In this episode, former Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood talks with Commissioner Stuart about her time as Orlando’s mayor and her commitment to help cities throughout Florida and the Nation.
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Read the transcript:
Orlando Commissioner Robert Stuart:
Thank you for joining us today with Orlando History Makers. I'm your host Orlando City Council member Robert Stuart asking for just a few minutes of your time as we learn what makes our city and our community so exciting and vibrant. It's my intent to bring some of the great stories of Orlando's history to life, to look at the impact of these events and the people and to create an interest in our very own exciting history. Today we are joined by another one of my favorite people, former mayor of Orlando, Glenda Hood. Mayor, thank you for joining us.
Former Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood:
Thank you. Glad to be with you.
Commissioner Stuart:
There's so much I can say about introducing you. But let's start by the fact that you're my friend. And I'm grateful for that. Mayor Hood served as a 31st Mayor of Orlando. Prior to that, she was a volunteer chair of several committee committees, ran for city council and served there until she was first elected mayor in 1993. I think could be 92 or 93.
Mayor Hood:
I think it was 92.
Commissioner Stuart:
Okay. Maybe you got in on sworn in on that.
Mayor Hood:
Yes, probably.
Commissioner Stuart:
She was elected to serve as selected to serve as Florida's Secretary of State by Governor Jeb Bush in 2002. She also the Past President of Florida League of Cities, which I've had the honor of serving on the board there. And you have a wonderful reputation with them, as well as the Past President of the National League of Cities. She is committed to serving cities and public administration. There's so much more. But for details about Mayor Hood's accomplishments, there is plenty of information at the historycenter.org, as well as Orlandolandtrust.org, Orlando memory.org. Mayor Hood is a wonderful example of a life of public service. But that's enough for now. Thank you for joining us again. I appreciate it. Now before we begin, just share a few minutes about your early life and how you came into leadership in the city of Orlando.
Mayor Hood:
Sure, I'm glad to. Well, I was born and raised in Orlando. My father had a retail store in downtown Orlando. So I spent a lot of time kind of growing up and getting to know the community, went to Cathedral School, which was right across from Lake Eola and Lake Eola Park was really our playground in so many ways.
Commissioner Stuart:
Now St. James.
Mayor Hood:
Well, no, actually, there's an office building where Cathedral School was, yes. St. James is on the other side of the lake.
Commissioner Stuart:
Okay.
Mayor Hood:
So this was on the south side of the lake. And so, you know, I can I have wonderful memories of going over to the then Albertson public library and the children's section was in the downstairs. So walking down those stairs to the basement and checking out all my favorite books or just walking around downtown and I grew up out on Big Lake Conway. So I would ride the bus with my grandmother into downtown on Saturdays and we'd go to the movies and go to the old Morrison's cafeteria and go to all the five and dime stores. So I loved Orlando and I loved the life of the city. So as I became an adult and came back to the community after college, I got involved in things I volunteered and got involved in the volunteer service bureau, the Junior League. I was asked to serve on the board of the Orlando Chamber of Commerce. And so a lot of activity and engagement that continued my learning process about the community. And then I was privileged to be a part of one of the first classes of leadership Orlando. And at the time, we had projects that we worked on and the project that I was assigned to do was city planning. And so I was fascinated by that the fact that cities actually plan how they're going to develop and grow over time.
Commissioner Stuart:
You don't think about that growing up.
Mayor Hood:
No, you don't think about that at all. And so I got to meet a lot of people in city government that way. And I learned that Orlando was really one of the first cities in the state to have a planning department. And then the county followed suit, not too long after that, I guess. So that was kind of how I got involved. And then by my volunteering, saying I wanted to learn more through different organizations and being involved in the business community. And I had a small business that I had created at the time, doing translation and interpretation work because I was fluent in Spanish.
Commissioner Stuart:
You had a degree in Spanish?
