City Council

City of Marco Island Florida 51 Bald Eagle Drive Marco Island, Florida cityofmarcoisland.com Meeting Minutes - Final Monday, March 17, 2025 1:00 PM Special Called Meeting Community Meeting Room City Council Chair: Erik Brechnitz Vice-Chair: Stephen Gray City Council: Rene Champagne, Tamara Goehler, Deb Henry, Darrin Palumbo, Bonita Schwan City Manager: Mike McNees Assistant City Manager: Casey Lucius City Attorney: Alan L. Gabriel City Clerk: Joan Taylor City Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 17, 2025 1. Call to Order Vice-Chair Brechnitz called the Special-Called Meeting to order at 1:00 P.M. 2. Roll Call Present: 6- Councilor Goehler, Vice-Chair Gray, Councilor Henry, Councilor Palumbo, Councilor Schwan and Chair Brechnitz Also Present Michael McNees, City Manager Casey Lucius, Assistant City Manager Joan Taylor, City Clerk Alan L. Gabriel, City Attorney (arrived at 1:02 P.M.) Tracy Frazzano, Police Chief (arrived at 1:03 P.M.) Chris Byrne, Fire Chief Martin Luna, Video/Broadcast Technician Jim Kornas, Recording Specialist Citizens and Visitors 3. Agenda Additions Vice-Chair Brechnitz requested, and received, Council member consensus to add a Pledge of Allegiance to the Agenda. Councilor Schwan also requested that a reading of the City Council Meeting Rules of Decorum be read prior to the undertaking of the business before the Council. Vice-Chair Brechnitz supported her request. 4. Pledge of Allegiance Led by Vice-Chair Brechnitz. 5. Meeting Rules of Decorum City Manager McNees read the Marco Island City Council Rules of Decorum in their entirety. 6. Business - Selection of Candidate to Fill City Council Vacancy ID 25-4298 Selection of Candidate to Fill the City Council Vacancy - Joan Taylor, City Clerk Vice-Chair Brechnitz briefly reviewed the recent actions by the Council to select an applicant to complete the term of former Councilor Greg Folley. He proposed a balloting process that was actively discussed by the members of the Council. Several Councilors proposed an alternative candidate-by-candidate open Motion/Second/Vote on candidates who submitted applications for consideration since the initiation of the candidate identification process. The four most-recent candidates who submitted applications following the City Council Special-Called Meeting on February 18, 2025 were given four minutes before the Council to outline their qualifications and/or offer comments for the Council's consideration. All four candidates addressed the Council in the following order: 1) Ms. Allyson Richards City of Marco Island Florida Page 1 City Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 17, 2025 2) Ms. Becky Irwin 3) Ms. Melissa Tschida 4) Mr. Rene Champagne Members of the public were invited to sign-in to address the Council prior to the Council's action on the candidates. [Editorial Note: the record of those citizens who came forward to address the Council is noted under Agenda Item #7 (Public Comment). Additional Council discussion resulted in a Motion advanced by Councilor Schwan. MOTION by Councilor Schwan, seconded by Councilor Palumbo, that Mr. Rene Champagne be appointed to the Marco Island City Council. MOTION CARRIED BY THE FOLLOWING COUNCIL VOTE: Yes: 6- Councilor Goehler, Vice-Chair Gray, Councilor Henry, Councilor Palumbo, Councilor Schwan and Chair Brechnitz Following the Council's unanimous endorsement of Mr. Rene Champagne, Vice-Chair Brechnitz requested that City Attorney Alan Gabriel administer the oath of office. Mr. Champagne was sworn in as a Marco Island City Councilor. 7. Public Comment The following individuals came forward to offer comment on the candidates and the process under consideration by members of the Council: 1) Mr. Michael Dowell (Biscayne Way)* 2) Ms. Chris Dowell (Biscayne Way) 3) Mr. Randy Egan (Bonita Ct.) 4) Mr. Anthony Oliverio (Olds Ct.) *Note: Ms. Lisa Foster ceded her time to Mr. Michael Dowell who was granted six minutes (rather than four) to address the Council. 8. Adjourn There being no further business before the Council, Vice-Chair Brechnitz adjourned the Special-Called Meeting at 2:12 P.M. ___________________________ Erik Brechnitz, Council Vice-Chair ATTEST: ____________________________________ Joan Taylor, City Clerk PREPARED BY: ___________________________ Jim Kornas, Recording Specialist City of Marco Island Florida Page 2