People 

Susi Davis: Improving Our Local Government

Kylie Wang

President, Gables Good Government Committee

Having lived in Latin America for many years, Susi Davis led a long and colorful life even before she came to Coral Gables in 2005. She’s been a VISTA volunteer (she describes this as “the domestic Peace Corps”) in St. Croix, an activist for Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos orphanage and a business owner in Mexico, a hotel worker in the San Blas Islands of Panama, a secondhand clothing store owner in Venezuela, and the senior director of the Americas Society/Council of the Americas in New York City. 

When the Portland, Oregon, native finally ended up in the Gables, it was when she and a colleague were hired by the University of Miami (UM) to start the new Center for Hemispheric Policy at UM. Today, Davis is retired but continues her community work through the Gables Good Government Committee (GGG).

Susi Davis
Susi Davis has been a part of the Gables Good Government Committee for over a decade, and now serves as its president.

Latest Achievement 

In 2022, Davis became the president of Gables Good Government Committee after 11 years as a member and seven years on the board. In her role, Davis follows the goings-on in the city and watches or attends all sunshine and City Commission meetings. “I’m very involved in producing all the programming that we do,” Davis says, including the annual town halls GGG produces with Commission members. 

GGG also recently handed out its third-ever Excellence in Public Service Award in March to Jeannett and Don Slesnick, the latter of which actually founded GGG in 2009.

RELATED The Passing of a Star: Jeannett Slesnick

What She Says

“[GGG] does not endorse candidates,” Davis says, “so that makes it easier for us because we only deal with issues, causes, projects, and proposals. It keeps us focused and the commissioners pay better attention because we’re not going after people’s personalities,” says Davis. 

“Our goal, our mission statement really, is to improve Coral Gables and make sure it’s an efficient and well-run government. Those are things that sometimes get lost with commissioners, and they have to be reminded. We make sure that they remember what they’re here to do and how they should do it.”