Darrio Melton
| Darrio Melton | ||
 | ||
| Alabama House of Representatives District 67 | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| November 3, 2010-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| November 5, 2014 | ||
| Years in position | 3 | |
| Party | Democratic | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $10/day | |
| Per diem | $4,308/month | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| First elected | November 2, 2010 | |
| Next election | November 4, 2014 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | University of Alabama Birmingham, 2001 | |
| Other | MDiv, Candler School of Theology, Emory University, 2004 | |
| Personal | ||
| Profession | Associate Pastor | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
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Contents |
When Mr. Melton launched his campaign on December 31, 2009, he made the announcement at the George Washington Carver Homes, the same neighborhood where he grew up.[1]
Biography
A Selma native, Darrio grew up in a single parent household and attended Selma Public Schools, the University of Alabama-Birmingham, and Emory University.
He has since returned to Selma where he serves as associate pastor at Tabernacle of Praise Church and adjunct instructor at Wallace Community College of Selma. Melton also serves as Director of Tabernacle of Praise's School of Minsitry.
He married his high school girlfriend, Christy, and they have one son, Darrio, II.
During his divinity studies at Emory's Candler School of Theology, Melton served as intern Chaplain at Metro State Prison. At commencement, he received the Ruth Sewell Flowers Award, a faculty-awarded prize for the student who has , "shown the greatest improvement in ministerial qualifications during the three years spent in the School of Theology."
Since 2004, he has served as Constituent Service Representative for Congressman Artur Davis (AL-07), focusing on the state's "Black Belt" region.
Education
- St. Thomas University, '10, Ph.D in Religious Studies
- Candler School of Theology at Emory University, '04, Masters of Divinity
- University of Alabama-Birmingham, '01, BS in Psychology cum laude
- Selma High School
Affiliations
Professional
- Selma-Dallas County Leadership Class XVI
- Voices for Alabama Children, Board member
Academic
- Golden Key National Honor Society
- Psi Chi National Honor Society
- Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society.
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Committee assignments
2011-2012
Melton served on these committees in the 2011-2012 legislative session:
- Subcommittee on Agency and Commission Issues
- Subcommittee on Energy and Green Technology
Issues
Asked to comment on his major foci during the primary, Melton answered, "The bigger issue is economic development, jobs, unemployment rate one of the highest in the state, a huge issue but again that ties hand in hand with education." [2]
Community Development
For Mr. Melton, returning to Selma was a personal choice, rooted in working to develop services in rural areas. His key campaign platforms include expanding healthcare access in rural areas as well as growing small business opportunities and tourism.
He also cites bringing broadband technology to underdeveloped areas.
Education
Melton hopes to focus on expanding initiatve programs to keep students in high school and push them to go to college. Also, he cites plans to integrate various educational programs and create a "seamless" education system.
Elections
2010
Melton defeated incumbent Democrat Yusuf Salaam in the June 1 primary.[3] Salaam, who was seeking his fifth term, received 5,073 votes while Melton received 5,533. He then ran unopposed in the November 2 general election.[4]
| Alabama House of Representatives, District 67 Democratic Primary (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
 Darrio Melton (D)
|
5,533 | |||
| Yusuf Salaam (D) | 5,073 | |||
Speaking about his primary win, Melton commented:
People are hungering for something new, something different,” Melton said. “I’m not here to represent myself, I’m here to represent the people, and I think people spoke tonight with a loud volume.”
Campaign donors
2010
In 2010, Melton raised $70,733 in contributions. [5]
His four largest contributors were:
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Melton, Darrio | $15,000 |
| Melton, Darrio | $10,000 |
| Alabama Education Association | $10,000 |
| Shoe Palace | $4,670 |
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a google news search for the term Darrio + Melton + Alabama + House
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.
Darrio Melton News Feed
- House of Representatives begins debate on gun bill - al.com (blog)
- Alabama Legislature Passes Changes to Fair Campaign Practices Act - wwntradio
- Cost of liquor in Dallas County could rise to help those in Drug Court - Selma Times-Journal
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External links
- House site
- Project Vote Smart Biography
- Project Vote Smart legislative profile
- Campaign contributions: 2010
- Congressional staffer salary information for Darrio Melton at LegiStorm
- Darrio Melton on Facebook
- Darrio Melton on Twitter
- Darrio Melton at LinkedIn
References
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Yusuf Salaam |
Alabama House District 67 2010–present |
Succeeded by NA |
 |
This Alabama-related article is a stub. You can help Ballotpedia by expanding it. |
- Alabama stubs
- Democratic challenger who defeated a Democratic incumbent in a 2010 state house primary
- 2010 unopposed
- 2010 open seat
- Democratic Party
- Alabama
- 2010 candidate
- 2010 challenger
- 2010 winner
- House of Representatives candidate, 2010
- Current member, Alabama House of Representatives
- State representatives first elected in 2010
