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Meet your City Council
Mayor Bill Albers and his wife Kate moved to Punta Gorda in 1996 from Atlanta. He served in the United States Army with an honorable discharge in 1970. As a manager with AT&T for 30 years, he was exposed to many different opportunities and challenges. He worked with the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Committee to lead its Technology group. He has worked with multi-million dollars budgets, strategic planning, created new and innovative employee recognition and compensation plans. Since retiring, Bill was asked by the Salt Lake City Olympic Team to assist them with the 2002 Winter Games. In Punta Gorda, Bill has been active in the Punta Gorda Isles Civic Association - most recently as the president. He is a founding member and the first Commodore of the Mariners of PGI Boat Club and has served on the Advisory Board for Team Punta Gorda. He is an active member of the Elks and Sacred Heart Church. Bill served as a volunteer fireman and paramedic for 19 years holding various roles including the Chief Officer of a 140-person department and its finances. He is a highly organized, energetic, goal-oriented team player with a keen ability to motivate others to be the same.
Harvey Goldberg, who grew up in North Carolina, moved to Punta Gorda with his wife Marianne in 2001 from the northern New Jersey area. He has an undergraduate degree in business and an MBA in management. He has an honorable discharge from the United States Marine Corps. Before retiring in 2000, Harvey worked for AT&T and Lucent Technologies for 32 years in a number of managerial and leadership jobs, including financial management, strategic planning, performance management and manufacturing. He led a number of successful organizations in similar size as the Punta Gorda City Government. As a certified performance improvement facilitator, Harvey counseled executives and leadership teams. In Punta Gorda, Harvey is a member of a number of community organizations, including both the Punta Gorda and Charlotte County Chambers of Commerce, the Punta Gorda Historical Society, the Punta Gorda Elks Club, the Punta Gorda Isles Civic Association (former Planning Director), the PGIslanders Cruising Club (former Commodore), St. Andrews Golf Club and a regular volunteer worker for the Punta Gorda Block Party. He is a former member of the Punta Gorda Isles Canal Advisory Committee and the former Government Relations Liaison for TEAM Punta Gorda. Harvey believes in principled visionary leadership and accelerating progress. He is committed to working as a team on City Council to help Punta Gorda become one of the best small town waterfront communities in America.
Born in Ft. Myers, Carolyn Freeland relocated to Punta Gorda from Washington, DC, with her husband Tom, in 1997. As a partner in Smith, Bucklin & Associates' DC Office, she served for over thirteen years as Executive Director for a number of education and health care associations and, among other contributions, established a continuing education Management Institute for colleagues. She taught in higher education institutions for ten years prior to her time in Washington, having obtained her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at Purdue University in communication theory and educational psychology. More recently, Carolyn served for four years as the Executive Director of the Charlotte Community Foundation, the organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in Charlotte County. Carolyn's experience includes heading organizational audit teams that assess all aspects of an organization's management systems. She has served as a facilitator and strategic planning consultant for professional and trade organizations, governmental agencies, foundations, businesses and educational institutions, including several here in Charlotte County. While she has held elective office on several national boards, locally she has served as Public Relations Chair for Charlotte County Foundation's Learning in Retirement Board and as Planning Governor for the Punta Gorda Isles Civic Association. Between 2004 and 2006, she served as President-Elect, President and Past President for PGICA. Carolyn is also a member of the Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce, the Visual Arts Center, the Arts and Humanities Council of Charlotte County and the Mariners of PGI. Recognized as an accomplished executive and skilled analysist, negotiator and coalition builder, Carolyn looks forward to working with City Council, staff and residents in making decisions about our City's future - not only doing "things" right, but doing the "right" things for Punta Gorda.
Rachel grew up in Charlotte County, completing K-12 in Charlotte County Public Schools. She graduated Charlotte High School in 1987 and went on to graduate from the University of Florida in 1991. Rachel earned an Education Degree and taught middle and high school in Lee and Charlotte counties. Rachel has been an active volunteer in the local schools and in the community. She is currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Educational Technology at Florida Gulf Coast University. Rachel and her husband, Klint, have been City residents for 18 years and are raising their family here. The Keeslings enjoy boating, traveling and attending sporting events. Rachel looks forward to making a difference in her community and preserving the unique character of Punta Gorda for the next generation.
Charles Wallace is originally from a small town in Ohio called Bellbrook. He attended Cornell University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree. He fell in love with Punta Gorda when he originally became part of the community in 2001. An entrepreneur, Charles has owned several successful companies. Investing in a vacant building downtown, he built River City Grill into a showcase restaurant along Marion Avenue in the heart of Punta Gorda. He has been appointed to key community groups including the Punta Gorda Revitalization Committee. Charles has also been very involved with several local non-profit organizations including Habitat for Humanity, Do The Right Thing, CARE, and TEAM Punta Gorda. Charles owns a home in the historic district where he is active in historic preservation and hurricane recovery. He is the father of two college-age students and enjoys boating, golfing, and tennis. City Hall |
Councilmember