Mayor Hood:
Yes. And so we were just starting to see an influx of Spanish speaking individuals come into our community. So people would ask me voluntarily to do some interpreting for them. And I thought, well, I'll form a little business around this. So that's kind of how I got started in the business area. And then I had a lot of people in the community come to me and say, “Why don't you run for city council?” And it seemed like a natural extension of community service to me, because you know, I wanted to make my community better and continue to give. And I thought serving on city council was a perfect way to do that. And so I kind of very naively stood up and said, I'm running for city council. And I did. And I was elected three times.
Commissioner Stuart:
So that's great. Yeah, that's great. It's similar to my story is that if you're engaged in the community, it just seems to be a natural that you want to continue to serve.
Mayor Hood:
Absolutely. Right. And, you know, it's a community when we are born and raised in a community, and we think we know it so well. But we really don't know a lot of the inner workings and the behind the scenes aspects of it and, and how everything comes together. So that really helped me.
Commissioner Stuart:
I was driving up today and I drove over I-4 and I was thinking about our conversation coming up and I kept thinking myself, there are people that will drive on this that had no idea how this got here. They just are using it. And, and there's people in our community that know how things occurred, how they got there and why that's important to really the growth of our community as well as, as, you know, all those things that make our community great.
Mayor Hood:
Right.
Commissioner Stuart:
But some people just they just jump into the community and they forget that somebody had to think of this, somebody had to put it together, somebody had to make it happen.
Mayor Hood:
Right.
Commissioner Stuart:
And I'm honored to have you be part of that.
Mayor Hood:
Well, you know, we've been very fortunate in this community because we've had good strong leadership that has the vision to see what can be in the future. And, you know, we've had that in government, and we've had that in the business community, and they've worked together. And I do a lot of work with the Urban Land Institute, a lot of consulting with them. And I go to communities all over the country and work with them on development or transportation issues. And some of those communities, the government and business sectors don't work well together. And so they're not advancing, they're not progressing, they're not bringing about things that are important to the people who live there on a 24-7 basis. And that's what's important to me, to make sure that citizens who live in those neighborhoods and know what's going on 24-7 in those neighborhoods, that they're able to be part of the process and help make those decisions. And I think you and I you know, feel the same way about that. And that's why, you know, when I was elected mayor, I made sure that people out there in the neighborhoods had an identity for their neighborhood, that they had a say in what their neighborhood needed, and that they could bring things about. That's why we put the matching grants program in place, things like that.
Commissioner Stuart:
And we're celebrating the 30th year of that, congratulations.
Mayor Hood:
Yes, yes, we're doing that and had a great celebration with so many of the neighbors that I hadn't seen in many years.
Commissioner Stuart:
Well, I want to think of the work that you do, I think of community building that is very basic. And, and I've now served 20 years as a commissioner. And I will tell you that much of the things that we've accomplished were because our communities had identity, they had leadership, they knew kind of what they wanted, they also knew they were part of something bigger. And, and when they when that works together, you have a great community.
Mayor Hood:
You do. And, you know, leadership lays the foundation for a lot of things that come about in the future. And I've always said, you can't be concerned with who's going to get the credit for things, because you have to plant those seeds, and you have to nourish them over time. And sometimes, the timing isn't perfect for things. And it takes, you know, some changing of mindsets for people. But if you believe in it, and you have purpose, and people come together, it'll happen.
Commissioner Stuart:
Reminds me of a Bible verse from from Paul, where he says, “Some plant some water and some reap the benefits of it.” Yes. And I think that that's what real leadership is to look and see where you play in that role.
Mayor Hood:
Right.
Commissioner Stuart:
And, and because all you want to do is kind of further the community. Okay, now, I first got to know you when you were crazy enough to ask me to go take a youth baseball team to you Urayasu, Japan, our sister city in Urayasu, I guess they pronounce it Uraya City, was how they pronounce it. It was a wonderful experience. And one I will never forget, and I'm so honored that you allowed me to do that. But as we move forward in our story, how did you become the mayor of Orlando? So now you've, you're sitting on council…
Mayor Hood:
Right.
