Lake Worth Beach dismisses city manager, starts search to name a new one

LAKE WORTH BEACH — The Lake Worth Beach City Commission voted to terminate the contract of City Manager Carmen Davis during a special meeting Monday night.

Its 3-2 vote followed a review of her performance over the past two years.

Commissioners Kim Stokes and Reinaldo Díaz and Vice Mayor Christopher McCoy voted in favor of Davis' removal. Mayor Betty Resch and Commissioner Sarah Malega voted against her termination.

The city announced Tuesday afternoon that commissioners have appointed Jamie Brown, Lake Worth Beach's public works director, as its interim city manager until a search for a permanent manager is completed. Troy Perry will continue in his role as assistant city manager.

Palm Beach County schools: District falls to 'B' rating but 60 schools get 'A' grades

Carmen Davis came to Lake Worth Beach from Mississippi post

Davis, a former of administrator in Hinds County, Mississippi, was selected as city's top administrator in September 2021. She replaced Michael Bornstein, who stepped down after nine years in the position and is now town manager in Palm Springs.

Davis held her post in Hinds County, which includes the state capital of Jackson, from September 2010 until she was fired in January 2020. She was terminated without reason after an election changed the makeup of Hinds County's board of supervisors.

One former member of that board told a national search firm hired by Lake Worth Beach that the new majority of supervisors "knew (Davis) would not go along with their plans because their plans were not proper and she has integrity."

'Huge deal for city': Lake Worth Beach gets $23 million-plus to upgrade electric utility

Lake Worth Beach budget one area of tension with City Commission

During Monday night's Lake Worth Beach commission meeting, residents speaking during public comments voiced a mix of support and opposition to Davis' leadership.

"She really has only had a year, in my opinion, to work hard," Malega said during the meeting, noting Davis had to hire an assistant city manager and learn the ins-and-outs of Lake Worth Beach after moving from a different state.

"Overall, I think that City Manager Davis has done a great job," Malega said.

Stokes said efforts to work with the city manager to address areas of concern failed to produce satisfactory results. Among the issues she mention was the city's budget.

"I still don't know why we were over budget last year by over $2 million in personnel expenses, even though I have continuously called for accountability and answers," she said.

Stokes introduced a motion to terminate Davis' employment immediately, saying she no longer has faith or confidence in her work.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: City manager ousted in Lake Worth Beach; search for new one starts