PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Port Richey Mayor-Elect Scott Tremblay won’t be sworn in until next week, but he said Wednesday he has a few top priorities he wants to address right away.

 

One of those is putting together the budget for the coming fiscal year.

“I think that’s going to be the most important thing that we do on the council and that the government does for the people within the city, and that’s to get the budget right, because it’s going to dictate how we deal with the dredging issues, it’s going to dictate how we deal with the flooding issues,” Tremblay said.

Tremblay, a former assistant state attorney now in private practice, won Tuesday’s special election over four other candidates by eight votes. He said he entered the race to help stabilize city government following the arrest and resignation of former mayor Dale Massad and the arrest and suspension of then-Acting Mayor Terrence Rowe. 

“I was really excited," Tremblay told us. "I was happy because, I think looking at the results as they rolled in, it kind of hit me all at one time that it’s a new chapter in my life and a new chapter for the city."

Part of turning that page, according to Tremblay, is getting the city council back up to full staff. Currently, Acting Mayor William Dittmer and Councilwoman Jennie Sorrell are the only remaining council members.

Richard Bloom had to resign his seat in order to run for mayor himself, and Rowe is unable to perform any duties of office while suspended. 

“We’re still barely enough to make a full quorum,” Tremblay said.

Tremblay said he asked City Manager Vince Lupo to include appointing an interim council member and discussing what steps to take regarding Rowe’s seat as items on the agenda for next Tuesday’s meeting.

Voters will once again be asked to decide who fills the mayor’s seat next year, at what would have been the end of Massad’s term. Tremblay said he isn’t sure at this point if he’ll run for re-election.

“My focus right now and why I ran is because the city was in such turmoil and it was not functioning," he said. "So, the reason I ran was really for the here and now. I want to serve the people and fix the problems that we have for the here and now, which is this year’s budget and filling this positions."

Tremblay is expected to be sworn in on Monday.