Commissioner Stuart:
And the next thing you know, you become mayor.
Mayor Hood:
Well, I was privileged to serve on city council for three terms halfway through my third four year term. Again, I had people in the community come to me and say, you need to run for mayor. You've got the experience, you've got the knowledge and Mayor Frederick was in office at the time. And I learned a lot from him. And he really mentored me in many ways. And he decided he was not going to run again. And so I once again stood up and raised my hand and said, you know, I'm willing to take that big step and serve as Mayor of the City of Orlando. And I was elected three times. And, you know, it's funny, I have to tell you a story. So the first day in office as mayor, I'm sitting there in the Mayor's Office. And of course, everyone's very attentive and bringing things in. Now I knew all the city staff. So I was very fortunate. And that helped tremendously. It wasn't like walking into a building and with people that I didn't know. But at the same time, I knew there needed to be some reorganization to be able to suit the vision and some of the goals that I had. But anyway, so I'm sitting there my first day in office and people are bringing things into me. And it was running through my mind. It's like I had never been there. I was like, what do I do now? And a good friend of mine actually came by the office and he said, “Okay, I want you to just lean back in your chair. And I'm gonna take a picture of your first day in office.” And so he did. And, you know, I just, you know, I was very privileged to be able to serve as Mayor of this city. And with lots of support of people in the neighborhoods, the business community, you know, those that were in city government, it, it was just a good time. It really was.
Commissioner Stuart:
You have to be careful what you ask for because you may actually get it.
Mayor Hood:
That's fine.
Commissioner Stuart:
Okay, so much happened during your tenure. And I've just touched on a couple. But we have the planning for the New City Hall. The growth of downtown Orlando, I guess, you're in the City Hall, converting the Naval Train Center into Baldwin Park, high tech initiatives, neighborhood initiatives, so much more, as you reflect back on mayor more than 20 years ago. What do you remember most fondly?
Mayor Hood:
Well, I'll tell you what was really important to me. It was again, getting people involved in city government, having a voice that had not had a voice before. So making sure that citizen engagement was first and foremost. And we made sure that each neighborhood had an identity. So that was something that I really enjoyed going out into the neighborhood, meeting people, really helping them work through how they would come to City Council and ask for things how they would, you know, lobby, how they could get resources for their neighborhoods, how they could work with other organizations. So that that was very important to me. And I think probably I'll always be known as kind of the neighborhood mayor in many ways.
Commissioner Stuart:
Which is great by the way.
Mayor Hood:
Yeah. And speaking of neighborhoods, first year in office, in fact, I hadn't been in office very long. And all of a sudden, we go through the base reuse and closure process, every naval recruit had come to Orlando for their basic training. And it was a big economic boost for the community. But we made it through the first base reuse and closure process. And in the second one, the decision was made, a bad one, in my opinion, that all the new recruits would go to Michigan instead of to Orlando, which really didn't make too much sense because it gets cold in Michigan in the wintertime. But be it as it may, we had four parcels of property, the largest being what is now Baldwin Park, available. And so we had to go through a very long, it was actually a six to seven year process to turn that former Naval Training Center property into something different. And I was convinced that it needed to be a neighborhood and it needed to be able to blend with all the surrounding neighborhoods that needed to have parks that needed to have schools needed to have a little village center. And so it was a long and arduous process. And I spent a lot of time in Washington, DC, working with the Navy, lobbying them, making sure that we were able to move forward in the way that the community wanted. We put together a community commission that represented every aspect of the community, whether it was transportation or whether it was housing, the nonprofit sector, etc. And they really made the decision and built the vision for what is now Baldwin Park. So I'm very proud of that. And that's really one of the most ambitious economic development projects that the city's ever undertaken. We received all kinds of accolades and awards, whether it was from the Urban Land Institute or National League of Cities for the planning that went into it and what we brought about. And it continues to be a very vibrant neighborhood in our city. And what was interesting, we really thought it would be a destination for people moving into the City of Orlando. It became a relocation neighborhood for people. People loved what they saw. They love the fact that the new urbanism components were incorporated into it the way the streets were designed, the way housing was put in place. And so a lot of people moved from their neighborhood into Baldwin Park, and it continues to be a real asset for us, I think.
