Bernardini Tapped For City Mayoral Post

It was a night of transition for the city council.

The council on Monday greeted a new member, selected a new mayor and vice mayor and said goodbye to former vice mayor Frankie Burnett.

Council members unanimously picked Joe Bernardini to serve as mayor for the next year after member Lara Bradburn nominated him.

Bernardini then nominated Bradburn for vice mayor, which garnered another unanimous vote.

Bernardini, who served as mayor during a previous stint on the council, said he didn't expect his selection but said he was "honored."

He added, smiling: "Hopefully it will be a lot easier" than the tenure of his predecessor, David Pugh Jr., who handily won another four-year term on the city council last month.

The mayor is a largely ceremonial position, but Pugh's back-to-back terms showed how the mayor can become a leader in critical - and often controversial - situations.

It was Pugh who helped negotiate a deal with outgoing police chief Ed Tincher when the chief had a falling out with the city's human resources director and filed a lawsuit against the city in 2007.

And it was Pugh who recommended to the full council that several city housing board members be removed for failing to effectively fulfill their duties. The council voted to follow Pugh's recommendation.

Council members recognized that Monday as they thanked Pugh and handed over a gavel mounted on a plaque.

"You've been a steady force in some very tumultuous times," Bradburn said. "Thank you for the calmness and professionalism you've shown. You've represented the city well."

Pugh said the council deserves credit for showing professionalism in the face of disagreements.

"We haven't always agreed, but we've been able to get to the other side," he said.

Pugh thanked his family and supporters and acknowledged the past two years have been "very tough."

"But I think we've turned a corner," he said.

Audience members and council members gave Burnett a resolution honoring him for "just and well-reasoned decisions" and a standing ovation as he approached the podium.

Burnett lost to Joe Johnston III, a former council member and mayor, in a tight race.

"Frankie, job well done," Council member Richard Lewis said.

Burnett said he was glad the council could "disagree without being disagreeable."

And while he acknowledged he won't be representing the city in an official capacity, "I'm still a public servant for the city of Brooksville," he said.

Johnston, who served in the council until 2006 including four stints as mayor, thanked his family for supporting him in yet another term.

"I'm looking forward to the challenges ahead," he said.

The council was slated to discuss a deal to allow the Enrichment Center of Hernando County to lease the Jerome Brown Community Center as well as a proposal to increase building fees but did not reach those agenda items by deadline Monday night.