Voters in Chattanooga's District 5 should re-elect Russell Gilbert Sr. to represent them on the City Council.
Gilbert, the food service director at Parkridge Valley Hospital, bested two opponents in a special 2008 election for the council seat formerly held by John P. "Duke" Franklin. He was elected again, without opposition, in 2009 and 2013 to represent the communities of Bonny Oaks, Dalewood, Eastgate, Kingspoint, Lake Hills and Woodmore.
This year, he has opposition: Jeffery Evans and Cynthia Stanley-Cash. But Gilbert is still the best candidate.
Even before he was elected, Gilbert worked to revitalize the Washington Hills Recreation Center and football field. He also coordinated the McKenzie Football Camp for Kids and the Highway 58 Neighborhood Association Coalition.
During his years in office he has spearheaded the effort to bring sidewalks to the Dalewood and Woodmore schools, and he led the push to bring a Wal-Mart to the Dalewood community - providing fresh food and other shopping services in a neighborhood that had been something of a food desert. He has similar hopes for the Highway 58 area.
He also pushed for and received support for repairs to the Wilcox Tunnel, making it brighter and safer. Likewise, he says he made the case for and won repaving projects for Lightfoot Mill Road and Tunnel Boulevard.
Gilbert isn't resting on his laurels.
"I can do more in my District 5," he recently told Times Free Press editors.
Specifically he wants to expand the city's workforce development efforts for at-risk young people with life-skills and trade programs like Impact 1, funded last year as part of the Violence Reduction Initiative. He believes the city's gang problems won't be solved simply with policing, and our new building and manufacturing employers have more jobs than they have qualified applicants. He says he's been pleased with the results of Impact 1, which trains and provides part-time employment for new young builders.
Likewise, he favors expansions of early childhood development and Baby University.
Stanley-Cash says Gilbert is "not aggressive enough" and Evans claims Gilbert isn't visible in the community.
But bringing city tax dollars to roads and a tunnel, as well as coaxing Wal-Mart to see opportunity in a district that has in the past been left behind certainly looks aggressive enough - and in a good way - to us.
Gilbert, himself, says he's not a showboat, so maybe that explains why he's the quiet councilman.
His accomplishments, however, are not quiet.
He's the right vote for District 5.