CARMEN DAVIS: Abruptly fired. PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN BARROW CAMPAIGN

LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. – City commissioners fired City Manager Carmen Davis during her performance evaluation meeting on December 11, citing poor management and internal staff communication issues.

Davis’s termination was effective immediately and commissioners voted Public Works Director Jamie Brown as the interim city manager until a search to find a permanent replacement is completed.

Davis, who was on the job for two years, abruptly left the commission chambers following the 3-2 vote to terminate her from her $200,000 a year job.

Davis is African American and the city commissioners are all white.

During a heated three-hour meeting, Commissioner Kim Stokes made the motion to fire Davis and Vice Mayor Christopher McCoy and Commissioner Reinaldo Diaz voted in her favor.

Mayor Betty Resch and Commissioner Sarah Malega voted to keep Davis, suggesting she’s doing a good job and her staff is responding to residents’ needs.

Lake Worth Beach, in southern Palm Beach County, has a population of 37,000.

“The morale of the employees right now is hard,” Resch said during the meeting. “If their leader in one quick motion can be chopped away, what does it mean to the stability of this city?”

Resch told Davis moments before she left that her firing was politically motivated.

"There’s been a target on your back for quite some time,” Resch told Davis. "And tonight is an example of the fruition of that target."

Malega said Davis has led the city to new heights during her two-year tenure. "Overall, I think that City Manager Davis has done a great job," Malega said.

Stokes said she couldn’t give Davis a vote of confidence because she failed to address city issues including 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.

Instead of termination, Resch requested another job performance evaluation for Davis in the next six months but her idea was voted down.

McVoy said: "Three out of five that are saying the person in question is below satisfactory. That’s probably not the best situation for the city.”

After the meeting, Resch said Lake Worth Beach has lost a mainstay of the city’s success in the past two years.

"It was a terrible decision," she said. "But we will all work together to keep the city moving forward in a positive direction."

Davis couldn’t be reached for comment.

Some residents who attended the meeting were surprised over Davis’ termination.

"Transition? This is not a transition," Debra Providence said, referring to commissioners appointing Brown to serve as interim city manager. "I do love this city, but no, not this and not the people who choreographed this."

Said David Schoentag: "I can’t wait for the next election."

After the meeting, the city released a statement on social media ensuring residents the city will have a smooth transition under Brown and Assistant City Manager Troy Perry.

"The City Commission made a tough decision to part ways with Carmen Davis as our City Manager," the statement said. "We’re entering a new chapter, but don’t worry, our city is in capable hands. Jamie Brown steps up as the interim city manager, alongside the ever-dependable Troy Perry as assistant city manager. With Brown and Perry combined experiences and dedication, we’re confident in a smooth transition ahead. Our day-to-day city operations will continue as normal."

Davis was hired in the fall of 2021 after nearly a decade running a bigger county in the state of Mississippi.

She replaced the previous city manager, Michael Bornstein, who had resigned.