- May 12, 2025
The Palm Coast City Council unanimously voted to fire Strategic Government Resources, the search firm hired to find Palm Coast a new city manager, at its May 6 meeting.
Palm Coast has so far spent $17,601.50 on the city manager search. SGR was hired in 2024 by the previous city council, after the previous city manager was fired 13 months ago. Now, the new council has agreed to use traditional, internal job listing methods for the city manager search for the next 90 days.
"We need to be very diligent and make sure that we're getting the right people and that we're vetting them properly," Vice Mayor Theresa Carli Pontieri said.
Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris at first asked for one of his other council members to renominate candidate Richard Hough for the position. Because the motion to select Hough at the April 29 meeting failed in a 3-2 split, only a council member who voted against Hough could nominate him for reconsideration again, per council guidelines.
"I do want to move on immediately," Norris said. "We should have already had a city manager."
None of the other council members renominated Hough.
Hough was one of two remaining candidates at the beginning of the April 29 council meeting to decide on a new city manager. The other candidate, Paul Trombino, dropped out of the race after the four-hour long meeting ended with both candidates being asked to submit white papers on their budget experience. Hough reportedly dropped out on Monday, May 5, Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston said.
But Norris said when he spoke to Hough personally, Hough said that was on the advisement of SGR's Doug Thomas.
"Mr. Doug Thomas did not have the authority to stop the process. Neither did the city manager, neither did anyone sitting on this dais," Norris said.
Many residents who attended the meeting in support of Norris also urged the council to select Hough so the city could move on. But Vice Mayor Theresa Carli Pontieri, who had concerns about Hough's ability to manage a budget the size of Palm Coast's, said she was not convinced he would be a good fit for the position.
"I am not going to gamble our city," Pontieri said. "It is our responsibility to pick the right person and not gamble."
Councilmen Charles Gambaro, Ty Miller and Dave Sullivan said they thought a pause on the search would be beneficial to the city.
"Right now we're at the low point in candidates wanting to come here and take this job," Sullivan said. "I'm a little concerned right now about doing it now given everything else that's going on."
Norris wanted the listing to be posted for 45 days before the council reviewed the applicants.
Pontieri said that while the city does need to continue the search, there is no need to rush. Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston, Pontieri said, has been providing stability to the city.
“Theres no need to push her out anytime soon,” Ponteri said. “Looking does not mean that we’re pressing for somebody new. I understand we need to get somebody in, but we need to be very diligent to make sure that we get the right people.”
