Anne Geggis
The competition to represent Palm Beach County’s House District 93 just became a four-way Primary race after a Wellington youth director and motivational speaker announced her candidacy.
Shelly Albright is the director of Children and Youth Ministries at St. Peter’s United Methodist Church. She also has experience starting a small business and serving on a variety of volunteer boards.
She will be competing for an open seat that contains parts of the old House District 86 that Democratic Rep. Matt Willhite has represented since 2016. He opted not to pursue a fourth term and is campaigning for a seat on the Palm Beach County Commission.
Albright, the mother of four adult children, started and ran a workshop retreat business and volunteered at several school-focused endeavors.
She will be facing three fellow Democrats in HD 93, which covers part of Palm Beach County including the village of Wellington and portions of Greenacres and western Boynton Beach.
The other Democratic candidates are:
— Seth Densen, a social worker also making his first run for political office.
— Tom Valeo, who served as a legislative aide to the outgoing Rep. Willhite.
— Katherine Waldron, who works in sales and business and is now serving her second term as a Port of Palm Beach Commissioner.
A Republican, Dr. Saulis Banionis, will take on whoever survives the Aug. 23 Primary Election.
Voters in that district went for President Joe Biden over Donald Trump in 2020 by more than 10 points, according to Matt Isbell of MCI Maps. So whoever wins the Democratic Primary Election will be favored to win the seat.
In her campaign announcement, Albright says she is a Hispanic Florida native who has lived in Wellington for 18 years.
Her business, Sophisticated Octopus, put on retreats and workshops to inspire girls and women to live to their full potential, according to her campaign announcement. She is currently on the board of directors of the Women’s Foundation of Florida and the Advisory Board for the Neil S. Hirsch Boys & Girls Club of Wellington. Albright is also a member of the Wellington Education Committee.
Her campaign announcement calls Albright a “women’s issues advocate.” It does not cite any previous runs for office or serving in any other elected positions. She did not return a call seeking further clarification about her experience in politics Tuesday.
“I am running to bring my many years of experience as a Children and Youth Ministries director, as an active community leader and longtime Wellington and Boynton Beach resident to Tallahassee,” she said in the news release. “I know District 93 and the issues important to our community. I will be the strong and effective leader the district needs.”
