Jill Lerner: A Hospitality Approach to Public Service
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BY HAL FELDMAN
Jill Lerner had been attending Pinecrest Village Council meetings for two years when frustration inspired her to run. She felt residents were learning about major spending proposals too late to meaningfully weigh in.
“They want a meaningful voice before major decisions are made,” explained Lerner. She believes her hospitality career has prepared her to provide that opportunity.
At 43, Lerner has managed multimillion-dollar restaurant operations and teams of hundreds. She earned her hospitality management degree from Florida International University in 2006 and has spent the past 14 years working in Food and Beverage Event Production with the South Beach Wine & Food Festival.
Think about what that takes. Budgets have to work. People have to work together. Problems need solutions. And people need to know you are paying attention.
Lerner wants to bring those skills to Village government through responsible financial management, respectful dialogue, and earlier opportunities for public input, potentially through town halls and advisory committees.
Her priorities include better communication, transparency, support for public schools, public safety, and improved traffic flow through an updated Transportation Master Plan. She also proposes more family-themed park events to help neighbors connect.
A lifelong resident, Lerner grew up watching her mother, Cindy Lerner, devote decades to public service and Pinecrest politics. Today, she and her husband, Frederik, are raising three children who attend local public schools.
Her service includes founding a school safety committee that grew to more than 100 volunteers and serving on the Palmetto Elementary Performing Arts Board.
Jill Lerner
Jill Lerner and Family
She administers a Facebook community with more than 14,000 members, and her work on the Voices for Children Holiday Drive has helped provide thousands of gifts to foster children.
For Lerner, that record of involvement is the foundation for taking on a new responsibility: helping guide the community she calls home.
“This campaign for me is not about politics,” she said. “It really is about service.”
Lerner wants residents to feel heard before decisions are made. She believes her years in hospitality have prepared her to listen, act on their behalf, and bring the attention to public service that her profession demands every day.
Voices for Children Holiday Gift Drive
