Update: The City has clarified that the removal of NeSmith began with a phone call from County Administrator Wes Moreno to Mayor D.C. Reeves on Oct. 31, 2025 . Moreno expressed concern about NeSmith’s behavior at a recent WFPL board meeting. The city’s spokesperson wasn’t sure how Commissioner Aide Melanie Luna got injected in the process for the county.
On Monday, Oct. 27, the West Florida Public Library Board of Governance met to discuss the hiring process for the new library services director. County Administrator Wes Moreno, HR Director Nikki Powell, Acting Assistant County Administrator Chips Kirchenfeld and Assistant County Attorney Chris Shaffer.
- At the Board of County Commissioners meeting on May 7, Moreno said he and his staff were “treated very rudely, very hatefully.”
- Read october-27-regular-meeting-2025-minutes
Wheels Put in Motion
According to public records obtained from the City of Pensacola, someone—either Moreno or Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger’s aide, Melanie Luna—contacted Dustin Retherford, the city’s policy & legislative affairs officer, about Mayor D.C. Reeves removing Lori NeSmith from the WFPL board. Luna and Retherford connected after Moreno called the mayor on Oct. 31, 2025, and asked the Reeves to remove NeSmith.
On Tuesday, Nov. 4, Retherford shared with Moreno and Luna County Resolution 2013-17, which did not lay out how the mayor could remove NeSmith.
- “Not sure how to proceed on our end,” he wrote. Read [2025-11-04 19-23] dretherford.
Instructions From Luna
The next day, Luna laid out how to do it—not Moreno or the County Attorney’s office.
“Here is my interpretation regarding the resolution,” she wrote Retherford. “I am sure Adam could assist as well.”
- Luna continued, “The appointing authority (the Mayor) implicitly retains the power to revoke or rescind their own appointment and appoint a successor at any time, particularly when the member no longer meets the criteria or if the Mayor determines the appointee should be replaced.”
She pointed out that the resolution doesn’t have an “express removal” procedure. Luna interpreted Reeves could revoke NeSmith’s appointment at will. All he had to do was notify the Clerk Pam Childers and appoint a replacement.
Luna gave Retherford three steps to take:
1. Prepare a written notice stating that the current appointee is being removed, creating a vacancy.
2. Transmit the notice to the Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners (and City Clerk, if required).
3. Appoint a new individual to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term (as allowed by Section 4).
She added that no approval from the County Commission or City Council would be required. Read [2025-11-05 16-06] meluna.
- Retherford followed Luna’s instructions, and NeSmith was notified by email a week later, on Nov. 13. Luna was copied on the email. Read NeSmith Removal.
Deeper Involvement
According to Commissioner Hofberger’s emails with Pensacola City Councilwoman Jennifer Brahier, Luna’s involvment in the selection process was limited to attending a few WFPL board meetings and the interviews. However, Luna conspired to reshape the WFPL board, using Mayor Reeves as her tool.
- Lobbying to remove a board member during the selection process is precisely the type of interference and tampering that the Board of County Commissioners voted to ban in October 2011. Read Oct 20 2011 Agenda Add-on. In many ways, this is worse than what Commissioner Wilson Robertson did 15 years ago.
If you like our reporting, consider buying us a cup of coffee – here. Your donation will help broaden our reporting. Thank you.