The Destin City Council voted on Monday night to appoint former Councilmember Chatham Morgan to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Councilmember Torey Geile earlier this month.
- Morgan will be sworn in at the May 4 council meeting and serve until a permanent member is elected Nov. 3.
Morgan was selected from a pool of 11 applicants: Eric Cabrera, Ross Haynes, Jonathan Ryan Holloway, Maria Lahti, Morgan, Alan Osborne, Matthew Pace, Jay Purut, Jessica Ramm, Vincent Roy and John Stephens.
Councilmember Jim Bagby made the motion to appoint Morgan, which was seconded by Councilwoman Teresa Hebert. Bagby said Morgan’s experience with city budgets set him apart from the rest of the field.
“We’re going in budget season. So of all all 11 candidates, all fully qualified, Chatham stood above because he’s gone through the budget process before in my mind, and he understands exactly what those workshops are supposed to do and not supposed to do, and he understands the strategic planning process of the city,” Bagby said.
Morgan served on the Destin City Council from 2016 to 2021 and previously filled an interim role for former Councilmember Skip Overdier.
- “I have served five years. I’ve filled the interim role before,” Morgan told the council. “I love Destin. I like the work we did when I was up here from 2016 to ’21.”
Hebert echoed Bagby’s reasoning, pointing to the city’s upcoming budget cycle.
“The finance is a big deal. Our budget, we have to stay on track and having Chatham already gone through it several years, it’ll be easy for him to just slide in,” Hebert said.
Councilman Dewey Destin thanked all 11 applicants.
“They are all, in my opinion, qualified to take this job and I look forward to seeing them in November,” Destin said.
Mayor Bobby Wagner, who does not vote unless breaking a tie, said he would have chosen John Stephens if he had a vote, praising Stephens’ consistent attendance at council meetings.
- “I just appreciate you always showing up even when an election seat isn’t up here,” Wagner said. “If I had a vote it would be with John Stevens.”
Bagby and Hebert both encouraged the remaining applicants to run for one of three council seats up for election in November and to consider applying for open seats on city advisory committees.
“Three and a half years ago, we couldn’t even find four people to run for three seats. We didn’t even have an election, and now we have 11 who are interested in one seat,” Bagby said. “That just makes my heart glad.”
Geile resigned from his seat at the council’s April 7 meeting, citing personal obligations. His term ran from 2022 to 2026. City Attorney Kim Kopp told the council at that meeting that Section 309C of the city charter requires the council to fill a vacancy by appointment when less than a year remains until the next election.
