Norris continues to argue that Gambaro was appointed illegally in 2024.
Note: This story was updated at 4:30 p.m. after phone interviews with Mike Norris and Theresa Pontieri.
Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris has said repeatedly, including in City Council meetings, that the appointment of Charles Gambaro to the City Council in 2024 was illegal. He doubled down on that stance during a March 16, 2025, interview with Flagler County Buzz, posted March 20 on YouTube, saying that anything Gambaro does on the council is “illegitimate.”
The comment further strains the council at a time when it’s already enduring a “heavy” atmosphere, as Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri observed. It’s a consequential time because the members must soon reach a consensus not only on an appointment of a new District 3 council member, after Ray Stevens resigned due to health reasons — but also on the hiring of a new city manager.
To complicate matters further, the city has hired a law firm, Lawson, Huck and Gonzalez, to investigate Norris for attempting to fire Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston. The allegation was a potential City Charter violation, and was brought to light by Gambaro on March 11.
GAMBARO’S APPOINTMENT
The vacancy that Gambaro ultimately was appointed to fill was created when Cathy Heighter resigned her seat on the City Council on Aug. 23, 2024, just under two years into her term.
The resignation came under circumstances that may not be adequately handled in the City Charter.
On one hand, the charter states that “the office shall be filled by appointment within 90 days.”
Norris, who was elected mayor on Nov. 5, 2024, explained it in the same way during the March 16, 2025, interview: “Our City Charter — if the person is not halfway through their term, the current council can appoint someone.” He then repeated: “They had every right to appoint Mr. Gambaro to that position.”
Gambaro was appointed and sworn in on Oct. 1, 2024, well within the charter-required 90 days.
However, the charter continues: "Such appointments shall last until the next regularly scheduled election, at which time the seat shall be declared open and an election held for the remaining two years of the original term, thus continuing the original staggering of district seats."
Norris felt, then and now, that the City Council should have opened up the position for candidates to run in the Nov. 5, 2024, election, rather than appoint someone.
An election may not have been possible, however, due to the qualifications section of the charter. Article IV (1)(b) states that to qualify, a candidate "shall" submit petitions within 28 days of the qualifying period. Qualifying period for the Nov. 5., 2024, ended months earlier. "Or," the charter continues, "Pay to the City Clerk a qualifying fee of ten percent of the salary of the office he/she seeks to run for."
The charter is not clear whether that fee would have to be paid before the qualifying period.
Pontieri, who is the only current City Council member who was in office in the fall of 2024, reflected on that time period in a phone interview with the Observer on March 21, 2025. She said she and the other council members relied on the opinion of the city attorney to guide them at the time.
Upon reviewing the charter again, she concluded, "If we would have followed the charter in one area, there was a risk of violating it in another."
Sticking with his interpretation of the charter language, Norris insisted during the March 16 interview that, referring to Gambaro: “Any votes that that gentleman makes is illegitimate. Any motions he makes, anything he does, is illegitimate.”
Norris added, during a March 21 interview with the Observer, that he tried to get clarification on the matter when he was first elected, but didn't get support from the rest of the City Council.
"I'm right, and I can't change the fact that I'm right," Norris said. "I’m not going to back down from it because he shoudn’t be in that seat."
CHARTER ALLEGATIONS
Norris has been at odds with Gambaro ever since the conclusion of the March 11 City Council meeting. At that time, Gambaro revealed that he had been told about a meeting in which Norris tried to have the acting city manager and chief of staff fired, all behind closed doors, without involving the rest of the City Council.
Gambaro asked for consensus from Pontieri and City Councilman Ty Miller to launch an independent investigation to determine whether the City Charter had been violated, and both agreed.
Norris was defiant, saying he had not attempted to fire anyone.
In fact, Norris said, "This City Council — not with me on it — has violated the City Charter. ... When they appointed Mr. Gambaro, they violated the charter."
NO SUPPORT FOR EURESTE
Gambaro also told the City Council on March 11, before the final comments about the charter, that he did not support Norris’ preferred choice for the next city manager, Lee Eureste.
Lee Eureste, who ran three camps at Camp Butler, in Okinawa, Japan, was Norris’ boss for three years.
Noting that Eureste was a technician, a warrant officer in the military, Gambaro said Eureste is “not an executive” and therefore, not qualified to lead the city at this time.
Eureste has threatened to sue the city for Gambaro’s comments, after he was eliminated from consideration by the City Council.
On March 18, Norris read a public apology to Eureste, calling Gambaro’s comments “a spectacle … for partisan reasons.”
He further characterized Gambaro as an “illegally appointed and unelected imp.”
Norris indicated that he felt Gambaro only opposed Eureste because he had been Norris’ boss. “And for that, I truly apologize to the residents of Palm Coast,” Norris said.
Gambaro did not respond to the accusations.
VOICEMAIL FOR ALFIN
Resident Leslie Johnson expressed her displeasure with Gambaro at the conclusion of the March 18 meeting, saying that bringing up the alleged charter violations, “drove a knife through this town.”
Then, pointing at Gambaro, she said, “Recommend that you change your cell phone from 'Dave' to 'Mayor.'”
She then played an audio from her phone, into the microphone. Gambaro's voice was heard to say:
“So Dave, good afternoon. Charlie Gambaro here, just calling to touch base. Look forward to catching up.”
The audio ended.
The voicemail was left by Gambaro, intended for former Mayor David Alfin, on a city-issued phone that used to be in Alfin's possession and now is being used by Mayor Mike Norris.
Prior to the city meeting, the voicemail was also circulated on social media, in a black video with white type, accompanied by questions insinuating that Gambaro’s conversation with Alfin was in some way inappropriate.
How did the voicemail become public? There were no public records requests related to the voicemail prior to its appearance on social media, according to the city.
Norris, on whose phone the voicemail was left, said, in a March 21 phone call with the Observer, said he doesn't know who made the video. When asked whether he disseminated the voicemail recording, he said, "My phone gets passed around."
But, he said, he believes Gambaro is promoting the westward expansion of the city, as was Alfin.
When asked whether the voicemail shows Gambaro is "conspiring" with Alfin, even though Gambaro just says he's trying to "touch base"?
"Of course," Norris said.
“You should get your act together,” Johnson told the City Council on March 18. Referring to Norris, she said, “We like this man, we like the direction, we like his leading, we like his leadership. Quit with the accusations.”
