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Port St. Lucie City Council
Mayor JoAnn M. Faiella
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Mayor JoAnn M. Faiella and her husband, Pat, moved to Port St. Lucie in September 1989 after falling in love with the city while on vacation. Both were long-time dedicated civil employees eager to contribute their skills and energies to making the beautiful City of Port St. Lucie the safest, most welcoming haven for its residents and visitors.
Pat joined the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy, and JoAnn took a position as assistant director for Colonial Country Day School, where she developed strong working relationships with leaders at the Department of Children and Families. While assistant director, JoAnn earned a degree in child development from Indian River State College to augment her extensive business and marketing background.
She was particularly interested in city and homeland safety and security issues, and went on to achieve certifications in intelligence analysis and anti-terrorism training. JoAnn currently holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration, and achieved recognition as a certified alternate terminal agency coordinator and a certified communications training officer. She was awarded FBI security clearance, earned Homeland Security certification, and was certified by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as a crime intelligence analyst.
JoAnn began working for the City of Port St. Lucie in 2002, first as a police service aide, and later as a criminal intelligence analyst for the Police Department. She is a recipient of the New York Mayor’s Child Advisory Award for her key participation in the successful investigation of one of the state’s largest fraud cases.
Her efforts and contributions have consistently helped to make Port St. Lucie a safer place for its residents and visitors, and helped to build strong communication with the area’s surrounding agencies. JoAnn’s ability to recognize a need, define a workable solution, and communicate the advantages of taking action has advanced the department’s ability to effectively protect and serve its citizens.
JoAnn has worked with many of Port St. Lucie’s business and government leaders and employees during her eight-year tenure, including the police Communications Division, Narcotics Unit, Criminal Investigations Division, Criminal Intelligence Division, and Records Department. In 2007, JoAnn directed the relocation of the Narcotics Division to a secluded facility. She was in charge of budgetary control, site location, lease negotiations, building construction, and oversight and coordination of the entire division’s move.
JoAnn’s dedication to community issues began early. She was consumer advocate in 1980, working in collaboration with the Attorney General’s Office in New York City and the Better Business Bureau. She analyzed and identified consumer and community problems, devised solutions, and established several consumer affairs centers throughout the community that made residents aware of their consumer rights. She published a handbook for consumers titled, “Let Consumers Be Aware.”
JoAnn remains active in a number of community service organizations both locally and nationally. She is a committee member of Kids at Hope, an organization whose three-tier philosophy is meant to inspire, empower and transform schools and organizations that serve youth and entire communities. She is also a mentor for local juveniles in need of direction and support.
JoAnn Faiella is a dedicated and passionate professional offering a unique background of business acumen, marketing expertise, and extensive community service experience. She is creative, resourceful and analytical, with solid problem-solving abilities. Her communication and interpersonal skills enable her to build long-term community commitments and create dedicated teams capable of taking the City of St. Port Lucie and its goals for the future to the next level of success.
JoAnn and Pat have three children. Their oldest daughter works in the pharmaceutical industry, their second daughter is majoring in forensic science in college, and their son will be entering high school in 2011. As a strong-knit family, the Faiellas believe that anything can be achieved as long as they have the love and support of one another and their community.
Vice Mayor Linda Bartz
Linda Bartz is serving her second term as
Councilwoman, District 1. Linda is a business woman
who knows how to balance a budget and manage
money.
Linda is active in the community serving with the Port St. Lucie Rotary, Council on Aging, Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers, the Exchange Club, Hospice Ethics Committee, Concerned Citizens, Big Heart Brigade, and the recently formed St. Lucie County Sustainability Ad Hoc Committee.
Whether it’s helping to address important issues in the community such as traffic and roads to ensure that emergency vehicles can get to and from hospitals and accident scenes quickly, working with the Superintendent and members of the St. Lucie County School District to raise educational standards or helping to bring down the high cost of taxes, insurance and living on the Treasure Coast, Linda is dedicated and committed to keeping Port St. Lucie moving into the future.
Originally from New Jersey, Linda and her husband Gary have been residents of Port St. Lucie for 20 years. They have three grown daughters and are the proud grandparents of three grandchildren. In her spare time, Linda relaxes by reading a good mystery.
Councilwoman Michelle Lee Berger
Michelle Lee Berger was elected to the Port St. Lucie City Council in November 2004 with 60 percent of the voters approving of the fresh ideas and positive message she offered during her campaign.
As the mother of two boys and the wife of a Palm Beach County firefighter, Michelle understands the expectations of Port St. Lucie’s families, and has been a strong proponent of the quality-of-life issues that make the city the destination of so many new residents.
