Cuban American Lilliana Baker was recently sworn in as clerk for the City of Fort Myers. As the first Hispanic woman to hold the position, she said it’s humbling.

"It's always, I think, a great feeling for anyone to be the first at something," she said.
"And while it wasn't the sole basis of the appointment, there are significant advantages when you're fluent in another language.

"I would say that I average using my first language two to three times a week.
And it can be from assisting an individual or a family with the purchase of a cemetery lot … It could be answering phone calls. And one that especially has served me well in this role is writing resolutions and advertisements in Spanish regarding the election."

Baker sees teaching as part of her role. She is making plans to host middle school students to heighten their awareness of civics and the workings of city government. She calls it a passion project.

"The way I envision it would be like having all the students here and kind of holding like a small election kind of showing okay you're going to break off into six groups," she added.
"You're each going to select one person to represent you and that's going to be your council person. And then from all the groups, then we're going to elect a mayor and then, you know, kind of giving them that first part, obviously the election and then that experience where they're actually taking on the roles.

"I want to make it less intimidating for them and to understand how decisions are made that it's that their voices matter."

Baker was previously deputy clerk and has worked for the city for the past eight years. She succeeds Mary Hagemann, who retired from that position earlier this month.

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