MARK SCHUMANN

At its organizational meeting this morning, the Vero Beach City Council re-elected Richard Winger as mayor.  Jay Kramer was re-elected to serve as vice mayor. The Council’s selection followed the swearing in of Kramer, Randy Old and Pilar Turner.

Kramer, Old and Turner were the three winners in the recent City Council election that included a field of seven candidates. Kramer and Turner are both beginning their third two-year terms on the Council.  Old, the Council’s newest member, received the second most votes in the Nov. 4 election and will take the seat vacated by Craig Fletcher.

Though Winger and Kramer were both nominated to serve as mayor, Kramer supported Winger, who asked the Council for time to make more progress on pension reform, resolving the electric issue, finding a means of more quickly addressing the storm water runoff, as well as preventing short term rentals.

Winger, who said he wants to provide for “an orderly transition,” indicated he does not plan to seek re-election in 2015, and might even step down as mayor in six months. Winger said he thought Kramer would be his logical successor.  “I’m old. He’s young, and the future is with the young,” Winger said.

Winger then nominated Kramer to service as Vice Mayor.

The 2014-15 Council will hold its first business meeting tomorrow evening at 6 p.m.  On the agenda is a proposed resolution opposing All Aboard Florida, appointments to commissions and boards and a presentation from Winger on a possible storm water utility intended to provide short-term funding to more quickly installing storm water filtration to help protect the Lagoon.