LAKELAND, Fla. — Lakeland is welcoming Mayor Sara Roberts McCarley, the first woman to hold the position in four decades and the first ever elected directly by voters.
McCarley was sworn into office on Monday.
She served on Lakeland’s SouthWest District City Commission since 2019.
McCarley won the mayoral election with over 50% of the votes, beating out Cedric Valrie at 19%, Kay Klymko with 17%, and Kaitlin Gracie Kramer at 13%. She raised over $91,000 during her political campaign. Summary election votes show 19% of Lakeland residents voted.
McCarley said she plans to focus on infrastructure development first, putting emphasis across the city and inside City Hall.
“So, maybe some changes in how we service our residents and our businesses. How does that look? How do we embrace a feeling of curiosity when people have issues? Like, how do we help further, really get to the crux of what the issue is? And I think that’s one thing I’m really going to work diligently on – customer service,” McCarley said.
McCarley is Lakeland’s first female mayor voted into office directly by residents. Before 1988, the Lakeland City Commission would select a mayor from among themselves for a one-year term. These women were selected as mayor throughout the years: Lois Quinn (1965), Peggy Brown (1976, 1984), and Carrie Oldham (1980).
Four municipalities in Polk County held elections on November 4: Auburndale, Fort Meade, Winter Haven, and Lakeland.
The previous mayor of Lakeland, Bill Mutz, was in office since 2018 and did not run for re-election, making McCarley’s entrance the first major change in eight years.
Kiara Velez
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