Century's town council president steps in as interim mayor. Here's his plan to lead.

There’s a new, interim mayor in the town of Century.

Council president Luis Gomez was sworn in Monday night. Gomez is stepping in until the town holds a special election to fill the mayor’s seat.

Gomez said the council set a tentative date of Nov. 1 for the special election, but he added that the date is also subject to change depending on how many people qualify to run, among other factors.

The election comes after former mayor Ben Boutwell abruptly resigned Aug. 22 after a heated exchange with council members during a previous meeting.

In his resignation to the governor, the Florida Department of State, the Escambia Supervisor of Elections and Century’s town clerk, Boutwell did not give a reason for stepping down with a “heavy heart.”

"I take great pride in the accomplishments that your administration has worked with me to accomplish for Century, specifically Rep. Michelle Salzman, Sen. Doug Broxson, and Commissioner Steven Barry,” Boutwell wrote.  “Together we have secured over $25 million to improve infrastructure and quality of life for town citizens. My thoughts and prayers will continue to be focused on the town and its citizens."

Per the town charter, Gomez said the town council president becomes the interim mayor in the absence of the elected mayor. He’s not yet sure if he will run for mayor in the special election.

“Right now, the qualifying period hasn't even started, and I feel that this is a test to see if I want to do this,” Gomez said. “I'm not quite sure what God has for me, but I do know that I'm capable of stepping into the seat and handling the immediate issues that we're having right now.”

Gomez said there aren’t any unusual issues, just the typical work it takes to run the town, but since he’s new to the position he’s looking for guidance.

Gomez said he’s working with the Florida League of Cities to help him lead the town of Century and, if the council approves, he’d also like to hire an experienced consultant.

Out of office: Century Mayor Benjamin Boutwell resigns effective immediately

He’s discussed the possibility of working with Robert Thompson, former city manager of DeFuniak Springs. Prior to that, Thompson was the assistant county manager of Las Cruces, New Mexico. Gomez said it will ultimately be up to the town council to decide on hiring a consultant and who that would be.

In the meantime, he also wants to take a closer look at the town’s coffers and see how money is being spent. That includes millions in grant dollars Century has received for various projects, as well as the status of $25 million in infrastructure funding Boutwell said he worked with local representatives to secure.

“I want somebody to get in there and scour those books and seek and verify it. If it's $25 million there, guess what, Century's going to get a great Christmas present, because we're going to get all these programs moving and then they can kick me out if they want,” Gomez said.

Gomez’s council position will also need to be filled with an interim member until the special election. The interim mayor said the town council will decide who that will be and the selection, as well as other town business, will be discussed at their next meeting.

The meeting will be 7 p.m. Sept. 5 at Century Town Hall.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Luis Gomez named Century's interim mayor until special election