VILLAGE CONNECTION – A Conversation with Mayor Joanne Ribble

Councilmember Joanne Ribble has served on the Village Council since 2021. On March 19, 2025, Ribble was sworn in to serve a two-year term as the Mayor of Estero in conjunction with her four-year term as District 1 Councilmember. She recently sat down with Estero Life Magazine to share some of her views and insights.

 

1. Tell us a bit about your background and how you came to live in Estero.

I am originally from the Philadelphia area, and after years of vacationing in Florida, we really liked Estero. After my husband Bill retired, we decided to move down here. It’s been 18 years now, and we have been residents of The Colony in Pelican Landing since 2007.

 

2. How did your roles within the council come to fruition?

When I first moved down here, I got involved in HOA government. I was on the board of two community Homeowners’ Associations and later became the president of the Pelican Landing HOA. When we moved to The Colony, I later became president of their HOA. It was a natural fit to move to an actual governmental organization, and I’ve enjoyed it.

 

3. On Village Council, one of your areas of strategic concern includes the Estero River. Why is this important to you?

The Estero River is kind of like the lifeblood of Estero; it runs through practically the entire city. Previous councils and our current council have studied the river and found that it was impaired, which was the catalyst for our utility expansion septic-to-sewer project. We love the natural beauty of the Estero River, and we want to make it as pristine as it once was, and of course, the Estero River empties into the bay, so we want to preserve the integrity of Estero Bay as much as we can, too.

 

4. What improvements do you feel are the most vital to Estero over the next five years?

Through years of focus groups and town hall meetings to determine the community’s needs and wants, we are working to answer those requests, such as bicycle lanes and improved sidewalks. Estero had little recreation because we were basically a “bedroom community” with no real identity, so the Village of Estero created Estero SportsPark and then our entertainment center anchored by High 5, as well as the Estero RiverPark. We want people to be able to live, work and play in Estero and not have to seek entertainment and sports venues in other cities.

 

5. What do you feel are the greatest challenges facing the Village of Estero?

Engaging residents and helping them understand what Village Council does, how we work. Also, getting people to understand what’s outside of their own community. These public-private partnerships that we are bringing into the community will hopefully connect and engage residents in new and exciting ways.

 

6. What is your personal motto, and how do you apply it to your daily life?

I’m accountable for what I say and do, and I think if everybody honestly endeavors to say what they mean, people would accomplish things more collaboratively. If you make a commitment, stick with it.