City Council Appoints Seventh Council Member

Marco Island City Council came together after several months of impasse as they voted unanimously, 6-0, to appoint Rene Champagne to the vacant seventh Council seat on Monday afternoon in a special-called meeting. 

Champagne was eager to see the Council move forward from their stalemate, and that was the motivation for his application, he said. 

“I think everyone up here is in agreement with you that we all come together as a team. That’s the most important thing that we can do right now and start working together and moving this Council forward for everyone who lives on this island,” said Schwan. 

The selection came after publicly interviewing five new applicants on Monday. There were also 24 people who had applied weeks earlier to fill the seat, but Council couldn’t come to an agreement on any of them. These applicants were also interviewed by Council members in previous public meetings and individually.

Lengthy deliberations took place Monday regarding the best process for making their selection to the seventh seat— to the dismay of citizens and council members alike. 

“I, like many of your constituents, am disappointed. I’m not only disappointed in the fact you haven’t chosen the seventh member. You don’t even have a method to do so,” said Marco Island resident Mike Dowell during public comment. 

Dowell was also an early candidate for the open seat.

However, once the first motion was made on Monday afternoon, when Councilwoman Bonita Schwan nominated Champagne and Councilman Darren Palumbo seconded that motion, then, it was nearly as if there was never a reason for the stalemate. That single motion of the approximate 90-minute meeting passed with all Council members in agreement, appointing Champagne to join them on the dais. 

“We’re going to swear [Champagne] in now so that when we convene this evening, he will be a member of the Council and participate in the business of the meeting,” said Councilman Erik Brechnitz, acting as Council chairman. 

After breaking this deadlock, selecting chair and vice chair will be the next stalemates for Council to break through. The seventh member could make that process easier. Council had been divided 3-3 on these decisions since the November 2024 elections.

The seventh seat was left vacant when former Councilman Greg Folley vacated the seat and ran for election to the Florida House of Representatives to represent District 81. Folley lost in the Republican primary. 

The City Charter mandates City Council appoint by majority vote a person to fill the seat and to do so within 60 days, which Council failed to do due to the impasse. Council remained divided 3-3 with Schwan, Palumbo and Councilwoman Deb Henry on one side and Council members Stephen Gray, Tamara Goehler, and Brechnitz on the other. 

Gabriel called Champagne to the podium to be sworn in as the newest, seventh member.

“Please. I’ll be excited. I can’t wait,” Champagne said. 

Gabriel had Champagne repeat after him several sworn commitments, including to support the Constitution, obey the laws of the United States and Florida, and observe the provisions of the City Charter. 

Champagne was eager to sit in the empty seventh seat, but Council decided he would formally take that seat at the meeting beginning 5:30 p.m.

Council’s selection of Champagne on Monday comes after Council had recently reopened the application process, adding five new candidates. There were 29 applicants total since the beginning of the process.

Champagne, a veteran and Marco Island Academy board member, has donated more than $1.5 million to MIA. 

Champagne, along with his wife Trish, moved to Marco Island from Indianapolis, Indiana, in 2007. Since that time, they have contributed to just about every nonprofit on the island, he said. They are sponsors of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Veterans Park in Marco Island and are among the sponsors renovating the neglected ball field at Tommie Barfield Elementary School. 

“The field is deplorable and has to be totally redone at quite an expense. We’ll make it happen so that the kids can play,” said Champagne.

“What’s my background? People ask me why I’m doing this. That’s a very good question. Up until the time there were numerous 3-3 votes, I had no interest. But once the 3-3 votes started, listen, I hope you understand, people are disappointed in you folks,” Champagne said. “I’m disappointed. I’d like to help. I think I can. I have an extensive business background,” he said. 

“By the way, congratulations. The financials of the city are strong and very well managed. So, there are opportunities from a management point of view to form a strong team on this Council and every organization I’ve been involved in, teamwork has been my forte,” said Champagne.