PORT ST. LUCIE — The City Council came close Monday afternoon to naming Assistant City Manager Jerry Bentrott to replace Don Cooper as the next city manager.

But Councilwoman Michelle Berger put the brakes on the move.

Mayor Patricia Christensen suggested the city enter into contract negotiations with Bentrott, 61, to replace Cooper, who’s resigning Jan. 8 after 20 years with the city.

At least two other council members, Vice Mayor Jack Kelly and Christopher Cooper, were ready to move forward with Christensen’s recommendation and begin negotiations, but Berger was not.

“I’m still in support of looking at a national search if for no other reason than to benchmark the talent that we currently have,” Berger said. “We have two great individuals that can step into the role. I have no doubt. But certainly part of what we should be looking at is making sure that they are the right person.”

(more…)

PORT ST. LUCIE — City Hall critic Dave Mittler is demanding City Councilwoman Michelle Berger publicly apologize for calling him and his former neighbor, John Methvin, “professional anarchists” during a Sept. 28 City Council meeting.

The issue has Mayor Patricia Christensen reassessing how City Council meetings are conducted.

Mittler’s call for an apology comes after Methvin called the City Council office about two weeks ago demanding Berger apologize for making the remark or he would show up at the next council meeting with “guns loaded,” a statement he later said was a figure of speech.
(more…)