Three new City Council members take office in Sebastian after contentious recall election

SEBASTIAN — After 10 months of chaos and confusion, a recall election brought three new members to the City Council Wednesday night.

Frederick Jones, Bob McPartlan and Christopher Nunn were sworn into office to serve out the unexpired terms of Damien Gilliams, Charles Mauti and Pamela Parris, who were removed from office through a recall election Sept. 15.

More than 31 percent of registered voters cast ballots, one of the largest numbers in recent history.

More: Three Sebastian City Council members removed in recall vote

Jones, a former state trooper; McPartlan, a manager for the Florida Department of Children and Families; and Nunn, a computer analyst, took their places on the dais immediately after the oath of office was administered by City Clerk Jeanette Williams.

Councilman Jim Hill, who is running for reelection Nov. 3, was vice mayor, replacing Mauti. He will serve until a new council is sworn in following the election..

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The Rev. Dave Newhart, an unsuccessful candidate in the recall election, said it was an honor to participate in the election process for a town he loves.

“I commend all of you for taking on this task,” Newhart said. “I’m confident you can elevate this community back to where it was before. We now have integrity in those council seats.”

Janet Begley is a local freelance writer. If you like articles like this and other TCPalm coverage of Treasure Coast news, please support our journalism and subscribe now.