Leading Women

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Posted February 25, 2022 | By Matthew Cretul
matthew@ocalagazette.com

Mary Sue Rich and Sandra Wilson are more than just pillars of the community in Ocala, they’re pioneers. Rich was the first Black woman to sit on the Ocala City Council, while Wilson is the first Black woman to serve as the Ocala city manager. Between them, these dynamic local icons represent more than a half-century of service to our city. As part of the commemoration of Black History Month, Rich and Wilson shared with The Ocala Gazette their reflections on topics including their professional journeys as well as advice to the next generation of leaders.

1. Q) What does Black History Month mean to you?

Rich: It means a lot to me. Most of our children, and when I say our children, I mean all children, don’t know a lot about Black history. And it’s very important for us to teach them, I don’t believe it’s taught enough in schools. We need to let them know where we came from.

Wilson: Black History Month is a time to recognize and celebrate the significant contributions that African-Americans have made and continue to make in every aspect of our society.

1. Q) What does (or did) your position mean to you?

Rich: It meant I could help the community. I didn’t only do what Black citizens wanted to be done, I did what anybody in the city needed. As an example, we took out all of the septic tanks [in the city] during my tenure. Everybody in the city is now on city water. That saved a lot of problems, removing all of the septic tanks. But that’s not the only thing I did, I did a lot of other things too. But that just comes off the top of my head. My goal was to help the people in the City of Ocala, not just people in the Black neighborhoods.

Wilson: The position of City Manager is the culmination of all of the training, education, and experience that I have attained in more than 30 years of public service. It is a position that I have watched several individuals hold and I’ve learned from each one of them – some things “to do” and some things “not to do.”   I aspired to obtain this position to be able to make a positive impact on the community, and I am blessed and honored that the elected officials of the City of Ocala have provided me the opportunity to lead such a dynamic organization with an excellent team of my fellow public servants.

1. Q) Describe your “path” to your position.

Rich: Well, I saw a lot of things that I felt that I could help with, a lot of things that needed to be done in the city. And there wasn’t a Black [person] on the city council, and I had friends who encouraged me to run for the seat. So, I ran, and I won, and I was on there for 24 years. When I left, I retired. I didn’t lose the seat, I was not opposed. I was undefeated in elections. 

Wilson: My path to the city manager’s office began with me initially being named the Human Resources (HR) Director for the City in January 2000. In HR, you have to become familiar with every area of a city, which provided a natural projection and path to the city manager’s office. I was promoted in 2011 to the position of Chief of Staff/Assistant City Manager where I had the opportunity to oversee the IT Department, Fleet Management, Water Resources/Engineering, in addition to Human Resources and Risk Management. In 2014, I was promoted to the position of Deputy City Manager where I had the opportunity to also oversee Ocala Electric Utility, the city’s largest enterprise department. The rest is history.

1. Q) Any words of wisdom to the next generation?

Rich: To go for it, to try to get any position that you want. And, anything that you want, you have to work hard for. You can’t just sit back and expect things to fall in your lap. You have to work for what you have and what you want.

Wilson: My words of wisdom to the next generation are to prepare yourself for the opportunities that will come your way. You cannot wait until the opportunity is upon you to prepare – you have to be prepared. You prepare yourself by deciding what you want to do; determine the credentials and experience that you need to qualify for it, and then get it done. You have to remove as many of the barriers that are within your control and be ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow.