Sarai Melendez

Councilwoman Sarai Melendez is serving her second four-year term on the Walhalla, South Carolina City Council, having won re-election in November 2023. A proud lifelong Walhallian, Melendez has built a reputation as a deeply committed and continually developing civic leader. She is a graduate of both the Municipal Elected Officials Institute of Government and the Advanced Municipal Elected Officials Institute through the Municipal Association of South Carolina. Most recently, she completed the inaugural South Carolina Hunt State Policy Fellows Program — a statewide initiative affiliated with Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy — as one of only 18 local leaders selected statewide, focusing on early childhood, K–12, and postsecondary education policy. A community bridge-builder with particular dedication to Walhalla’s Hispanic residents, Melendez brings both lived experience and formal training to every challenge facing her city.