Commissioner Stuart:
Well, and I took over or became a commissioner in 2006. So in 2006, there's only a small portion of Baldwin Park built out.
Mayor Hood:
Correct.
Commissioner Stuart:
Entirely in my district, but the entire planning was there.
Mayor Hood:
Right.
Commissioner Stuart:
And it really was the first time that a city had undertaken that kind of development.
Mayor Hood:
Yes.
Commissioner Stuart:
All the rest of the developments around the world, and the guys that came from (City of) Celebration went there. We're all done by private property owners.
Mayor Hood:
Right.
Commissioner Stuart:
The first time the city took engagement. And then, and then you end up this next step of, well, now we have Lake Nona. And you're engaged in that process, So.
Mayor Hood:
Oh, yes, that was a huge annexation process that we went through and put, you know, a joint planning agreement in place with Orange County at the time, which allowed us to annex all that property contiguous to the international airport. And, you know, Lake Nona again, is a great success trade, but we increased the size of the city by 50% with that annexation.
Commissioner Stuart:
Absolutely, Yes.
Mayor Hood:
And, you know, getting back to Baldwin Park, and you were talking about celebration and some of these other communities that are brought about. One thing we were certain we were going to do is we were going to make sure that the new development, the neighborhood integrated into all the surrounding neighborhoods, as I said before, that it wasn't like celebration where it's a destination, and you really have to get in your car to go someplace. Baldwin Park, Lake Nona is becoming this way. You can go on bike trails, you can hike, you can, you know, have public transportation to get places instead of being isolated on a little island.
Commissioner Stuart:
One of the challenges I have, because you like your area in Lancaster and Downtown and College Park, that you wanted much of the feel of those areas,
Mayor Hood:
Right, right.
Commissioner Stuart:
In Baldwin. And you had the benefit of kind of having a clean slate to do what you want to do. Retrofitting Lancaster or College Park is very difficult in terms of bike trails and those kinds of things. But they developed their own kind of city center and their own kind of by accident, but organically, here, at Baldwin trying to kind of had to feel this organic, but you could do some things structurally that kind of helped that I remember.
Mayor Hood:
Right.
Commissioner Stuart:
I remember when they were starting to build it, and they took up all this stuff, and there was a lot of mitigation and getting some, there was this mountain of concrete that was just been accumulated, right? And it must have been 100 feet, 200 feet tall, just in the middle of it, and it eventually got used for aggregate and for the roads. But I can remember driving by for several months going, there's a base that has a mountain in it.
Mayor Hood:
Yeah. Well, and you're you're right, we use some really different techniques by grinding all that old concrete up and using it for the foundation for a lot of the development that took place. But yeah, the planning process took that six or seven years, and then it slowly developed over time. And you've been able to see that and be part of that process and decision making as well.
Commissioner Stuart:
It's probably taken 15 years to build out.
Mayor Hood:
Yeah, yeah.
Commissioner Stuart:
I think there's only one major parcel not yet built out there.
Mayor Hood:
Mhmm, yeah.
Commissioner Stuart:
But the feeling is just such a neat feeling over there, because they did buy into the neighborhood feeling.
Mayor Hood:
Yes.
Commissioner Stuart:
And, and you need to be congratulated for that, because that doesn't happen by accident. Just somebody has to step up and say, this is, “When it's all over guys, this needs to be a neighborhood.”
