Mayor Pro Tem Mark Castlen is seeking a 3rd term as City Commissioner. He said he didn’t know at first if he’d run again in 2024, but said with his experience he wants to represent the city’s working class.
Caslten was first elected to the commission in 2020 as a political newcomer; he then earned the most votes among all candidates in his re-election bid in 2022.
Castlen said his history as a blue-collar worker influences how he approaches projects for the whole community, pointing to the transient boat dock he opposed earlier this year as an example.
“My digging into that issue and proving that it was serving just a very few people and was going to be a money loser is not typical in the political arena,” Castlen said.
During that vote, he said he was making his decision for working-class people in the community, which is something he hopes to see more of.
Castlen cited that he used to be in a situation where he lived “paycheck to paycheck.”
“I know how important money is [in those situations]. Sometimes, there’ll be a rate hike in an area and then another service sector may raise their rates,” he said. “All of a sudden, you’ve got a $10- or $12-per-month raise, and the working class people aren’t making that extra $10 or $12. So they’re slowly going into a hole, and it’s easy to happen. It happens to a lot of people.”
Castlen said he hopes to retain his seat so he can continue to focus on projects such as the Senior Community Center of Owensboro-Daviess County renovation, along with addressing issues including homelessness and affordable housing.
He also wants to tackle a problem he said doesn’t get enough attention: childcare options in the community.
“Childcare is also an important issue that I’d like to see brought up. I think it’s pretty much a national issue and has been ever since COVID-19, and I don’t know if we can get the state to help us with that. But it’s definitely an issue that I’ll be bringing forward into the new year,” Castlen said.
At 63 years old, Castlen said he doesn’t work outside of his City Commission seat as he wants to commit to his time as an elected official. He said that also helps him stay independent on issues without having anything influencing his decisions other than the voice of the people.
