NAPLES, Fla. — Collier County has many powerful female leaders taking charge in our community. However, there is one position in particular that has paved the way for young women.
"Supervisor of Elections was originally named in the Florida constitution in 1965," said Melissa Blazier, Collier Supervisor of Elections. "Our first Supervisor of Elections was Edna Santa. She served from 1965 until 1980. Then our second Supervisor of Elections was Mary Morgan and she served from 1980 until 2000. Then our third, my predecessor Jennifer Edwards, served from 2000 until May of last year, so about 23 years and I took the reins from there.”
Running the Elections Office is something Melissa Blazier would never have dreamed of doing when she first walked into the office 18 years ago.
"I actually had a friend that worked in the office and suggested that I apply for a position and I thought, you know, it sounds interesting, I really wasn't into our political structure, elections in general," said Blazier. "I was very young at the time. It sounds interesting, something that maybe I can get into, and time flies when you're having fun."
It is a lot of responsibility too. As the Supervisor of Elections, she keeps the security of our votes, and voice, in Collier County.
"I'm honored to represent women in Collier County," said Blazier. "We can do anything we set our minds to. I mean, I know that we have, we have a lot of strong male leaders. In our community. So it's nice to see some strong female faces. There are a few of us, although our numbers, I think, are a little lower than they could be. I encourage other females to get out and become a candidate.”
She adds one piece of advice for young women in our community...
"I don't take no for an answer, so really kind of stick to your guns and make sure that your voice is heard," said Blazier.