Mayor Hood:
Well, and believe me, it wasn't always easy. And there was a lot of controversy along the way. But we had many, many public meetings. In fact, I think if you count the number of public meetings we had, it's almost 250, as we were going through that planning process. And I was convinced, as I've always been, that if you allow people to express their thoughts and opinions, you don't have to agree. And you can up front say, you know, we want to hear what you have to say. But in the end, we may not go that direction. That's all people want, they want to be heard. And so, as I said, it wasn't always easy. The Navy wasn't always easy to deal with and the decision making. The joke was, I would take my little suitcase when I was up there lobbying for the resources we needed in Washington, DC. And I'd go into the Pentagon pulling my suitcase and walk into the office of the person I was dealing with and say, “I'm staying until we get the right answer.” And so, you know, you have to keep a little sense of humor as you're going through some of these very stressful decision making times.
Commissioner Stuart:
That's perfect. Okay, so now, Baldwin Park is a big project. Neighborhoods are a big project.
Mayor Hood:
Yes. Well, there's some other things.
Commissioner Stuart:
Is there anything that's kind of, share some more with me, because I'd like to hear a little bit more behind the behind the curtain.
Mayor Hood:
Sure. Well, you know, I could see that we were becoming a real international city and we had the opportunity to host World Cup and Olympic soccer. And so I was determined that we were going to benefit from that just not as, you know, becoming a sports venue, but business wise. And so I said, okay, we're going to take business delegations to the countries that are bringing people here for these soccer matches. And we're going to find business opportunities. And we indeed did. We were able to have new businesses established as a result of those partnerships that were brought about. So we did that. We also worked with the Economic Development Commission, it was called that at the time, as well as the chamber to make sure that the businesses did benefit in every way. And that as we were becoming more international, and certainly all the international flights coming into our community, that people saw not just that we were someplace for recreation and attractions and fun, but we also were serious about business. So that was one thing that I really focused on. We had a major parks initiative, I wanted to make sure that not only were the parks that were existing refurbished, and I know we're going through that process again, because that needs to happen over and over in a city, but that we have little pocket parks and neighborhoods where people could go and enjoy themselves. And then we developed some other larger parks as well. And I wanted to make sure that each neighborhood had close access to green space and parks and trails. So we started that initiative as well. And then the arts. The arts is an economic development generator for a community.
Commissioner Stuart:
Well, let me interrupt you. I've had the honor again of being part of what you started, especially with the Menello. And it is such a neat place. People don't, I mean, Orlando has got some really neat things going on with it. But they see this and go, "Gosh, that's kind of interesting." Well, no, it's like really a cool thing. I mean, you need to go over there. And between that and the culmination of Loch Haven Park, we have found that as much as sports can connect with business,
Mayor Hood:
Arts can too.
Commissioner Stuart:
You led the example of arts can also connect with business.
Mayor Hood:
Right, right. And I think, you know, it was a time in our community where people didn't step up and support the arts as much as they do now. Because, again, that's changing a mindset. We had to understand that it was an economic generator, that it was important for people visiting our community as well as enhanced educational opportunities within our own community. So yeah, and you're talking about some behind the scenes stories with the Menello Museum. Michael and Marilyn Menello came into my office one day and knew that because I'd been president of Florida League of Cities and had connections in Tallahassee, they said, "Would you help us find the right people to talk to in Tallahassee because we want to give our collection to the state?" I came home that night and I thought, "There is no way we are going to let this beautiful folk art collection leave our community." So I'm not going to help them find someone in Tallahassee. We're going to keep it right here. And within a matter of months, thanks to our wonderful city folks, we found a location. We did all the work to make it into a little gem of a museum. And I hope more and more people will go and visit because it is a wonderful museum.
Commissioner Stuart:
And behind the curtains is that we are raising money to expand the museum,
Mayor Hood:
Yes, yes.
Commissioner Stuart:
Which we're thrilled about doing. We want to do that. And I think it's just another way of saying that if you're going to build a city, you've got to build it with arts. Mayor Dyer has continued that.
Mayor Hood:
Right. He has. And I'm so grateful that he has.
Commissioner Stuart:
And your work with Dr. Phillips Center and the Performing Arts, that led to this wonderful world class building we have.
