Diana Adams appointed to West Melbourne City Council, replacing Daniel Batcheldor
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Diana Adams has been selected to fulfill Daniel Batcheldor's unexpired five-month term on the West Melbourne City Council.
Adams is executive director of the Brevard Heart Foundation. She is also co-owner and community engagement coordinator for Rock Paper Simple, a digital marketing agency — and she joined the LEAD Brevard board of directors last week.
“As a small business owner with my husband, I have worked on budgets and contracts and built relationships with clients. I actively seek ways to support the local community and give back, and I want to see other local businesses thrive here in our city," Adams wrote in her application.
"I believe cities benefit from leaders with business experience because they are run similarly to businesses where it is important to have a balanced budget, solve issues, provide quality service to others, and plan for the future,” Adams wrote.
Tuesday night, the West Melbourne City Council publicly interviewed Adams and three other applicants: Adam Gaffney, William Johnson and Justin Matoska.
Afterward, four of the six council members — Mayor Hal Rose, Pat Bentley, John Dittmore and Stephen Phrampus — chose Adams in a ballot poll.
Gaffney received the other two ballot votes, from Deputy Mayor Andrea Young and Daniel McDow.
The City Council then unanimously appointed Adams, who took the oath of office from City Clerk Cynthia Hanscom.
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Batcheldor, who was elected in November 2018, resigned effective June 1. He and his family are moving to upstate New York.
Adams will fulfill the remainder of Batcheldor's term, which expires on Nov. 22. On that date, a candidate elected in the general election will take the oath of office.
Four City Council candidates have announced they will run in the November general election thus far, and three seats are available. Those candidates are Adams; incumbents Dittmore and Young; and William Johnson.
Adams is pursuing a doctorate degree in public administration from Valdosta State University, her resume shows. From 2016 to 2020, she worked as a fourth and fifth grade teacher at Freedom 7 Elementary in Cocoa Beach — where she won the statewide Dr. Theron Trimble Elementary Social Studies Teacher of the Year Award.
She serves on West Melbourne's Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and Business Advisory Board, and she is secretary on the Space Coast Field of Dreams board of directors.
Rose said West Melbourne officials received 12 inquiries about the vacant council seat. Six people applied, two of whom later withdrew.
On June 21, the City Council is expected to consider an employment contract that will promote Assistant City Manager Tim Rhode to the city manager's post. City Manager Scott Morgan, who is retiring, will step down at the end of August.
Morgan has served as city manager since July 2009.
Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Melbourne City Council: Diana Adams West replacing Daniel Batcheldor
