24-year-old restaurant manager runs for mayor of Lakeland

LAKELAND, Fla. — At the age of only 24, Kaitlin Gracie Kramer has become one of the youngest candidates to run for mayor in Lakeland.

The recent college graduate joined this year’s four-way race, where she faces candidates Klay Klymko, Sara Roberts McCarley and Cedric Valrie. Kramer said she decided to enter after noticing a need for a fresh perspective in local government.

The Lakeland native recently graduated from the University of South Florida with a bachelor’s degree in biology, and currently works as a manager at Hooters. While some may question her age and experience, Kramer said her work as a manager has helped her hone the soft skills needed to be mayor.

“One, you learn how to manage money. Two, you learn good people skills,” she said. “I feel like I have great interpersonal skills.”

Kramer said those skills have allowed her to hear directly from the community.

“People come in and sometimes they tell you great stories,” she said. “Sometimes they tell you the things that haunt them in the middle of the night. They tell you the things that they’re afraid of. They tell you the things they think are wrong in the community.”

“You listen to that for so long and you realize, like, I want to make this a better place for everybody. I want to make this a safe space for everybody.”

If elected, Kramer said she plans to prioritize fixing water quality issues, developing financial literacy programs and improving the city’s infrastructure.

“I think that goes far beyond the general issues of making sure we fix our potholes, making sure that we fix our sinkholes, making sure that the roadways are safe for people to drive on,” she said. “That also means fixing our issues with traffic.”

As the city continues to grow, Kramer said it’s important for young adults like her to speak up and share their ideas — something she hopes to inspire in others her age.

“I think my youth will bring something new to this community,” she said. “I think that it will help inspire a new group of leadership to take over eventually, and it will help people who currently feel like they aren’t being represented understand that they do have a seat at the table. Understand they do have a position in government.”

Kramer will host a campaign rally Thursday at Hooters on U.S. Highway 98 North starting at 6:30 p.m. Lakeland residents will have the chance to vote for their next mayor on Nov. 4.