Make no mistake. Brent Caldwell is 'in it to win it' when it comes to the Russellville City Council District Five race.
But for Caldwell, the bigger picture is about encouraging citizens to get involved in the election process. If he can do that, he'll consider his candidacy a success in the August 23 municipal election.
“That's definitely a reason I'm running. I want to encourage people to get involved,” Caldwell said. “They need to get out and vote and exercise their rights. Whether I win or Jamie [Harris] wins, if we can get people involved and out to vote, then the process works like it's supposed to. If I get elected, that's a plus, but if we get more people voting, we'll accomplish something regardless of the result."
Caldwell, a retired law enforcement officer of 24 years, and his wife Kelly have five children and two grandchildren between them. He's employed as a quality assurance assistant area manager for Freight Car America. Caldwell previously worked for AT&T as a U-verse technician and served as a law enforcement officer for the Franklin County Sheriff's Department, Franklin County District Attorney's Office and the town of Phil Campbell.
As a former compliance officer, Caldwell still has an eye for cleanliness issues in his community.
“Cleanliness is a major problem in Russellville," he said. "Everyone I talk to addresses our streets being nasty, curbs full of debris and there's no code enforcement. This needs to be improved. People are concerned about junk cars sitting on the side of the road with expired tags. There's really no excuse for that.”
Caldwell believes it's time for new faces in city government to restore public faith in its leaders.
“It's time to shake things up," Caldwell said. "Everyone needs a chance at a job if they want to apply. Otherwise, that eats away at public confidence in local government."
Caldwell, 50, has been a Franklin County resident since 1987. His wife is employed with Gentiva Home Health. If elected, he plans to remain active not only among District Five residents but also with all city voters.
“I hear lots of people say that when someone gets elected, they never see them again until the next election cycle," Caldwell said. "I think our elected officials need to be more interactive with their community. I plan to stay involved with my district. I will maintain interaction with people during my four-year term and not just when it's time to get elected.
“And I will treat people the same, regardless of whether they live in a fancy house or not. Everyone is a citizen of the city of Russellville and a taxpayer, and people deserve fair treatment."
