County Commissioner Charlie Castlen said he plans to run for Judge-Executive in November 2022. The decision comes after current Judge-Executive Al Mattingly announced last week he won’t seek re-election.
Castlen said he has been thinking about running for a long time. He has worked for three terms alongside the current judge-executive — along with serving a 12-year period as a city commissioner prior.
“I just think that I have the experience and I think I have a proper respect for government and what this role is,” Castlen said.
To Castlen, the position of Judge-Executive isn’t to come in with a list of things he would like to get accomplished. Instead, it’s listening to the people in the county to see if it’s something the government should pursue or work on changing.
He did make note of the current plans throughout the state to provide broadband internet access to the entire state and conversations he’s had with different residents of the county.
Right now, Castlen notes that the county is in good financial shape and that it’ll take “good leaders who will keep it there.” He said that government and elected officials shouldn’t be a dominant factor in daily life, in contrast to what he thinks some believe.
As he runs for judge-executive, he will leave the position of Central District Commissioner open as he can’t run dually. With fellow Commissioner Mike Koger not expected to run for the next term, Castlen doesn’t know how it will affect the dynamic of the next commission board.
“It all depends on who winds up getting elected. You know, right now we have four business owners, four relatively conservative members that make up the fiscal court,” Castlen said. “We have a certain philosophy about government and what our role is.”
