The Voice of the Common Man, a Sit-down with Councilman Al Lindsey by Zach Stuard, for the City County Observer
City Councilman of the 6th Ward Al Lindsey is a humble man from humble roots. Councilman Lindsey was born in Owensboro, Kentucky and graduated from South Spencer High School in 1973. Lindsey’s parents both attended a one room school in Kentucky and his father was both a farmhand and a union worker. Lindsey is the oldest of 5 siblings.
Lindsey believes there are both those people that talk about change and those people who try to be a part of change. Lindsey constantly strives to be a person who is a part of change, and because of this he has led a very active life when it comes to the community. Lindsey joined the Army National Guard in 1975 towards the end of the Vietnam War and Lindsey completed his basic and advanced training at Fort Polk, Louisiana. After returning home he moved to Evansville in 1976. It was in Evansville that he married his first wife in 1977, and here they decided to raise their family. Both of his children attended Mater Dei High School and now live on the west side and have started families of their own. Lindsey has currently been married to his wife Krista for 15 years. She is also a Veteran and has served 23 years in the Air National Guard.
Al Lindsey first campaign for City Council in 2003 against City Councilman B.J. Watts was unsuccessful and served as a learning experience for Lindsey’s future campaigns. In 2011 Lindsey defeated Watts for his first seat on the City Council. Lindsey ran to bring change and better representation to the 6th Ward. Lindsey has proven that he has his community’s best interest at heart and he believes that our city has to have people in office who care to serve others rather than themselves. Mr. Lindsey wishes to be the voice of the common man and to bring a sense of fiscal responsibility to the council. It is this same belief that has led Lindsey to advocate transparency in all forms of office. Councilman Lindsey said “I believe the Mayoral position in general holds too much power. All of the appointed boards have too much power and none of these boards should be able to spend a penny without coming through the council first. We are a very small city and need to operate as such. We have to be smarter with our money as well as with the social issues that we face as a community.â€
Councilman Lindsey also said and I quote “the city needs more professionally qualified people to serve as department heads and professionalism should supersede political patronage”. Lindsey also believes that city council should have experts with experience to serve the council when needed. The council itself is a part time job and occasionally the council may require insight from experts in fields that members of the council may not have experience in or knowledge of. This would help the council in their endeavor to make responsible and informed decisions.
Mr. Lindsey currently serves as a firefighter on the Evansville Fire Department. He has served for over 27 years and presently holds the rank of Captain. He uses his experience and knowledge of the department to work in conjunction with the department and city officials to optimize firefighters ability to do their jobs both safely and effectively. Currently he is working with the department and officials in an attempt to bring extractors and dryers to all of the firehouses around the city. Research shows that firefighters face an increased risk of cancer due to a high concentration of carcinogens from the smoke of the fires they fight. The carcinogens build up on their gear and are passed through contact with skin while the suits are worn. The extractors and dryers effectively remove these carcinogens from the equipment serving to increase the useable lifespan of the equipment as well as decreasing the risk of cancers for the men that protect our communities.
When the Councilman finds time to relax he enjoys spending time with his family and watching his grandchildren play ball. In closing Lindsey told me, “Whether I have the ability to influence or not, I just want to be a voice for the common man. Because of the many hats I have worn and because of my personal experiences in many of the issues that come before the council I feel as though I can relate, understand, and vote accordingly. As an example, I was the lone vote against the raising of tap in fees and meter fees for the water department because even though they were presented as nominal increases I knew the impact they would have on people with fixed incomes or the very poor.â€
It is this voice that needs to be recognized just as much as any other and it is safe to say our community is better off having the likes of an individual such as Councilman Lindsey who is willing to stand up for what he believes is best for everyone even if that means standing up to the Mayor and his administration if their policies are not in the best interest of the city and its citizens.
I am very proud to call Al Lindsey my City Councilman! Keep up the good work !!
Thank you Mr. Lindsey for watching out for the common people ,,, you have the support of quite a lot of voters – your many times better then that BJ Mosby flunky loser
I don’t think a person who is a school teacher
A track coach at Reitz
A business owner
A looser you might not agree with him but name calling is wrong
Your correct fellow west sider , the way I see it tho is any one bought and paid for by a politician ( IMHO) is a flunky and a loser , and if BJ ‘s lips were moving he was probably , we’ll you know the end
Well said taxpayer!
As soon as I hear the term “common man” I know I’m talking to a liberal democrat with a union background. When I hear a person say he didn’t know there was alcohol in his Mountain Dew and then later confesses to it, “it sort of reminds me of I didn’t have sex with women” Clinton.
The City is a big complicated business handling millions of our tax dollars. Any smart leader will listen the common man to hear their viewpoints. But I think to be a good leader, one needs to have a lot of business experience than what a common man has to be an effective leader in City government.
Mr. Lindsey, the common man, is a real person, warts and all, and an asset to the community. wish more of our leadership, were like him.
He can drink and spill stuff on all the blue dresses he wants, he’s doing a better job than most of the rest of the council.
Al says “the city needs more professionally qualified people to serve as department heads and professionalism should supersede political patronage†This is a very good statement.
Al is wrong about one thing in regards to the Mayor and the various City Commissions having to much power. The City Council has all the power if they elect or smart enough to use it.It seems like it is always easier to blame someone else. City Council makes all the laws/ordinances. If a bad law/ordinance has been passed by the City Council, they can repeal it. There is a 8 to 1 Democrat majority on the City Council. If there is something that is screw-up in our great City, the City Council can fix it. City Council controls the purse-strings/money and they can pass any laws/ordinances. So why have they not done so? Is it time for a change?
Mr. Lindsey is a very common man and smarter than he looks. He has far exceeded what was expected. Big time. Keep up the good work Mr. Lindsey. Proud I voted for you.
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