STUART, Fla. (CBS12) — A routine Stuart City Commission meeting turned into a sweeping leadership shakeup Monday night, with commissioners removing the mayor, firing the city manager, and taking steps to bring a former city manager back to City Hall.
The moves came near the end of the meeting, after commissioners had completed most of their regular business.
The night began with a swearing-in ceremony. Commissioners Campbell Rich and Eula Clarke were sworn in for new four-year terms after winning reelection, while Merritt Matheson returned to the commission after winning the Group III seat.
But the tone quickly shifted when Rich raised a series of leadership changes.
Rich first nominated Commissioner Laura Giobbi to serve as vice mayor. The commission approved the appointment unanimously.
A routine Stuart City Commission meeting ended with a sweeping shakeup of city leadership Monday night, as commissioners removed the mayor, fired the city manager and voted to pursue bringing back a former city manager. (WPEC)
He then made a motion to remove Sean Reed as mayor and replace him with Clarke.
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Giobbi opposed the move, arguing Reed should be allowed to complete a full year as mayor, pointing to what she described as a precedent for other commissioners.
Reed also pushed back, at one point calling the move “childish.”
The motion passed 3-2, with Rich, Matheson and Clarke voting in favor. Reed and Giobbi voted against it.
Clarke then took over as mayor.
The commission’s next target was City Manager Mike Giardino.
Rich and Matheson said they wanted to bring back former City Manager Michael Mortell, citing his experience and relationships as Stuart faces major financial and policy challenges.
Reed strongly opposed removing Giardino and read previous complaints and records involving Mortell into the record.
Giobbi left the meeting before the vote.
Clarke supported the move, saying she believed the city should never have parted ways with Mortell.
“We never should have lost Mike,” Clarke said. “The disruption should never have happened. And we need to correct and move forward.”
The commission voted 3-1 to remove Giardino, with Reed voting against the motion.
Commissioners then unanimously appointed longtime city employee James “Jim” Chrulski, the city’s Community Services Director, as interim city manager.
The commission later voted to pursue Mortell’s return as city manager under terms still to be negotiated, contingent on him accepting the position. That vote also passed 3-1, with Reed opposed.
Mortell previously served as Stuart’s city attorney before becoming interim city manager in March 2023. Commissioners unanimously appointed him permanent city manager later that year.
He was fired without cause in 2025.
The leadership changes came during an increasingly contentious meeting.
During public comment, one resident criticized Reed’s previous handling of Mortell’s removal, describing his behavior as “less than professional.” The comments prompted a reminder from the dais that residents should not directly disparage individual commissioners.
After the commission’s final vote involving Mortell, applause broke out in the chambers.
“You can clap,” Clarke told the audience, adding that she would allow it that time.
The meeting ended shortly afterward, with Stuart’s leadership structure dramatically different from when the night began: Clarke was mayor, Giobbi was vice mayor, Chrulski was serving as interim city manager, and commissioners had begun the process of potentially bringing Mortell back.
The shakeup adds another chapter to years of disputes at Stuart City Hall, where commissioners have clashed over issues including city leadership, the Brightline station and Mortell’s firing.