LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — Lake Worth Beach City Manager Carmen Davis walks through the city she now calls home.
"What was attractive to me about Lake Worth Beach is the fact that it's very connected with its community," she said.
Davis started her career as a public servant in her native Detroit as a city planner. She eventually relocated her family to Mississippi to become the Hinds County Administrator.
She describes her working style as cooperative and detail-oriented.
"This is not a job for one person," she said. "Yes, I'm the city manager, but I believe as we work collectively and cooperatively we can make this a great place."
Davis said the one glaring challenge the city continues to face is the ongoing pandemic.
"Dealing with the pandemic, making sure there's no interruption in services and that the citizens are served at a high level and efficiently," she said.
Mayor Betty Resch said Davis is not the first woman to hold the job of city manager, but she is the first person of color. In a city as diverse as Lake Worth Beach, Resch said it's important to have representation, but it's not the reason they picked Davis.
"One of the main things that attracted me to Carmen was the fact that she had experience in the south, where she encountered the weather of the south," Resch said. "She was the director of 143,000 people. So, I thought if she can handle that, she can handle this."
Davis said it's a blessing to be in a position to help lead Lake Worth Beach in a direction of prosperity and stability.
Davis has only been on the job for about four weeks. One important project she'll help lead here in the near future is the beach complex that's been heavily debated.