STUART, Fla. — The Stuart City Commission voted 3-2 Wednesday evening to rehire former City Manager Michael Mortell, pending his agreement to the terms of a new contract. The decision drew significant pushback from residents at the meeting just two weeks after major leadership changes at City Hall.
The new contract includes a roughly $225,000 salary, which is less than the more than $265,000 Mortell previously earned as city manager. The contract also includes conditions restricting the use of city resources for outside work and requiring the city's HR director to report any outside work to commissioners on a monthly basis.
WATCH: Stuart city commission votes to rehire former city manager Michael Mortell
The vote came as many residents expressed concerns over the recent dismissal of Michael Giardino as city manager.
"The transparency was not given to the citizens of Stuart. This amounts to nothing more than petty cronyism and hypocrisy. All of you who supported Mr. Giardino's firing should be ashamed of yourselves," resident Deana Peterson said.
Resident Robin Cartwright also pushed back on the commission's characterization of Giardino's tenure.
"Mr. Giardino got hired and was struggling with the stalemate that this commission or the former commission presented so for any commissioner up here to say that someone failed at their job I would say that you failed at your job," Cartwright said.
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Resident David Kelman urged the commission to reconsider its approach.
"You all represent this city. You need to step back and unite because what you're doing ain't going to work. It's three versus two here," Kelman said.
Not all residents opposed the move. Resident Joe Cooper voiced support for Mortell's return.
"I think it's a wise move to bring Michael Mortell back," Cooper said. "I think it's a prudent move to bring him back to steer the city in the right direction."
At the previous meeting, Commissioner Campbell Rich called for contract negotiations with Mortell, citing his institutional knowledge.
"This is not the time for someone with training wheels to negotiate us through that very difficult period. We need the most experience we can possibly get," Rich said.
Commissioners Sean Reed and Laura Giobbi raised ethical concerns about the rehiring. Reed questioned the process.
"I also think it's a disservice to our constituents that we're taking action on a potential city manager employee which is one of the three highest levels that we have employed here at the city of Stuart but this individual is not here to be questioned," Reed said.
Giobbi pointed to the broader divisions within the community.
"The community is broken — you know, the community is. The community is so divided it's sad. And I'm sure with everybody else up here — would love to bring it to a middle ground," Giobbi said.
Reed closed the meeting with a motion to add an Oct. 12 agenda item to discuss foregoing commissioner salaries for two years to offset costs related to city manager turnover.
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