Community Highlights: Meet Jonathan Melton of Gailor Hunt Davis Taylor Gibbs

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonathan Melton.

Hi Jonathan, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I was elected to serve as an at-large member of the Raleigh City Council in 2019.

I chair the Economic Development and Innovation Committee and serve on the Transportation and Transit Committee. When I am not working in my role as an at-large council member, I am a Board Certified Specialist in Family Law and partner at the law firm of Gailor Hunt Davis Taylor & Gibbs, PLLC. I exclusively practice family law, helping individuals navigate difficult personal circumstances with the goal of finding compromise solutions.

Before my service on Raleigh City Council, for several years I worked to build safe, inclusive spaces for the LGBTQ community and our allies in Raleigh and in cities throughout the United States. My journey started in 2010 when two of my friends created an LGBTQ and allied kickball league in Washington, D.C., called Stonewall Kickball.

I visited them a few times and experienced how their league created a sense of community for its players. As a community, those players began volunteering their time off the field, raising money for local nonprofits. Each time, I returned to Raleigh from D.C., I would think “Raleigh should have an organization like that too.” So, I created one.

In 2013, with the help of some friends, I started a Raleigh chapter of that D.C. kickball league. Not long after we brought the league here, that same sense of community arrived as well. Off the field, we planned service projects for organizations like the Raleigh Rescue Mission and the Tammy Lynn Center. We also raised tens of thousands of dollars for the LGBT Center of Raleigh and other local nonprofits. Our league quickly grew from 125 kickball players that first season, to more than 2,500 participants engaged in numerous sports and activities.

Soon, people in other cities started to take notice and wanted us to bring a league to them. So, we created a national organization, Stonewall Sports, USA, and hit the road. For more than two years, I traveled to places like Minneapolis, New Orleans, Richmond, and even Charlotte, Greensboro, and Wilmington to help establish leagues. I worked with local parks and recreation systems to find fields where our leagues could play, and I facilitated sponsorships with local business owners.

Because of my involvement with Stonewall Sports, I was afforded a platform that I channeled into further advocacy. In 2017, I helped create an annual fundraising event for the NC AIDS Action Network. I also joined the Board of Directors of TLC (formerly, “the Tammy Lynn Center”).

And in my profession as an attorney, I helped create a program that provides pro bono legal assistance to families involved in domestic violence actions in Wake County District Court.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Running for office as a first-time candidate was challenging but also rewarding.

I was fortunate to connect with a fantastic campaign manager who has since become a good friend, and working on my campaign together was a great experience. Soon after being elected, the COVID-19 pandemic emerged.

I ran for office on issues of housing affordability, land use, and transit, and suddenly I was part of a City Council facing global and systemic issues. I am proud of the work we’ve accomplished addressing campaign goals while also governing through unprecedented times.

We’ve been impressed with Gailor Hunt Davis Taylor Gibbs, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
When I’m not working in my role as an at-large City Council Member, I am a Board Certified Specialist in Family Law and partner at the law firm of Gailor Hunt Davis Taylor & Gibbs, PLLC. I exclusively practice family law, helping individuals navigate difficult personal circumstances with the goal of finding compromise solutions.

Prior to joining Gailor Hunt Davis Taylor & Gibbs, P.L.L.C., I served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Richard A. Elmore of the North Carolina Court of Appeals; I focus a portion of my practice specifically on family law appeals, as well as trial work focused on child custody and domestic violence.

I have been selected as a North Carolina Rising Star by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers and elected to Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite in the categories of Family Law and Best Under 40 (“Young Guns”). In 2020, I was named in Raleigh Magazine’s “Thirty in Their 30s” and received the Triangle Business Journal 40 Under 40 Leadership Award.

What do you think about luck?
I’m not sure if it’s luck, but each step of my career feels connected to the prior step and choices I made. For example, I attended NC Central University School of Law which afforded me the connection to Judge Richard Elmore of the North Carolina Court of Appeals. I accepted an internship with Judge Elmore, which turned into a clerkship after law school.

After a 2-year clerkship, I applied to be an associate at my law firm, and Judge Elmore happened to know one of the partners because she was previously a law clerk for another judge at the North Carolina Court of Appeals.

When running for office, I listened to my heart and instincts in several situations, and I’m certain it affected the outcome of my election.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: jonathanmelton.com
• Instagram: @melton4raleigh
• Facebook: @melton4raleigh
• Twitter: @melton4raleigh