As the new chairman of the Franklin County Democratic Executive Committee, Trevor Prince plans to run it like a business, and that's likely a good thing for the local party.
Prince owns or co-owns three businesses, including Prince Title & Abstract, King & Prince, LLC (a construction/drywall company) and Prince Family Cleaning, a cleaning service for commercial and residential properties.
And the 24-year-old started each one with a business plan that's led to growth, exactly what he hopes to see for the party that controlled Franklin County politics as recently as 13 years ago.
Prince succeeds Eddie Britton, who served as Democratic chairman since 2016 after then-party chairman Brian Hamilton resigned.
Prince is a Franklin County native, a 2017 Belgreen High School graduate and he and his wife Christian have one daughter. They live in Russellville.
Politics is nothing new for Prince, who went door-to-door as a young boy campaigning with his father Anthony, who ran for Franklin County Revenue Commissioner in 2008.
Prince accepted the leadership position in the local Democratic Party because he embraces a challenge.
“I'm a member of the Church of Christ and I pray for opportunity in my life, not just success,” Prince said. “I don't steer away from a challenge. I accepted this and the challenge now is to get quality Democratic candidates to run. But I do think that's a goal that can be accomplished.”
Prince plans to share his message about the Democratic Party to younger voters and Hispanic residents in Franklin County.
“I do hope to work with the Hispanic population in our county to get them more involved in local politics. They do a lot for this community and a majority of residents in Russellville are Hispanic,” Prince said.
Prince believes the fundamentals of the Democratic Party, at least at the local level, are the same as when Franklin County was represented by 100% local Democrats.
“When I talk with people, Republican or Democrat, we still likely share the same beliefs,” Prince said. “I believe my fellow citizens of Franklin County probably believe the same things as I do,” Prince said.
To orchestrate a Democratic comeback in Franklin County will take some time, but Prince is willing to be patient.
“We're working now to get quality candidates for local offices. We may not win this cycle, but politics is cyclical, and might go in a different direction in six or eight years,” Prince said.
Prince expressed his appreciation to outgoing chairman Eddie Britton after he was elected on September 28th.
“Eddie is a very intelligent person and he's helped me out tremendously since I've started. I couldn't ask for someone with a better history and understanding of the Democratic Party,” Prince said.
Qualifying for local and state offices is underway and runs through Friday, November 10th.
Candidates wanting to run for office in the Franklin County Democratic Primary may contact Prince to submit their qualifying papers. He may be reached by calling 256-815-5679.
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