PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Yvette Drucker is beginning a new chapter in public service as Palm Beach County's new Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, taking over one of the county's most significant constitutional offices.
Sworn in Tuesday, Drucker steps into the role following a turbulent period for the clerk's office under former Clerk Mike Caruso. She now oversees approximately 670 employees and an $87.4 million budget while serving as the county's chief financial officer, treasurer and auditor.
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In an exclusive interview with WPTV's Joel Lopez, Drucker discussed her leadership priorities, her transition from Boca Raton City Council, questions about her experience and the future of the county's controversial investments in Israel bonds.
"It's a new day for the clerk's office. It's been a little bit of a challenging time for the individuals that work here. I have a phenomenal staff. They've kept it afloat, so my goal is to really listen, evaluate, and then execute what we can do to make it better," Drucker said.
A historic moment and a personal milestone
Drucker is the first Hispanic woman to hold the position of Palm Beach County clerk and comptroller.
For her, the milestone carries personal significance. Her parents immigrated from Cuba in 1957, and she says her journey represents the American dream.
"It's really important to me because my parents are immigrants. I still have a living grandmother who's 91, and she's still here, and I am the American dream," she said.
Drucker is also the first college graduate in her family. She credits her parents with instilling the values that helped shape her career.
"My parents didn't really have a lot of schooling. They had good work ethic and integrity. And they respected people, so really important for me to continue to inspire and lead in a way that others can look up to me and that they can also make their impact in the world."
Her swearing-in ceremony was an especially meaningful moment, with her parents by her side.
"My mom held the Bible while I got sworn in. My dad anchored her to the left, and they're just so proud," Drucker said.
She described the ceremony as a defining moment in both her professional and personal life.
"A surreal moment, but I took it all in. I've learned that you have to really be in the moment and be present," she said. "A really defining moment in my career and in my life."
From Boca Raton City Council to countywide leadership
Drucker is no stranger to public service. She spent six years on the Boca Raton City Council, serving as deputy mayor and vice chair of the city's Community Redevelopment Agency before reaching her term limit.
"Six years you were with the City of Boca Raton, so why clerk of courts?" Lopez asked Drucker.
"I was term limited, so we do have term limits in the city, and after a couple of years, like about one year, a little over one year ago, I was just approached by a former clerk to look at this position," Drucker said. "I was not done with public service. I was born to serve, and I've been doing that since my student government days, back in high school and middle school."
She said the clerk's position offered an opportunity to bring together her experience in business, government and community service.
"I have a background in human resources and out of corporate America, I worked for ADP TotalSource. I did 14 years there, so I also had an advocacy background and then my government. So it's a good way of marrying in my private sector with my public sector and my community service sector all in one," Drucker said.
Although her time on the Boca Raton council ended, Drucker made clear that her commitment to public service had not.
She said she wanted to finish her responsibilities in Boca Raton before beginning her new role, making sure the work she had started was completed.
In the same week, she ended her time with Boca Raton and started with Palm Beach County, a process she said usually takes two months to transition.
"I pride myself with not missing meetings in six years and attending and participating, and I finished everything that I started," Drucker said.
A leadership approach centered on people
Drucker inherits an office with hundreds of employees and says she wants to build on the experience already in place while identifying opportunities to improve operations.
Her message to employees is straightforward: public service must come before politics.
"This is a new day for this office. This office has been working, but we can make it work better for the people that we serve," she said. "I will stand by what I've been saying all along, people over politics, people over party, and definitely people over power, and that's just kind of the way that I've always led with a lot of heart. And a lot of integrity for the work that I do."
First 100-day plan
Drucker says her first 100 days will focus on understanding how each department operates, reviewing the budget and identifying ways to make the office more efficient.
"I want to understand every department, their inner workings, the budget. We also have to understand Amendment 3, which obviously passed, and we have to respect the will of the voters and also just like I said earlier, listen, really evaluate and then execute how we're gonna serve the public," she said.
