Weston Will Remain PSJ City Manager

The Port St Joe city commission during a special meeting Tuesday night that lasted under a half hour, unanimously approved a motion to cease any hearing concerning the dismissal of city manager Charlie Weston and approved keeping Weston on contract for at least the next 18 months.

Commissioner John Reeves, citing "changes" since May - when action was first brought against Weston - and changes in operations at city hall, agreed to entertain any motion, one he ultimately made, to bring an end to the hearing process established to consider Weston's dismissal.

Reeves made the initial allegations against Weston, charging he had mishandled the city's finances and was not operating the city in an efficient manner, twice attempting to oust the city manager during meetings in late April and early May, which brought the matter to a hearing process that has played out the past 30 days or so.

The commission voted 3-2 in May to fire Weston, but the city charter required a hearing process under which commissioners had 10 days to file formal charges and Weston had 20 days to respond.

Tuesday's meeting was initially to be a workshop to consider the framework for the hearing followed by the hearing. However, that schedule was changed on Monday to include only the special meeting.

In front of nearly 50 audience members, Mayor Mel Magidson turned the floor over to Reeves, stating the commissioner had been the one that brought things to the point of the required hearing.

Reeves countered by saying he would entertain a motion to end the hearing process and bring the entire ordeal to a close. His motion to do so passed 5-0.

Newly-elected commissioner Greg Johnson, who in the May 12 city elections ousted one of the three commissioners who voted for Weston's firing, made a motion to keep Weston under contract for the next 18 months and that also passed 5-0.

Commissioners had renewed Weston's contract in January, just months before a majority made the move to have him fired.

Weston said he was happy with the outcome but had desired more of an opportunity to provide a defense to the allegations lodged against him.

He acknowledged there may have been mistakes in the past, might be again in the future, but he viewed any mistake as an opportunity to learn and better perform his duties in the future.