Melissa McKinlay Announces Her Candidacy for Palm Beach County Commission, District 6
October 1, 2013
Melissa J. McKinlay today announced and filed her candidacy for the Palm Beach County Commission District 6 seat. She will run as a Democrat in the August 26, 2014 Primary Election for the seat being vacated by County Commissioner Jess R. Santamaria.
42-year-old, McKinlay, a resident of Palm Beach County since 2004, promises to bring a new perspective to Palm Beach County government. As a single Mom of 3 beautiful children – Brady (15), Macey (13) and Annika (12), Melissa understands the challenges facing families in the district currently…she lives them everyday: Balancing the household budget, paying attention to the quality of education in our schools, sharing a mother’s passion for safety in the community as families try to protect and raise their children.
That passion has led to Melissa McKinlay spending most of her career volunteering. Her first official role was with President of the United States, Bill Clinton, serving on his advance team for official visits in New Orleans. Currently, she serves as the Chair of the Junior League of the Palm Beaches’ Advocacy Committee and a member of the Junior Leagues of Florida State Public Affairs Committee. Melissa is a member of the Board of Directors for the Boys & Girls Club of Boca Raton, and was recently elected to the Palm Beach County Board of Directors for ChildNet.
Melissa has also volunteered her time as a member of the Junior League of Sarasota, West Palm 100, and served on the boards of Voices for Children of Palm Beach County and the Teen Court of Sarasota. She served as Public Affairs Chair for the VillageWalk of Wellington Homeowners Association, multiple school charities in Sarasota, Wellington and West Palm Beach and in an appointed position to the Village of Wellington Education Advisory Committee. She was also active in fundraising for the American Cancer Society.
Melissa McKinlay has been serving since 2010 as Legislative Delegation Aide in the Palm Beach County Legislative Affairs Department, providing administrative and legislative support to the Director of Legislative Affairs and the Executive Director of the Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation on behalf of the Board of County Commissioners and the 13-member Delegation.
Melissa’s primary focus has been to analyze and track legislation affecting children and families on a local, state and federal level, mostly through her work as the Chairwoman for the Junior Leagues of Florida State Public Affairs Committee and her current position with Palm Beach County. She has received multiple awards for her advocacy efforts including the 2006 Child Advocate of the Year Award from the 15th Judicial Circuit of Florida, the 2008 Girls Power Award from the Girls Advocacy Project, the 2009 Junior Leagues of Florida Advocacy Award, and an Award for Distinguished Achievement from the International Association of Fire Fighters in 2011.
Previously, Melissa worked in the West Palm Beach office of U.S. Senator Bill Nelson. Her past experience includes work at all three levels of government, including the US & Florida House of Representatives, the Florida Department of Community Affairs and the Sarasota County Budget Department.
Melissa is a member of the Palm Beach County 15th Circuit Juvenile Justice Advisory Board, the Palm Beach County Juvenile Justice Re-entry Task Force, the Homeless Coalition’s Legislative Policy Committee, and the Community Health Planning & Safety Net Network. She also serves in an advisory capacity to the Palm Beach County Sexual Assault Response Team and was an integral part of the team that developed The Butterfly House, Palm Beach County’s first sexual assault response medical services center.
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Melissa McKinlay Campaign
PO BOX 213594
Royal Palm Beach FL 33421
Campaign Contact:
Jody Young
561-704-3912
E-mail: jody_r_young@att.net.
Paid for and approved by Melissa McKinlay, Democrat, for Palm Beach County Commission, District 6