The Titusville City Council voted unanimously July 19 to appoint Mister Amati as city manager, ending a weeks-long search after most external candidates withdrew and leaving one internal finalist.

Council members said continuity and the candidate’s working performance during an interim period persuaded them to act now. Vice Mayor Cole moved to appoint the candidate; the motion was seconded and carried on a unanimous roll call vote of five yes votes.

The decision came after a public interview of the candidate and a recess during which each council member met one‑on‑one with the city’s executive leadership team for feedback. The candidate described his priorities in the public interview: ‘‘I would like to see the city more proactive in addressing the city’s infrastructure,’’ and said he would ‘‘step up’’ community outreach and social‑media communications so citizens know why decisions are made.

Nut graf: The council’s appointment resolves an immediate leadership need but split the council beforehand about process. Some members urged reopening the national search to benchmark the finalist against other applicants; others said restarting would leave the city without a permanent manager for many months and that the interim’s performance and staff feedback favored appointment now.

Council discussion and rationale

Vice Mayor Cole told colleagues she was ‘‘totally impressed’’ with the candidate and with what senior staff told her in private meetings. Member Nelson said she agreed, citing the finalist’s ‘‘willingness to engage with the community’’ and positive feedback from senior staff. Member Stockel, who said she had been ‘‘beyond frustrated’’ with the way the search unfolded, also supported appointment after describing the candidate as ‘‘willing to work with all of us and all of our varying personalities.’’

During the public interview, the candidate — identified in the meeting as the assistant city manager and serving as interim — outlined management priorities including budgeting and staffing efficiencies, replacing obsolete enterprise software, and expanding community outreach. He described his leadership style as ‘‘collaborative’’ and said he ‘‘surround[s] [himself] with quality people’’ while holding them accountable.

Public comment and concerns

Members of the public voiced both support and opposition. Jesse Wright, a local developer, said he supported retaining the interim manager because of the candidate’s long service and availability during his development project. Several other residents urged reopening the search to ensure transparency and to avoid the perception of a prearranged outcome; Dr. Kathleen O’Rourke urged the council to ‘‘reopen the search’’ to get more candidates and broader citizen input. Tony Shipalone and another commenter said the process and recent council behavior had eroded public trust and urged a new search.

Formal action

Vice Mayor Cole moved to appoint Mister Amati as city manager; the motion was seconded and passed on a roll call vote: Member Nelson — yes; Mayor Connors — yes; Vice Mayor Cole — yes; Member Stockel — yes; Member Mosco — yes. The council instructed staff to prepare an employment agreement consistent with council direction.

Context and next steps

Council members discussed contract length and termination provisions during the meeting. City legal counsel explained that charter officers are ‘‘at will’’ but that employment agreements commonly include notice and severance terms and that staff will draft a proposed contract for future council consideration. One councilor proposed a two‑year contract with an opt‑out; others noted that three council votes could terminate an at‑will charter officer if circumstances required.

Ending: The new city manager thanked the council for their confidence and said he would ‘‘do 110 percent’’ to justify the appointment. The council moved on to the city attorney selection process at the same meeting.