Transgender City Manager Ousted From Lake Worth for 'Personal Reasons'

After a plethora of media coverage by local news outlets, including several stories featured in the Palm Beach Post, it's hardly breaking news that transgendered Lake Worth City Manager Susan Stanton was fired from her job last month.

The 3-2 vote in favor of her dismissal has brought with it its fair share of controversy in the local press, and the motives behind the firing itself are still murky according to two of the commissioners. And even a third commissioner, newly elected Andy Amoroso who voted to oust Stanton, is rather tightlipped on the issue despite his supposedly "friendly" dealings with her for the better part of two years.

So just why was she let go? Was it budgetary? Was it something more sinister, more politically motivated?

The answers are anything but easily defined at this point. But a few things about the firing are known with certainty: it wasn't due to performance, had nothing to do with her choice of gender orientation and came as a shock, even to some of the commissioners.

"We had no idea the vote was even coming, let alone why," says Lake Worth City Commissioner Christopher McVoy, one of the two commissioners who voted not to fire Stanton. McVoy was more than willing to speak to SFGN despite vacationing in Vermont and painting a house when receiving the call.

Perhaps even more telling? The way the vote and subsequent firing was conducted.

City Commissioner Scott Maxwell raised the motion to fire Stanton, but, McVoy says he "Went out of his way to cover himself in motioning to keep public comment on his [then] passed motion to those members of the public wishing simply to thank City Manager Stanton for her service."

Maxwell did not respond via email to an interview request.

Maxwell, according to McVoy has been an outspoken opponent of Stanton since the beginning of her tenure in 2009.

"She is, indeed, a very direct woman, and some folks simply don't like that type of leadership style," McVoy says. "We met for breakfast almost weekly and spoke as friends, not just about budgetary issues. But Maxwell...he would have none of it. He wouldn't give her a moment of his time and it was well known that he disliked her and would do whatever he could to tip the scales in his favor and, while it's just a hunch, have her dismissed from her position simply because of his personal feelings."

Nine months ago Former Mayor Rene Varela, criticized Stanton's people skills in an evaluation and even she agreed she needed to make more of an effort to reach out to the community.

But still: how important was her demeanor to the city's financial well-being as a whole?

Well, for one, Lake Worth City Commissioner Suzanne Mulvehill, who did not vote to fire Statnton, seems to agree with McVoy's assessment of her dismissal.

"She wasn't fired for negligence and wasn't fired for lack of performance, so that pretty much leaves only one other reason, especially with Commissioner Maxwell - who was frequently voted down on numerous measures before the election of the new commission - making the motion and having it passed."

In fact when it comes to job performance, according to Mulvehill, Stanton helped the city balance a budget with precision. Despite having to compensate for nearly $10 million in lost revenues from 2008 to present, Stanton was not only up to the job but ensured that, before the newest elections, the city of Lake Worth had a completely balanced budget. Additionally, just nine months ago Stanton received a favorable evaluation - besides some minor criticisms -- from the then city commission.

Going further, Mulvehill not only asserts her belief that Stanton was fired for personal reasons, but claims Maxwell, who is also vice mayor, had even further motivation to flex his political muscle.

"It's pretty obvious: he wants to run the show."

Yet another twist to the still unraveling controversy is Commissioner Andy Amoroso's comments on the vote. Openly gay and part of the majority vote to fire Stanton, Amoroso stated that he is not a "traditional" politician and had little to say about the matter.

"I won't give you my reasons for voting for the measure simply because Susan [Stanton] is going to apply for another job at some point and whomever she applies with will probably look her up on Google and come across this article," he said. "I don't want to be responsible for her not getting a job because I chose to list my reasons for her dismissal."

Amoroso is new to the commission only having been elected in November.

Curiously enough Stanton, who could not be reached for comment, maintains a Facebook Page pointing her "interests" to Amoroso's election site adding further credence to their obvious acquaintanceship prior to the election. Under questioning, though, Amoroso declined to comment about he and Stanton's prior dealings and reverts methodically back to a seemingly pre-packaged response.

"There could be hundreds of reasons that the public wanted her out," Amoroso said. "All we did was act on their desires with the best interests of the city in mind."

Remember, though: while Amoroso points to the public being the harbinger for the ousting, it was motioned during the meeting that the public be confined simply to saying goodbye to Stanton and thanking her for her service. How then could it be said with accuracy that there could potentially be a myriad of reasons for Stanton's firing - the most relevant of which was public opinion?

"There were at least double the amount of people at this meeting that would normally show up, and most of them were known to have been vocally critical of Stanton in the past," Commissioner McVoy says. "It seemed like more than just a coincidence."

Commissioner Mulvehill feels that the meeting to fire Stanton had potentially been planned in advance with only certain people knowing, which if true, would violate Florida's Sunshine Laws. Those laws state that fellow commissioners are not allowed to converse about anything with each other related to policy, voting, procedure or anything else relevant to the city.

"I spoke with the state attorney's office, and while they said that proving a violation of Sunshine Laws is extremely difficult - they also said that there have been numerous inquiries into the city of Lake Worth. They were fairly passive in their response as to how they would deal with them, but from talking to residents who claim to have filed Sunshine Law violations against the city - citing Commissioner Maxwell in particular - I think that, aside from setting our city back, this is just the beginning of the end - and one that we didn't need...this whole ordeal has put us back a year at least and we're still in limbo... like a ship with a captain and a crew but no movement. It's a sea of uncertainty"

One thing though that does seem certain is that Stanton was not fired because she is transgender as happened with her last job as city manager of Largo, Florida. Tony Plakas, the executive director of Compass, the gay and lesbian center of the Palm Beaches, said this is just the way things happen in Lake Worth.

"I'm 900 percent sure it did not have anything to do with her gender identity," he said. "It's no secret we've been through a lot of city managers. The last 5 city managers have all gone out in the same way - abruptly. She's been treated like every other city manager they've wanted out."