Melinda Romero Donnelly

Melinda Kathleen Romero Donnelly (born October 8, 1971) is a Puerto Rican politician, and former Senator and Representative for the New Progressive Party (PNP). She is the youngest daughter of former Governor of Puerto Rico Carlos Romero Barceló and Kate Donnelly. During a break from her political career, Romero worked as a journalist for the Caribbean Business newspaper.

Melinda Romero was born on October 8, 1971 to then-mayor of San Juan and future Governor of Puerto Rico, Carlos Romero Barceló, and Kate Donnelly. Her great-grandfather is Antonio R. Barceló, first President of the Senate of Puerto Rico. She is the youngest of four siblings.

In 1993, Melinda Romero was selected Vice-president of the Youth Organization of the New Progressive Party (PNP) in San Juan.

Representative (1995-2004)

In 1995, Melinda Romero ran for Representative and won the primary for District 1. She was elected in the 1996 general elections with a 53.8% of the votes. After being sworn in, she took over the Commission of Youth Affairs and Public Safety, San Juan Development, and Legislative Internships.

While serving as a representative, Romero also ran for President of the PNP Youth Organization in 1998, being the first legislator to occupy that position. For the 2000 general elections, she presented her candidacy for Representative At-Large and ended up being the representative with most votes among her fellow PNP candidates, and the second one with most votes among all candidates.

In 2003, she decided not to seek reelection due to personal and health problems. Aside of her health, Romero decided to spend more time with her children in the wake of her divorce.

Senator (2009-2013)

In 2008, Romero sought the vacancy left by Jorge de Castro Font in the Senate of Puerto Rico. She received the support of several leaders of the party, namely Representative Albita Rivera, and Mayor of Toa Baja and Vice-president of the Mayors Federation, Aníbal Vega Borges. After an internal process, Romero Donnelly was chosen for the seat. She was sworn in on June 15, 2009 in a ceremony in the Rotunda of the Capitol of Puerto Rico.

In 2012, Romero won another PNP primary being the third candidate for the Senate with most votes. However, she was defeated in the general elections of 2012.

After leaving her seat, Romero started working as a journalist for the Caribbean Business. In an interview, she said she would cover news related to the Legislature and municipalities.

In 2014, Romero announced her intentions of running for mayor of her hometown of Dorado. However, she was defeated in the 2016 primaries by Waldemar Méndez.

Melinda Romero has been married twice. She had two children with second husband, William Fuentes: Kathleen Nicole (born March 28, 1998) and Christopher Alexander (born August 28, 2000). She separated from Fuentes on March 2002, and the couple was divorced in June 2003.

In 2002, she and her son, Christopher, presented health issues that prevented her from attending her job. She was originally diagnosed with viral meningitis, but the diagnose was later changed to encephalitis. After tests were done at the University of Johns Hopkins Hospital, doctors recommended that she submitted to a treatment for pain control. The symptoms of her illness were strong headaches and disorientation.

Health issues forced her to not seek reelection for her position as member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives in 2004. She instead dedicated time to improve her health and spend more time with her family.