Fort Pierce city commission convened on Oct. 20 during their regular commission meeting to evaluate City Manager Richard Chess's performance after six months of the job.
Mayor Linda Hudson was the first to speak during the discussion, commenting highly of Chess and his character.
"It's really a pleasure to work with you, because you are very relaxed and easy person to work with," she said. "I think you have a comprehensive command of what we are doing in Fort Pierce in your six months."
The mayor complimented Chess on all that he has learned in his short tenure as city manager, highlighting his improvements to the purchasing process. She did have some areas for Chess to improve, however.
"I think what we have to do is just improve with some of our staffing and some of our reporting," she said.
Hudson emphasized Chess's commitment to fostering strong ethics among staff and his rigid following of the city's strategic plan.
"You got thrown right into the deep end, and so far, I am very pleased," she said.
Commissioner Arnold Gaines was the next so speak. He also spoke highly of Chess.
"I like how you have systematically started to not only attack and try to fix the problems, but you are not afraid to call out the problems and bring it to our attention," he said.
Gaines said he looks forward to continuing to work with Chess, and attempted to dissuade the complaints of the public who said the city manager refuses to meet with them privately.
"We didn't hire him to have one-on-one meetings, he's trying to fix the city," he said, asking the public to give him time to meet with them.
Commissioner Curtis Johnson then shared his thoughts.
"It's been a pleasure to see your confidence grow," he said.
Johnson commented on Chess' actions in his tenure as city manager, emphasizing that he believes Chess acted fairly and logically in those decisions.
"You've already made some tough decisions. Your process of coming to us last week to talk about development of staff is key," he said.
Commissioner Michael Broderick was the last commissioner to speak. Broderick was the only commissioner who voted against hiring Chess during the final decision process.
"In hindsight, I was wrong," he said. "I believe we have the man in the job at the time that we need him."
Broderick said that he believes any expectation of Chess to solve all of Fort Pierce's problems in just six months is unrealistic.
"We're not going to fix these problems overnight," he said. "Change is created one matter at a time."
Commissioner Broderick commended Chess, saying he is the right person to elevate Fort Pierce.
"The changes you have made so far are a sign to the entire footprint of the city that change is here, it is being implemented, and you have the respect of the city commission to get this done," he said.
Chess then thanked the commissioners for the kind words.
"You've been great with me from day one. You've been transparent, gave me guidance, and gave me the latitude to make decisions to find out what's going on without just boxing me into a corner to do it your way," he said.
A few members of the public showed support for Chess as well.
"He has made positive changes in such a short time already, I am excited to see what he can accomplish in another six months," said one resident.