Palm Bay City Manager Gregg Lynk Fired After Newly Elected Council Members Sworn In

By  //  November 21, 2018

Kenny Johnson casts deciding vote to oust City Manager Gregg Lynk

During a special meeting of the Palm Bay City Council on Wednesday evening newly elected Councilman Kenny Johnson, above, was sworn in and then promptly cast the deciding vote to fire City Manager Gregg Lynk. (City of Palm Bay image)

BREVARD COUNTY • PALM BAY, FLORIDA – During a special meeting of the Palm Bay City Council on Wednesday evening newly elected Councilman Kenny Johnson was sworn in and then promptly cast the deciding vote to fire City Manager Gregg Lynk.

The recently re-elected City Councilman Jeff Bailey was also sworn in and voted with Johnson and Mayor William Capote to oust Lynk.

Voting to retain Lynk were City Councilman Harry Santiago and Deputy Mayor Brian Anderson.

Lynk, 57, was hired in April 2015 over 79 other applicants from around the country and then seven finalists who were ultimately selected to participate in individual interviews with the mayor and council.

Lynk earned $182,507 annually and will receive $70,000 in severance pay.

City of Palm Bay Communications and IT Director Lisa Morrell was appointed as interim city manager by the city council.

Gregg Lynk, 53, originally from upstate New York and moved to Palm Bay last year, was selected by a 4-1 vote of the council. Councilmember Michel Paccione voted in favor of other candidates. (Image for SpaceCoastDaily.com)
Palm Bay City Manager Gregg Lynk was fired in a 3-2 vote during a special meeting of the city council. He was hired in April 2015 over 79 other applicants from around the country and then seven finalists who were ultimately selected to participate in individual interviews with the mayor and council. (City of Palm Bay image)
City of Palm Bay Communications and IT Director Lisa Morrell was appointed as interim city manager by the city council. City of Palm Bay image)

The city’s population is approximately 110,000, making it the most populous municipality in Brevard County.

The mayor and city council are the legislative branches of city government and are the community’s decision makers. The Mayor is the presiding officer at the Council meetings and is the official head of the city for all ceremonial occasions.

Power is centralized in the elected mayor and council, which approves the budget, determines the tax rate, focuses on the community’s goals, major projects, and such long-term considerations as community growth, land use development, capital improvement plans, capital financing, and strategic planning.

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The five-member mayor and council operate in accordance with the City Charter. Three positions created by the charter are appointed by and report directly to the city council, including the city manager, city attorney and city clerk.

The city manager is responsible for all activities related to the operations of the city including the hiring of a professional staff to assist in the administration and enforcement of the city charter, ordinances, resolutions, financial conditions and all of the various procedures and policies that are required for the city to function properly.

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