Caldwell’s legacy can only be called “great”

Whenever I ran into Austin Caldwell, even within the past few weeks, I always addressed him as “Mayor.”

“You’ll always be my Mayor,” I told him on more than one occasion. That’s not a knock against any current or future holder of that title and office, but simply an acknowledgement that Austin Caldwell made an indelible mark on the City of Demopolis, as evidenced by the outpouring of affection as word spread of his passing early Saturday morning.

Others can speak of his great legacy far better than me, and have done so already. Thomas Moore, who served on the City Council for 12 years of Caldwell’s administration, noted that the former Mayor believed in open and honest communication and keeping agendas on the table as opposed to behind-the-scenes political manipulation.

Woody Collins, a life-long friend of Caldwell’s who served alongside him for four years as a council member, said he was an excellent negotiator who sought win-win solutions to any problem.

Current Mayor Mike Grayson, who in a bit of irony was on the council that appointed Caldwell to finish the unexpired term of Hugh Allen in 1985, said it well: “Mayor Caldwell set the standard for the Office of Mayor of Demopolis.”

All agreed that Caldwell’s driving motivation during his 19 years as Mayor was the City of Demopolis and its people’s best interest.

If readers of this column will indulge a moment of personal reflection, I recall that Mayor Caldwell – like so many people in Demopolis and Marengo County – welcomed me with open arms when I arrived as Publisher of the Demopolis Times in 1991. Public officials sometimes take a cynical, guarded approach to the press, especially newcomers, but from the first time I met Mayor Caldwell, he made me feel like a part of a team with a common goal – the betterment of our community.

He had the power, the clout, to exclude me and the rest of the Times staff from that team, but he chose the path of what Moore termed “open, honest dialogue”, a path the former council member said Caldwell always chose. And the city is better for it today.

In an age when the term “great” is thrown around far too often, this journalist, citizen and friend of the former Mayor closes with the simple statement that Austin Caldwell was truly a great man, a great leader and a great Mayor.

Today, even in death, Mayor Austin Caldwell has forged unity, for the previous statement is undoubtedly one upon which all of Demopolis agrees.