Wellington mayor is president of county’s League of Cities
Wellington Mayor Anne Gerwig on Wednesday became the new president of the Palm Beach County League of the Cities, with a stated goal of helping “cities add value to their communities.”
“I’m very excited. I didn’t realize how nervous I was going to be,” Gerwig said after being sworn in at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach during the annual installation banquet.
The league is a nonprofit corporation that “promotes and advances the interest of the different municipalities in the county,” according to Richard Radcliff, executive director of the PBC League.
Gerwig, Wellington’s mayor for the past two years, served as first vice president of the league last year and part of that role took her to Tallahassee at the end of January for the Florida League of Cities’ Action Days, where she and other elected officials spoke to legislators about home rule bills and other priorities.
The PBC League was rallying against several Florida House bills that the league says are attempts to strip them of governing powers.
“It just feels like House leadership doesn’t have a good impression of cities,” Gerwig said after the two days in the state’s capital. “I’m not sure where they got that idea.”
At the banquet, Gerwig said “no one expects the attack on the home rule to lessen.” But she said as president, “I want people
to know their cities value the lives of residents” and “I will continue to be myself.”
Radcliff said “it’s wonderful” that Gerwig is the new president and “it’s going to be a challenging, but exciting year.”
Before Gerwig introduced the new board of directors, keynote speaker Robbin Lee, CEO of Wellington Regional Hospital, gave advice about what makes a good leader and spoke about Gerwig, her “friend and competitor.”
Lee told the large group of local officials about how she wanted to became a nurse after reading a book about nurses when she was younger. Lee detailed how she worked her way up through numerous leadership roles and came out of retirement to take on her current role at Wellington Regional.
But after working in a hospital, Lee said leaders aren’t born. “No newborn stands up and says, ‘I want to be a CEO,’” she said.
Instead, Lee says being “a good leader is a challenge” and you have to “adjust and work hard.” But, working hard doesn’t mean working alone. Lee said, “I challenge you to look in your community for people that you can work with.”