Candidate: Sylvia L. Sharps

My name is Sylvia Sharps, a Florida native and PBC Resident for the past 20 years. While I am running for District 6 Commission seat of Palm Beach County (PBC), 2022, I would like for you to also know me as a viable Commission candidate working to become a Representative dedicated to the residents of this County. The citizens living in neighborhoods throughout PBC know me as the domestic violence survivor who provides a listening ear and a list of resources for the person who is in a domestically violent relationship or for that single Mother or Father who works 2 jobs to live in a rental unit being taken advantage of by a landlord who is only interested in collecting rent. These are the people who have accepted me as a part of their lives and have asked me to run for this office so that they can feel that they are being represented regardless of the salary that they earn or the location of their home throughout Palm Beach County.

My board affiliations/memberships include being appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush to the State of Florida Board, Commission on Marriage and Family Support Initiatives and serving on local organizational Boards, having membership/Leadership positions in the International Association of Women, The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge A.F. & A.M. OF Florida, Inc., Order of Eastern Star, NAACP, Palm Beach County President of the PBC Chapter, National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice, The Ministerial Alliance, American Contract Compliance Association, and the West Palm Beach Mental Health Coalition and Emcee/Community Liaison for community events.  I limit my memberships in order to be and effective board member and not just hold a position.

While this is a very abbreviated picture of who I am as a person and what I am known for in the communities that I live in and serve, I have extensive knowledge of the PBC processes and procedures and am willing and ready to learn because there are very few people born with all of the knowledge required to serve in this position.

I stand ready to work not only on the continuous issues facing the Commissioners but also regarding making decisions such as the continued lack of affordable housing within the county, the critical unknowns of the COVID 19 pandemic, the lack of funding for the local public schools, the needs of our residents within our District and Palm Beach County overall as a few of the more critical issues that the person elected to this seat will be required to administer with the other PBC Commissioners.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." I have been through some of the most trying times of challenge and controversy during my lifetime, and I still stand believing that regardless of all that will and can happen, the persistence of doing what is right and for others is my legacy.

Thank you for your consideration of my candidacy for Palm Beach County Commission, District 6, 2022.

Sincerely,

Sylvia Sharps