Doral resident Mary Swofford was recently selected to be the newest member of the Doral Community Council (DCC), filling one of the vacated seats.

New DCC Member Mary Swofford

In an effort to keep the residents of Doral informed about their community leaders, their backgrounds and concerns about the community, the Doral Tribune recently met with Doral's newest community council member.

A Doral Resident and Businesswoman

What was it that brought you to Doral?
I moved to Doral four and a half years ago from Chicago, where I worked for Maytag. Maytag made me an area sales manager for Latin America and our regional office is here--specifically my responsibility is to sell appliances throughout the Caribbean except in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

It's a great job--I get to travel a great deal--but unfortunately I don't get to see much of the beach.

It is a unique experience, getting to deal with different people and cultures, but when Friday rolls around I just want to get back to Doral and relax.

When you had to find a place in Miami, why did you choose Doral?
I came on an apartment finding trip before I moved here and looked at Key Biscayne, the Grove, Miami Beach, but I fell in love with Doral.

The proximity to the airport and office made it particularly attractive; I knew the export business would demand a lot of travel, and living in Doral has made that easy.

It was also such a lovely community, so well maintained and a safe one as well... I take a lot of joy in just driving home at the end of the day down the tree-lined streets watching the people walking their dogs or getting home and walking around the lakes. It's a family-oriented community, and the beauty of the area and the accessibility to the expressways, airport, and work were such positives that it just made sense. And little things like the fact that there are sidewalks everywhere only add to it...

And the people that I've met, the people that I've become friends with, are truly great people. When I lost my mom a couple of years ago, and I'd only been here a short time, my friends in Doral were there for me. They are exceptional people--I feel that sincerely.

Taking an Interest in Community Life

How did you first get involved in the Doral community?
I was elected to the homeowners board of Doral House III--in fact I was the first person to move into that condominium. My unit was the only one occupied of the 107; I was the only person in there besides the security guard for the first four nights; it was kind of spooky...

It was a brand new building and the management responsibilities were being transferred from Lennar to the owners. I wanted to have a say in what was happening.

I was elected president of the board for the first two years I was there, and for the last two years have remained active on the board as its secretary. It's a commitment to my immediate community that I plan to continue.

How did you decide to get involved in the greater community in general and the DCC in particular?
In the past when a friend in the community asked me to go show support at one of the meeting to keep the INS from relocating to Doral, I participated in that. But all the travelling associated with my job really prevented me from doing more than that...

I was extremely active in the community when I lived in Chicago through my church. I rebuilt homes in Nicaragua, was a frequent participant in Habitat for Humanity, and tutored at the Cook County Jail, amongst other things.

I hadn't gotten involved as much as I would have liked here, and I realized that something was missing and that I really wanted to do more for the community.

When I was invited by some people to apply for the DCC I told them that I didn't have a family and that I hadn't been involved.

Despite that, based on my interactions with friends, my work at Doral House, my aptitude as a businessperson, and my deep concern for and care about the community, they thought that I would be capable...

I was so impressed with the leaders of this community--that was what finally truly motivated me to apply. The quality, integrity, and high caliber of civic leaders like Morgan Levy, Jesse Jones, and Ralph Arza, and for that matter all the members of the DCC. Even just the community members at large who are involved are such great people that really care about what goes on outside the boundaries of their own homes, these people care about more than what is going on in their daily lives.

It certainly wasn't a need for personal recognition that motivated them--they genuinely wanted to see their community grow and help it to the best of their ability.
That was the crux of the reasons I wanted to join: I loved their energy and really wanted to be a part of it.

Concerns About Doral's Future

What do you believe are the major issues facing Doral right now?
I think that the rapid growth needs to be carefully planned and controlled because of the problems associated with them, traffic, etc.

We need schools to help support the families of Doral with a proper educational system--our children have to be our priority.

Obviously, because it's a growing community, we need to be concerned about safety and make sure law enforcement stays on par with the growth. Our policing needs must be met.

There aren't nearly enough churches in Doral--we need to find ways to encourage them to come into the community.

The lack of parks is an obvious and serious concern that needs to be addressed.