Palm Bay appoints new City Council member to fill vacant seat, for about three months

Palm Bay City Council appointed Philip Weinberg as a new councilmember Thursday to fill the seat left empty when former Councilman Randy Foster resigned in June for health reasons.

Weinberg will serve the remaining three months of Foster's term.

Foster resigned June 28 and will not seek reelection. That left a second vacancy on the five-member council.

The other vacancy is Seat 5 — vacant since Peter Filiberto resigned last year after police pulled him over for suspected DUI. Six residents are running for that seat in an election that will be held on Nov. 5.

City code allows the council to appoint a replacement for a vacant seat within 60 days. Otherwise, it remains vacant until the Nov. 5 general election. Despite Thursday's appointment of Weinberg, it is the winner among six candidates who qualified to run for the seat that will take the seat after the Nov. 5 election.

According to a form submitted to the city, Weinberg is retired. from Wantagh, New York, and has taken "numerous professional courses and seminars" via Florida Atlantic University, Florida State University and Lynn University.

Answering the question on the city's form about why he wants to serve on City Council, he said: "To continue to utilize my knowledge and experience that I have gained throughout my working life as well as the accumulation of knowledge I have gained through serving on numerous boards in order to make the best recommendations and decisions that are in the best interests of the citizens of Palm Bay."

Contact Waymer at (321) 261-5903 or [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Palm Bay names new City Council member to fill vacant seat