Mayor Hood:
So you may not know the backstory there. But I invited an Urban Land Institute panel to come to Orlando because these advisory panels come to communities. Like I said, I work on these now and share a lot of them around the country. But had this panel come to Orlando because I wanted them to look at where would be the best place for us to really promote the arts in downtown and ultimately sometime in the future build a new performing arts center because we'd really outgrown the old municipal auditorium, Bob Carr.
Commissioner Stuart:
But when you and I were growing up, it was a Muni-Aud.
Mayor Hood:
Yes, it was. It was. I did a huge piano recital there. That's where I met my now husband.
Commissioner Stuart:
That's where I graduated from high school.
Mayor Hood:
I did too! So a lot of memories there and great memories. But the community was growing and we needed something bigger. So the panel recommended a site downtown for a performing arts center. Here we are 20 plus years later. That performing arts center is sitting right there where that panel recommended. And downtown, they recommended that we could really help our downtown grow and become more lively with the arts. And certainly we're continuing to do that and partnering with our church community and partnering with nonprofits and the business community. So, again, you have to be patient. We couldn't build it overnight, but we have a beautiful facility in place now.
Commissioner Stuart:
I've shared it on many occasions that the arts are such a difference. And there are many things I like. And I would go across the country to go see them. But in a community, you have to say that the arts as a part of our community has to celebrate all kinds of arts so that everybody's engaged somewhere, whether it's performance art or display art or the growth of the fringe is a good example.
Mayor Hood:
Well, you know, I would always say that art is not just a painting on the wall or a performance on a stage. It's how we design our communities. It's how we, you know, put things in place in our neighborhoods. There's art all around us if you think about it. I mean, whether it's cars or furniture or landscape design, that's all art. And culture is who we are as people and how we celebrate our differences and come together around those differences.
Commissioner Stuart:
It really does define a community.
Mayor Hood:
Yeah, it does.
Commissioner Stuart:
You're exactly right. Yeah. Okay, so we've had some pretty colorful leaders in our community and you've had a chance to deal with some.
Mayor Hood:
I'm not sure what you're referring to.
Commissioner Stuart:
I will tell you this. Let me jump to it. In some of the biography stuff that you've done and you've done an oral history, which is, by the way, just wonderful. And the first part of it is just about you and where you came and what happened. And then the second section, which I thought was great, was who the people you met as mayor and the conversation you had with Margaret Thatcher, of all people. And I'm thinking to myself, that's like really cool.
Mayor Hood:
It was. It's funny. I was just looking at some pictures from the time that Margaret Thatcher came here to visit. So, yeah, again, that was part of making sure that people realized that Orlando was on the map, not just within our country and within our state, but internationally as well. So we were fortunate to be able to have some pretty prominent people come to the community.
Commissioner Stuart:
I'll tell you what you did. And I have the honor of knowing Mayor Langford. It shouldn't be so frank. But knowing Mayor Langford, knowing Mayor Frederick, knowing you and working with what I've noticed around the country is that, it's only really a handful of cities, when you say the name, you don't have to say anything else. And their cities like San Francisco or London. And through y'all's guidance, and I've had a chance of being working with you, that's what Orlando has become.
Mayor Hood:
Yes.
Commissioner Stuart:
Because people say, "When I'm around, where are you from Orlando?" Orlando! Yes, I know about that. And all of a sudden there is an individual identity around the world for what we do.
Mayor Hood:
Yes, there is.
Commissioner Stuart:
And you need to be complimented for that.
Mayor Hood:
And if you go back and look on old maps of Florida, Orlando was not even on the map. And so that was one thing I know the Chamber of Commerce was pretty upset about, and so they worked to make sure that Orlando was always on every map. But you're right. You don't have to say Orlando, Florida anymore. It's Orlando and people recognize us. And certainly they recognize us because of the theme parks. And that's the primary reason we have visitors come, but that's changing. And that's what we want. We want people to go to our arts offerings, and we want people to come to our sports events. And we want people to just come and visit their friends here. Or maybe move here. We're getting that too.
