Familiar scenario for Baker as he prepares for Commission District One runoff

When the May 19th Republican primary for Franklin County Commission District One set up a runoff between Curtis Baker and Grayson Murray, it meant four additional weeks of campaigning until the June 16th runoff.

For Baker, four more weeks of traveling across Franklin County, meeting new people and seeing old friends was something he’s one his entire life, long before his name ever appeared on a ballot.

“I enjoy being out and meeting people I might not get to know otherwise,” Baker said. “With social media, so many people use that as their primary communication. I’m old school. I like to meet people and talk with them face-to-face and shake their hands.

Through this campaign, I’ve worked to do as much of that as possible while still keeping a balance at home,” he added.

This is a scenario familiar to Baker, who received the most votes among the five District One candidates on the May 19th ballot. In 2024, Baker led after primary day, but lost the runoff four weeks later. This time, Baker is optimistic, having learned from the first time.

Baker remains active campaigning across the county, but he’s paying extra attention to the precincts he was weak in last month.

“I’m making a hard charge every day until June 16th to get out as many people to vote as possible. And my campaign has always been and will always be 100% about Curtis Baker and about what I can do,” Baker said. “I’m running on Curtis and the issues I believe to be important for voters. I’ve never run against another man. I’m applying for a job and not running against anyone personally.

“Win or lose, I’ll still be me. I’ll still be here and still just a phone call away. At the end of the day, all we have is our word and how we treat other people,” he added

At home, Baker and his wife Tiffany are the parents of three, Austen, 23, Natalie, 18 and Millie, 14. Baker owns and operates Baker Trucking, Inc., a business he started 23 years ago. He’s also been employed with R. Baker, Inc., for the past 26 years. The company cleans up after natural disasters, as well as hauling sand, gravel, building ponds, pads, dirt work and most kinds of land management locally.

Running for office requires a team effort and Team Baker has been on board since day one, even though dad’s been gone more than usual campaigning.

“I’ve received a lot of positive feedback throughout the campaign for the amount of effort I’ve put into trying to win this job,” Baker said. “And in this last four week stretch, I’ve not let up any. I’ve been out doing everything I can do, going everywhere I can go. If there’s an event, I make sure I’m there.”

Serving his community is nothing new for Baker, who’s twice received the Distinguished Service award from the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce.

“When Austen was really young, I started helping out in his youth sports and activities. My mother and father both worked so my dad never coached sports teams,” Baker said. “That’s not a negative to him, it just wasn’t something he was involved in.

“As I got involved with my kids’ activities, I realized there are a lot of kids in Franklin County who don’t have that stability or someone to back them up, so the harsh reality is the eight hours they’re at school are the best eight hours of their day. That’s kind of how I started getting involved and it just evolved from there,” he added.

Baker and his wife served in leadership roles in the Phil Campbell Youth Football program for nearly a decade. During that time, the program grew and the number of kids playing football and cheering doubled, from 70 to more than 150.

If elected to the Franklin County Commission, Baker said it will be a priority of his to see School Resource Officers in every Franklin County school.

“This job doesn’t end with roads and bridges. There are things we can improve on. I don’t make specific promises if you vote for me I’ll pave your road. That’s just not who I am,” Baker said. 

“If you call me, whether it’s on a road with 100 houses or just one, you’ll be just as important to me either way. And if there’s something we can get done about it, I’ll get it done. If there’s not, I’ll tell you that and not leave you hanging,” he added.

The idea of someone giving him their vote, one of our most sacred possessions, Baker explained, is not something to take lightly.

“Everyone who pays taxes throughout this county deserves to see a return on their investment. This is like applying for a job. Everyone has a vote once they turn 18 years old. It’s yours. It can’t be bought, can’t be sold,” Baker said.

“If someone gives you their vote, that’s a very big deal to me and I don’t take that lightly. If you use your vote to hire me as your commissioner, I’m going to try my best to make sure you receive a return on your investment,” he added.