She also emphasized the importance of putting the right people in the right positions.
"This is a public-facing operation. It's really important for me to have the right people in the right places so that we can continue serving the public," Drucker said.
While some have questioned whether her background adequately prepares her for the office's court administration, accounting and auditing responsibilities, Drucker acknowledged she does not expect to know everything immediately.
"We have a chief of legal, runs the operations and we have subject matter experts and I'm not gonna tell you that I know everything on day one," she said. "But the way that I operate and the way that I've conducted myself throughout the city and throughout my career, I will learn as needed and will make changes as needed."
She says she plans to rely on the office's existing leadership and experienced employees as she continues the transition. She recently hired her chief of staff and also the executive administrator to the clerk, but those names have not been made public.
"Also, this office has a deputy clerk who is interim clerk, Ms. Shannon Ramsey-Chessman, who's been incredible, and she has institutional data, and I believe that we're going to be a great team as we, you know, continue to take one day at a time."
Israel bonds: Drucker says investments must be evaluated
One of the biggest questions facing Drucker, who identified herself as Jewish, is the county's investment in Israel bonds.
Palm Beach County has approximately $1 billion invested in the bonds, making it the largest investor in the world. The investment became a point of controversy during the campaign, and Drucker had previously expressed support for it.
Now in office, she says she plans to take another look at the county's investment strategy, particularly following the passage of Amendment 3.
Asked whether she still supports the county investing in Israeli bonds, Drucker said investment decisions must ultimately serve taxpayers.
"So I say to the public, like any investment portfolio, whether you have your own or you're overseeing an investment portfolio of this size, you always have to evaluate and make sure that your investments are aligned with what is best for the taxpayer base," she said.
Drucker said the bonds have served the county well up to this point, but that does not mean the investment should go without review.
"And now with Amendment 3 passing, we really need to evaluate, and that's something that I'm gonna sit with our director of finance and with our county administrator," she said.
She stopped short of committing to either maintaining or eliminating the investment.
"It's not a yes or a no; it's just, does it continue to make sense? Is this something that we have to evaluate and we always have to evaluate how we invest and how we are using the taxpayer dollar is important."
When asked whether she would consider reducing or eliminating the investment if it no longer made financial sense, Drucker said the county would have to evaluate that possibility.
"Is it safe to say if it didn't make sense, you'd be willing to reduce, if not potentially eliminate this investment?" asked Lopez.
"If it didn't make sense, we would have to evaluate, correct," said Drucker.
She also pointed out that Israel bonds make up only part of the county's broader investment portfolio.
"Even though we have a large amount in Israel bonds, we have a large portfolio. Seventy-five percent of our portfolio is not invested in Israel bonds," she said.
For Drucker, the next step is making sure residents understand how the county's investments work and what they mean for the community.
"I think education is gonna go a long way," she said.
She also pushed back on making the issue political, saying the focus should remain on the county's financial interests and the taxpayers who depend on those investments.
"I think we're going to leave politics out of it. It's not a political discussion. I think it's really, what are the returns to help the county?" Drucker said.
She plans to meet with county officials and review the investment portfolio before making any decisions.
A new chapter for the clerk's office
Drucker says the transition has been busy, but she is encouraged by the employees already in place and the team she is building around her.
She has brought on a chief of staff and an executive administrator to help guide her through the responsibilities of the office.
She also thanked the voters and supporters who helped bring her into the position, including those who crossed party lines.
"I'm just really excited to be here. I think that we're gonna have this office is going to continue to produce amazing things for this community. I'm just so honored," she said. "And I'm just so proud to represent this office, and I really look forward to everything that we have to do."
As she begins her tenure, Drucker says her commitment is to serve everyone in Palm Beach County, regardless of political affiliation.
"This office is here to serve everybody regardless of who and what you are; that's my promise to them," she said.
And as for what comes next, Drucker has a simple message:
"The best is yet to come, and I believe that," Drucker said.
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