Commissioner Stuart:
When you were mayor, I think population was around 200,000?
Mayor Hood:
That's correct.
Commissioner Stuart:
And now it's right at 350,000. And with the growth of Lake Nona, we could be at half a million in a very short amount of time. Very easily.
Mayor Hood:
People are always surprised that we're not several million people because, again, because we're so well known and we have so much to offer. So for a city our size, even though we've grown a tremendous amount in the last couple decades, we're still small compared to a lot of these major cities, but we have so much to offer.
Commissioner Stuart:
Interesting part in California. California is known as Orange County, California. Orange County and Orlando in this area is known as the Orlando area. So it's not called Los Angeles. It's Orange County, California, and the Orlando area.
Mayor Hood:
Yes.
Commissioner Stuart:
Which I know makes some of the guys in the county a little bit uncomfortable. But the flagship has always taken the name.
Mayor Hood:
I know, exactly.
Commissioner Stuart:
Even though there's three or four million people around here, the flagship taken the name. Now, as we wind up, and as I mentioned before, there's a lot of information. So if you all want to know facts and things and great stories, they're on the website. But legacy becomes an important word, a very interesting word to all of us. You've had the privilege of really being kind of a living legacy, at least to me. As you reflect on this idea, what are some guiding thoughts or words that you have kind of for the next generation of leaders?
Mayor Hood:
Well, first of all, get involved. Get involved in your community. Volunteer. If it's just for a tree planting in your neighborhood or with a nonprofit organization. But volunteer for a purpose and make sure that you're willing to work with and listen to and bring things about with other people. Don't go in with a personal agenda ever. Be courageous. If you believe in something, stand up for it. I think that's so important. And be thoughtful and respectful of others' opinions. Because a lot of times, that's not the case. And I think we're seeing that so much right now in our communities. And it saddens me. We really need to be respectful and thoughtful of one another. Like I said earlier, don't be concerned with who's going to get the credit for something. Do what's right. And listen to others. I think that's an important attribute that you need to have. And humility goes a long ways. I can't emphasize that enough. You know, there's a little book that somebody gave me and it's called "Balcony People." And it says, "Surround yourself with people who elevate each other and pull people up to do good things and be purposeful." Don't let people pull you down. And I think if we're all balcony people and do things for the right reasons and make our communities better and work together and be respectful with each other, I think, you know, our communities and our world is going to be a much better place.
Commissioner Stuart:
And we need that more than ever.
Mayor Hood:
Yes.
Commissioner Stuart:
Let me just say thank you. It's my intent to make sure these stories are told, but it's also my intent to have people want to know more about our community. And you've accomplished that. If you want to know more about Mayor Glenda Hood, her lifetime as a public servant, you can read those details at the HistoryCenter.org, OrlandoLandTrust.org, Orlandomemory.org. Or, if you want to, just Google her. There are some great articles about you in the paper and on Google and I am so grateful for that.
Mayor Hood:
Well, I want to thank you for your public service because it's not easy. I think it gets harder and harder every year. But for those of you that step up and take on leadership roles, I'm eternally grateful that we continue to have great leadership in our community.
Commissioner Stuart:
Well, like with you, both of us will give the credit to our parents.
Mayor Hood:
Absolutely.
Commissioner Stuart:
They're the ones that said, that taught us that your task, if you're going to be involved in a community, you have to be engaged.
Mayor Hood:
And your parents and my parents were both very involved in the community and set a great example for us.
Commissioner Stuart:
Mayor Hood, thank you so much. Thank you. I'm honored to have spent the time with you and and speaking on behalf of our entire community. Let me express our gratitude for you and your leadership. Our city would not be what it is today without you. I want you to say thank you. I also want to thank our listeners for taking a few minutes of their time to join us today. So that's it for now. Please look for more discussions or Orlando's History Makers on this podcast channel. I'm your host, Orlando City Commissioner Robert Stuart. I appreciate your listening. Remember, let's value our past, learn from it, and make our future brighter than ever. Thank you.