VERO BEACH — The Vero Beach City Council, meeting three days after Tuesday’s election, chose top vote-getter Dick Winger as mayor and Jay Kramer as vice mayor for the next 12 months.
The canvassing board, comprised of City Clerk Tammy Vock, City Manager Jim O’Connor and City Attorney Wayne Coment certified the election results with Winger and challenger Amelia Graves emerging as victors.
Graves and Winger were sworn in before an audience of roughly 50 people.
Then Councilman Jay Kramer nominated Winger for mayor, with former mayor Craig Fletcher offering a second to the nomination. Winger was selected by a unanimous vote of the council, with no one dissenting.
No other nominations for mayor were offered.
“You know I look at the people up here and I’m really pleased to serve with all of them,” Winger said, praising his peers, one by one for their strengths, their knowledge and their dedication.
“We certainly won’t vote the same, but I have every belief that we will make wise decisions,” he added.
“I hope we look back in a year, the five of us and we live up to the credentials that we bring forward,” Winger said.
Then Winger offered up a nomination of Kramer for vice mayor.
Turner then nominated herself for vice mayor, pointing out that, as she continues to negotiate with other cities and with the Florida Municipal Power Agency on behalf of the sale of Vero electric, the title would provide her additional clout in those negotiations.
The council filled out paper ballots, which were handed to Vock. Vock announced that Kramer was selected as vice mayor.
The selection of Winger was no surprise, as he virtually ran on a joint ticket with Graves, and former mayor Craig Fletcher pledged his support for Winger as mayor on a radio talk show interview after the election.
Fletcher, a two-time mayor, admitted at Tuesday’s council meeting that it would be his final turn at the gavel, leaving it open for someone else to take a turn.
“I want that edge seat,” Fletcher said as he walked to the dais.
Earlier this year, Fletcher came under fire for his handling of a proclamation brought to the council by a humanist group. That controversy lead to a failed effort to recall Fletcher and then-Vice Mayor Tracy Carroll, who was defeated by a 12-point margin on Tuesday.
Assistant City Attorney Peggy Lyon gave the council members a briefing on Florida’s broad open records and open meetings legislation commonly known as the Sunshine Law. She called it her top 10 questions about the Sunshine Law.
After the organizational meeting, council members were scheduled to go upstairs into the city manager’s conference room at 11 a.m. to conduct a closed-door or “shade” meeting to discuss collective bargaining negotiations with the city’s employee unions. See related story.
The next regularly scheduled city council meeting will be 6 p.m. Tuesday, November 19.
