City manager ‘terminated without cause’

Nov 2, 2026 By MEGHAN BRADBURY 5 min read

City Manager Michael Ilczyszyn was terminated without cause as of 11:59 p.m. Monday, and Maureen Buice, assistant to city manager, was appointed as the interim city manager by the Cape Coral City Council.

The motion was made by Mayor John Gunter during reports at the end of the meeting held a day before the General Election at which four of eight city council seat will be filled by voters.

“Sometimes it is time for some good things to come to an end. I know with us leaving, some will say that and some will not. The community, I think has articulated through this election process what they are looking for. I would like to pass the gavel to terminate the city manager’s contract without cause at 11:59 p.m. tonight,” Gunter said.

Gunter lost his re-election bid in the primary with mayoral candidates Lisa Cohen-Adkinson and Richard Erickson advancing to the General Election in the six-candidate race for the seat.

Councilmember Rachel Kaduk was the first to ask why Gunter was calling for the termination. She said he handsomely gets paid the big bucks to stand in the fire and she was not in favor of leaving the city high and dry.

“Through the election process, I think residents have spoken and that is why I made the motion,” Gunter said.

Councilmember Keith Long said the motion was not how council should be doing business in the last material meeting of this term.

“What the hell? What are we doing here? At the very least, this is something the next council can take up,” he said at 8:45 p.m. “I can’t believe this is where we are at with no discussion.”

Long also said “this stinks to high hell” and that everybody was expecting the motion except him.

Long, an attorney, asked what the ramifications would be for “without cause.”

City Attorney Aleksandr Boksner said Ilczyszyn is entitled to a severance package that consists of four months’ salary in a lump sum payment.

Kaduk, Long, and Councilmember Jennifer Nelson Lastra left the meeting before the vote; Councilmember Laurie Lehmann voted against the motion.

“I cannot support that. I don’t want to see the city left high and dry. It is something the new council needs to decide. We are talking 8:48 the day before election,” Lehmann said.

Those who voted for the motion were Gunter, and council members Bill Steinke, Dr. Derrick Donnell and Joe Kilraine.

“This role that I have served in for four years, I have recognized requires a tremendous amount of teamwork, common goal, common strategic plan, all behind and coordination with governance and implementation that requires staff,” Steinke said. “With tremendous amount of controversy around a variety of issues, I have witnessed the city manager take the fall, or attempts to run under the bus on many things that were on many cases based on miss information, manufactured information. There has been tremendous discussion around lack of trust, lack of confidence and the defense of the city manager has not always been there.”

He said with certainty none of them have been deaf to campaign promises and discussions and what could come as a result of the elections be decided Tuesday.

“I am sad to see it happen. I have noticed a tremendous amount of stress exhibited by the city manager in an effort to try to please as many people,” as he could, Steinke said.

Steinke, and Long, had opted not to run for re-election.

Donnell said with a heavy heart, he would support the motion.

“I love our city manager,” he said, adding that he did not sleep the previous night because he knew this day would be coming. “I will be supporting it as heavy hearted as it is for me.”

Kilraine was also reluctant to supporting the motion, but with the environment the city is in right now, he said he could anticipate what was going to happen with the new council with so many backgrounds and comments made in the current campaign.

There will be at least three new faces on the city council — the only incumbent running is Nelson-Lastra.

The five members of council remaining after Long, Kaduk and Nelson-Lastra left the dais, voted to give Buice $290,000, which is 10% above – $261,000 of what the current assistant city managers make, rounded up.

All but Donnell voted to make Buice the interim city manager, as he believed one of the two sitting assistant city managers would be a better fit.

Kilraine recommended Buice.

“Two assistant city managers are in place right now for a division of work,” Steinke said. “I would tend to keep assistants in place working with the departments each one is in charge of and have a third party equal to the task, I believe in that transition period, is Maureen Buice. She is certainly a qualified candidate for the interim.”

Gunter agreed that choosing someone who would be the least disruptive to the system would be best.

“As we know, Ms. Buice has been working side-by-side with the city manager. She knows the inner workings. She has worked the closest with the city manager over the last couple of years,” Gunter said.

Although Ilczyszyn walked out before the discussion ended, Gunter thanked him for all of his work and dedication, as he has been a part of the city for more than 20 years.

“I wish him well in his future endeavors,” he said.

To reach MEGHAN BRADBURY, please email mbradbury@breezenewspapers.com