Happy New Year! I am so excited to be your new City Council Member as of January 6th. Some of you may know me from my work as President of Crescent Lake Neighborhood Association. I never imagined running for public office. However, being part of the neighborhood association is what inspired me to run. I think so much can be accomplished at the neighborhood level. A neighborhood association is a great mechanism that not only brings the community together, but can improve the quality of life for residents. Neighborhood associations require volunteers. So, if you have time, I encourage you to get involved in Crescent Heights Neighborhood Association!
I am a Floridian born in Tampa. My mom left Tampa when I was 2 and I was raised by my mother (with the help of my grandmother) in Miami. My parents emigrated to the United States from Cuba in the late 1960’s. They fled Cuba after my grandfather was killed by the Castro regime. I had to drop out of high school to help my mother financially. I went to night school to graduate from high school.
I obtained my Bachelor’s and MBA degrees while working full-time in the legal field. I eventually went to University of Florida College of Law.
Life brought me back to the Tampa Bay area in 2004. My husband and I moved to Saint Petersburg and the Crescent Lake neighborhood in 2006. I was an Assistant State Attorney at the Office of the State Attorney in Pinellas County and Federal Prosecutor at the United States Attorney’s Office in Tampa.
I started my private practice, but stopped practicing law due to a high-risk pregnancy. Our daughter is now seven years old. After the birth of my daughter, I had the time to rebuild our neighborhood organization, which had become inactive due to the lack of volunteers. As a result, I understand the work necessary to keep a neighborhood active from seeking board members and keeping the community engaged to working with the city.
We are a city of neighborhoods and I hope that we can continue to keep that spirit alive. I appreciate everything each and every one of you do for neighborhood, our community, and our city. I look forward to seeing you at a future neighborhood meeting. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Lissett Hanewicz