By Gary Lloyd
Trussville City Council President Brian Plant is not surprised.
Plant and his family go to church with Matt Calderone and his family, so he’s seen Calderone’s involvement firsthand.
Calderone on Wednesday announced that he will run for the Tuscaloosa City Council District 4 seat Aug. 27.
“Matt’s an exceptional person,” Plant said. “I’m not surprised.”
Calderone, 22, believes he may be the youngest person to ever run for Tuscaloosa City Council. Lee Garrison, who is leaving the city council to seek the chairman of the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education position, was 22 or 23 when he won the District 4 seat in 1997.
Calderone is currently running unopposed.
Calderone, a 2009 Hewitt-Trussville High School graduate, was elected president of the University of Alabama’s Student Government Association for the 2012-2013 school year last March. Calderone was elected president of the Hewitt-Trussville Middle School student council in the fifth, sixth and seventh grades. He was elected as the high school’s vice president his junior year and president as a senior.
Calderone played a role on Tuscaloosa’s Incident Command team in the aftermath of the April 27, 2011, tornadoes and currently sits on the Citizens’ Advisory Committee. He is a founder and co-chair of the Downtown Tuscaloosa and University of Alabama Connection and Improvement Committee. In announcing his candidacy, Calderone said his goal is to continue strengthening the partnership between the city of Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama, build the base of town-gown relationships and work with the business community.
“Over the last five years I have had the honor of serving our city in its greatest time of need and had the privilege of working for 33,602 students at the University of Alabama,” Calderone said. “As a member of the mayor’s recovery team, I learned firsthand what it takes to help move Tuscaloosa forward.”
Calderone said he’s built his life around service to others and community
.
“After dedicating the past year to the University of Alabama as SGA President, it is my hope to continue to serve this city I love and particularly the residents of District 4,” Calderone said. “It is with great honor and joy that I announce my candidacy for city council of the great city of Tuscaloosa.”
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.