[7:39] MADAM Mayor, to do the
[7:39] negotiation portion?
[7:40] I know in the past it's been the
[7:41] city manager.
[7:42] Do we want too continue with
[7:43] that tradition or do we want to
[7:45] have someone outside like
[7:45] MS. Norlock.
[7:46] >> typically in the past we've
[7:50] done it where it's been hr and
[7:52] city manager and then I'll be
[7:52] the representative of the
[7:54] council just to be able to
[7:55] funnel everything through.
[7:56] That it's how it's been done in
[7:58] the past before.
[8:00] >> okay.
[8:01] >> mayor: okay?
[8:02] >> just want to be clear.
[8:03] >> mayor: everyone good with
[8:03] that?
[8:04] All righty.
[8:07] Congratulations,, mr.Beriose, and
[8:08] to the other two candidates
[8:08] thank you very much for being
[8:10] part of the process, again, we
[8:11] reallien joyed meeting with
[8:12] you -- really enjoyed meeting
[8:15] with you and spending time with
[8:15] you.
[8:16] Thank you very much.
[8:16] Anything else?
[8:19] We're adjourned.