And with more than 14 years of management and small business owner experience, along with a bachelor's degree in business management, she understands the important role businesses play in the city’s stability and development. That’s why she has been a supporter of policies that ensure the city’s growth will include a healthy mix of commercial and residential areas, and that the local infrastructure will be among the best in Florida long into the future.
As a persistent advocate for fiscal responsibility, Michelle urges that taxpayer money be used only for those projects that bring the most value to the city, and her support of a proposal to change the financing plan for construction of the Crosstown Parkway will help the city save millions of dollars on a project that won approval of 89 percent of Port St. Lucie’s voters in 2005.
Perhaps her greatest strength, however, is her contagious energy and her ability to build consensus for the programs and projects she believes in. As a volunteer in several local organizations and committees, Michelle has demonstrated this to the residents and officials who have worked with her, and who now see the positive impact she has had on the future of the city.
Her favorite activity is spending time with her family, and their boating and camping experiences have allowed them to enjoy the best of what the magnificent state of Florida has to offer. She currently serves on the St. Lucie County Scenic Highway Committee, the St. Lucie County Bridge and Expressway Authority, St. Lucie County Tourism Development Council, St. Lucie County/Martin Metropolitan Planning Organization, Florida Atlantic University Advisory Committee, St. Lucie County Habitat for Humanity, North Fork of the St. Lucie River Management Advisory Committee, and as an alternate to the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council. Michelle also serves on the Community Advisory Board for Seacoast Bank, as well as two non-profit organizations’ boards: the YMCA of the Treasure Coast and the Police Athletic League in Port St. Lucie. A major accomplishment recently has been the marriage of resources between the Y and PAL which resulted in a new facility for after school care within the City of Port St. Lucie funded by a Children’s Services Council grant. Michelle was also recently appointed by Senate President Ken Pruitt to a newly formed State of Florida Fireworks Task Force, which has been assigned the task of crafting new state legislation for fireworks sale and distribution.
Councilwoman Shannon M. Martin
Councilwoman Shannon M. Martin was elected in November 2010 to represent District 3 and the residents of Port St. Lucie. Shannon and her husband, Aaron, moved to Port St. Lucie in 2006 with their two children.
Shannon is a paralegal by profession, but brings so much more to the table that benefits the residents of Port St Lucie, including experience in land use and legal issues, just to name two. Being new to the political scene has made Shannon extremely sensitive to the needs of her constituents. She is committed to establishing transparency in the residents’ city government, along with a sense of accountability that is second to none.
Shannon plans to focus on ensuring the city remains fiscally responsible and transparent to the residents. Her paralegal background provides her the skill-set to effectively analyze complex issues like the budget, and to prioritize the issues, making more complete and informative decisions. Shannon is up for the challenge and is humbled by the faith the voters have placed in her as their Councilwoman.
One of the many things that intrigued her during her campaign was the desire of residents to communicate directly with their elected officials. Communicating with and educating residents is the key to maintaining the support needed to move the city forward in a positive direction.
“I look forward to serving the residents of Port St Lucie and I am committed to representing the best interests of all residents. Being your Councilwoman will be my full-time job and I look forward to the pleasure of serving you. I encourage anyone that has a concern or needs clarification on an issue to contact me at (772) 871-5159 or by e-mail at District3@cityofpsl.com. Let’s all make Port St Lucie the best city with the best residents.”
Councilman Ron Bowen
Councilman Ron Bowen was re-elected to the City Council in November 2012 after having been elected originally in 1992 and serving three terms. In that time, he worked with six fellow Council members and two mayors to attract major employers to the area such as QVC, Liberty Medical Supply and Aegis Communications Group.
He also worked to bring central water and sewer service to the city and to prevent adult entertainment establishments from opening. It was during that time that Port St. Lucie began its admirable status as the safest city in Florida for a city its size. He believes that quality-of-life issues are the reason most people moved to Port St. Lucie and he wants to ensure the city remains a great place to live, work and shop.
Originally from Cleveland, Bowen and his wife, Patricia, have two adult sons. He has been in the insurance profession for 40 years and is the president of Bowen Insurance Group, an independent insurance agency. He is part of the St. Lucie County Chamber of Commerce, is an advisory board member for the Salvation Army of St. Lucie County, served in the U.S. Marine Corps, and is a member of First Baptist Church of Port St. Lucie.
As District 4 Councilman, he believes the best is yet to come for the city, and that preparing now for new growth will ensure the success of the city in the future.