![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8b6be73c-9106-4c70-b65b-6a79b034a578-116TRAFFICKINGARRESTS7.jpg\")
<\/p>\nSTUART, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
The moves came near the end of the meeting, after commissioners had completed most of their regular business.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
But the tone quickly shifted when Rich raised a series of leadership changes.<\/p>\n
Rich first nominated Commissioner Laura Giobbi to serve as vice mayor. The commission approved the appointment unanimously.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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)<\/p>\n
He then made a motion to remove Sean Reed as mayor and replace him with Clarke.<\/p>\n
Read more: <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Reed also pushed back, at one point calling the move \u201cchildish.\u201d<\/p>\n
The motion passed 3-2, with Rich, Matheson and Clarke voting in favor. Reed and Giobbi voted against it.<\/p>\n
Clarke then took over as mayor.<\/p>\n
The commission’s next target was City Manager Mike Giardino.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Reed strongly opposed removing Giardino and read previous complaints and records involving Mortell into the record.<\/p>\n
Giobbi left the meeting before the vote.<\/p>\n
Clarke supported the move, saying she believed the city should never have parted ways with Mortell.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe never should have lost Mike,\u201d Clarke said. \u201cThe disruption should never have happened. And we need to correct and move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
The commission voted 3-1 to remove Giardino, with Reed voting against the motion.<\/p>\n
Commissioners then unanimously appointed longtime city employee James \u201cJim\u201d Chrulski, the city’s Community Services Director, as interim city manager.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
He was fired without cause in 2025.<\/p>\n
The leadership changes came during an increasingly contentious meeting.<\/p>\n
During public comment, one resident criticized Reed’s previous handling of Mortell’s removal, describing his behavior as \u201cless than professional.\u201d The comments prompted a reminder from the dais that residents should not directly disparage individual commissioners.<\/p>\n
After the commission’s final vote involving Mortell, applause broke out in the chambers.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can clap,\u201d Clarke told the audience, adding that she would allow it that time.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STUART, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 A routine Stuart City Commission meeting turned into a sweeping leadership shakeup Monday night,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":381200,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[171,173,172],"class_list":["post-381199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie-headlines","tag-port-st-lucie-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=381199"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381199\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/381200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=381199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=381199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=381199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}