New appointment for county commission

[Courtesy of Matthew McClain on LinkedIn]

Matthew McClain has been appointed to serve on the Marion County Board of County Commissioners by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday.

McClain will fill the vacancy left by former commissioner Jeff Gold’s resignation in May and unexpected last day in June of this year.

“I’m just very excited and want to give all the glory to God, this would all be meaningless without him,” McClain said shortly after the announcement of his appointment. “I’m very grateful to Governor DeSantis for the appointment and I’m looking forward to continuing to serve Marion County citizens as an elected official.”

McClain said he has served as a chief legislative aid for Florida Senator Dennis Baxley since 2016, and before that worked for former Rep. Charlie Stone starting in 2011.

McClain calls himself a third-generation Marion County resident, saying his grandparents moved here in the ’50s.

McClain earned his associate degree and bachelor’s degree in business from the College of Central Florida, according to a press release from the governor’s office on Friday.

“I want to continue to make Marion County the best place to live, work, raise a family, even retire,” he said. “I want us to have a strong economic engine that can keep us moving forward, so that there’s going to be opportunities for my three children when they grow up.”

McClain’s appointed term will last until November 2024, when qualifying will take place for the rest of the term until 2026, according to Supervisor of Elections Wesley Wilcox.

McClain said that in 2024 he intends to run to be elected to hold this seat on the county commission.

His appointment will begin immediately, and he said his first priority will be to help make sure the county budget is in order as the county commission will hold its final budget public hearing on Sept. 21.

He describes himself as a “big freedom and liberty guy,” listing that as another of his priorities, in addition to properly managing growth, public safety and infrastructure.

McClain isn’t the first of his family to serve on the county commission—his father Stan McClain served as a commissioner from 2004 until 2016, when he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives for District 27.

“My dad was on the commission for a number of years with a couple of (the current commissioners), so I’ve gotten to know them through that relationship,” McClain said.

He also said that he felt his time working in the Florida Legislature has familiarized him with Marion County’s government, citizens and needs.