Now that he’s retired, Cleaster Davis figured it would be a good time to try his hand at politics.
The Democrat has filed to run for Carmel City Council in the central district, a seat held by Republican Bruce Kimball. Kimball filed Jan. 9 for re-election.
Davis has lived in Carmel for more than 20 years. He previously worked in the pet care industry as a store owner and groomer and also has experience as a Christian minister. He said he enjoys building better relationships among people of all ages and races, which is one reason he decided to run for council.
“Ultimately (I want) to create an atmosphere for making Carmel a greater and better city for citizens to live in, whereby making our world a greater and better place for all American citizens,” he said.
Davis said he’s been involved in the political process as a volunteer for many years, but this is his first run for office.
Originally from St. Louis, Davis attended Butler University as well as Christian Theological Seminary, Anderson Theological Seminary and Martin University. He’s pastored churches in Indiana, Kentucky and Florida. He is married and has two children and multiple grandchildren.
Davis said one of his strengths is his optimism.
“You have to be positive if you’re going to do something. You have to believe in it,” he said. “If you don’t believe it, you’ll never achieve it.”
