Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs opened up about the halfway point in her first term, revealing lessons learned and top priorities to spur our local economy in an exclusive interview with West Orlando News. At the halfway point, changes in the culture and leadership approaches have been significant to the successes already achieved and the priorities ahead.
“One of my big goals internally was to really try to foster and culture an Orange County government of service – a real commitment to a positive customer service experience when people come in the door, and to have our employees recognize that there is a lot of honor in public service and to be proud of what they do,” said Mayor Jacobs. “I think we have made great strides in that regard.”
The wide-ranging interview covers many of the ups and downs of the mayor’s first two years, including key lessons learned from the texting issue clouding the Commission, continuing efforts to bring more transparency and ethics reform to the county, and implementing community feedback into the diversification and marketing of our local economy. The mayor also reflected on some of the surprises and how she will navigate her agenda over the next two years.
The main focus will remain on rebranding our local economy and touting the economic possibilities outside of our tourism. Mayor Jacobs discussed issues ranging from school safety, to domestic partnerships, to redistricting and outreach to our diverse communities. She tackled some of our worst local problems including homelessness, mental health, domestic violence and an overarching mentality that can set in when times are tough.
Throughout the interview, Mayor Jacobs opened up about her personal life as well as offering advice for the community on a variety of topics including reaching out to local officials for change. What’s ahead in 2013-2014?
“We are going to continue to do everything we can to stimulate job growth, so you will continue to see a lot of work in that regard, expanding that identity of who is Orlando, Orange County, Central Florida,” said Mayor Jacobs.
The full exclusive interview with Mayor Jacobs will be published in its entirety later this week.
GREAT JOURNALISM MIKE !