McClain files candidacy for county commission seat

Matt McClain of the Marion County Commission listens during the Historic Marion County Commission meeting held at the Fort King National Historic Landmark in Ocala, Fla. on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.

Marion County Commissioner Matthew McClain has entered the race to retain the District 3 seat he was appointed to by Gov. Ron DeSantis last September.

McClain, 34, a third-generation Marion County resident, formerly worked in the state Legislature as the chief aide under Florida Sen. Dennis Baxley since 2016 and worked under former Rep. Charlie Stone since 2011. He earned his associate degree and bachelor’s degree in business from the College of Central Florida.

McClain, a Republican, and his family bought a home in his district in Marion County after being appointed to the commission to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of former Commissioner Jeff Gold.

“I believe my unique experience is what makes me the best candidate for this position, having spent over a decade working in state government,” he said. “Part of my job in the Florida Legislature was helping keep democracy in state government. I’d like to do the same thing on the county commission, which is making sure that people are able to effectively navigate bureaucracy in their local government.”

McClain will run against David Blackwell, also a Republican, for the District 3 seat. County commissioners received an annual salary of $103,500 in Fiscal Year 2023-2024.

If no candidates from another party enter the race, Republicans McClain and Blackwell will face off during the primary election on August 20.

If elected, McClain said his top priority would be to stay on top of the county’s infrastructure and needs given the large amount of people moving to Florida and, specifically, to Marion County.

“My biggest priority is just making sure that we’re managing this growth, effectively making sure we have the infrastructure and services as the growth increases because you can’t stop growth,” he said.

When it comes to methods of easing the strain of growth and funding infrastructure such as roads and safety, McClain had a slightly different take on the potential renewal of the county’s penny sales tax as some of the other commissioners.

“I like the sales tax. I think it’s the fairest form of taxation that government currently has in place because everyone pays it,” McClain said.

He voted yes to putting the 20-year renewal for the tax on the ballot in the 2024 general election, as did the rest of the commissioners, but he had concerns over the length of the term, citing potential economic changes and advocating for taxpayers to have more input.

“The one concern, the major thing, was that when you have something for 20 years, a lot can happen in 20 years. You don’t know when you’ll need to adjust; God forbid we had some kind of recession like 2007, 2008. I wanted voters to have more input on taxation in their county.”

With being appointed in the middle of a term, McClain said the adjustment wasn’t easy but he was glad to join in on several ongoing projects of the commission, including the animal shelter that will potentially be funded with $17 million from the 20-year penny sales tax.

“Getting the animal shelter done as quickly as possible is the goal. It’s not going to completely solve all of our problems, but it’s the first step that we need to take to make sure that we have an up-to-date adoption center,” he said. “We’re trying to build a place for animals to stay a few days, and then we can get them out to a loving family.”

McClain said he hopes to continue his work as a commissioner by being elected to the seat so he can fulfill his obligation to both the board and to the people of Marion County.

“My main motivation is to protect the principal ideas of faith and liberty,” he said.