By Marci Shatzman
It didn’t take long for Palm Beach County Commissioners to vote to promote Vice Mayor Maria Sachs to mayor.
It wasn’t a given. But when Sachs was nominated at the recent reorganization meeting, all seven commissioners were on board.
Outgoing mayor and still a commissioner Gregg Weiss called his term “the honor of my lifetime,” before passing the gavel and the meeting to his successor.
“You have really served us well,” Sachs said, adding “It is an awesome responsibility I take seriously…and I strive to lead by who preceded me.”
She thanked her husband Peter Sachs and their family for their support. And she promised to lead the county forward and encourage the influx of new residents to become “part of this beautiful community.”
“We are seven commissioners who speak with one voice,” she said, calling for unity and “to put aside partisanship.”
Both Marias are now county leaders. Commissioner Maria Marino was unanimously elected vice mayor by her fellow commissioners.
Here’s a Q&A with Mayor Sachs:
Q: Aside from presiding over every commission meeting, what are your other legal duties and responsibilities as mayor?
A: To represent the county at events, especially those that are administered by county staff and also non-profits. I sign legal documents on behalf of the County Commission.
Q: Moving up from vice mayor to mayor wasn’t automatic. Were you aware this could happen and how did you prepare for it, if you did?
A: With a Republican majority on the commission, I was honored to receive a unanimous vote from my colleagues.
Q: You mentioned Palm Beach County is having a growth spurt. Have you set specific goals you want to achieve as mayor in your year term, and what are they?
A: To incentivize business to move here and encourage the best and the brightest young families to make Palm Beach County their new home.
Q: When you’re invited or asked to attend an event as mayor, will your attendance now require more advance notice? How much more?
A: At least two weeks.
Q: As vice mayor, I’ve seen you attend many nonprofit fundraisers, even though they weren’t in your district. Will the expectation be that you will attend even more events out of your district?
A: Yes, and I look forward to it.