What advice would you give to new city leaders?

Don’t have an agenda. There are so many people who run on one item or topic thinking they will change the world or the town by themselves. In my case, five other councilmembers need to agree. You also need to have thick skin and not get worked up about what everyone is saying about you. You can’t make everyone happy all the time.

You have to make hard and often unpopular decisions, but you have your finger on the pulse of what is going on in the town, and that’s really fun.

Is there anything about being in city leadership that surprised you?

Having spent a considerable portion of my career in city government, I had the benefit of working closely with previous city leaders so for the most part I knew what to expect, but even having had a sense of it, I am continuously humbled by how passionate our city workforce is about their work. Public service is a calling that attracts very talented people who are willing to forego a lot to serve their communities, and I try very hard every day never to take that for granted.

Is there anything about city leadership that surprised you?

Just how much I love doing it. Because I’ve watched it several years before I ran, and I never thought I’d be an elected official. When I thought of elect officials I thought ‘politician.’ However, it’s not about that. I have to look up to see what the political affiliations of our commissioners are because it’s not about that. It’s about being local.

Also, I wasn’t expecting to see how the old and the new can come together in our city. I grew up in Auburndale and I get there are certain things that you don’t want to see change but I also know that progress is inevitable, so I love seeing how we can incorporate the two together.

What tool has been invaluable to your success?

The tools that have been invaluable to my success would be social media and monthly email newsletters. Staying in constant communication with constituents – whether it’s letting them know what you’re up to or informing them of activities in their community – opens the door for them to feel comfortable emailing or approaching you at events and asking for assistance. And assisting our residents is why we all do this work.

*This article is featured in Issue 6 of our digital publication. If you would like the full experience, you can read the enhanced version HERE