City of Lockhart welcomes newest councilmember

The Lockhart City Council will swear in new District 2 Councilmember David Bryant at a specially called meeting on Thursday.
Bryant, a 20-year resident of Caldwell County, won the seat after running unopposed in the Nov. 5 general election. He will be taking over for Councilmember John Castillo, who served as District 2’s representative for nine years.
According to Bryant, he ran for city council to ensure residents’ voices in his district and concerns within the community were being heard.
“I think it’s a bigger space to help more individuals and to speak on behalf of others,” said Bryant. “I think, looking back, a lot of things in my life have led me to this point – the training, being on the job, being at church, being in the community, being a volunteer coach.”
Since 2005, Bryant has been working with Community Action, Inc. of Central Texas. According to Bryant, the company’s mission is to develop opportunities for people to allow them to realize their potential by providing resources and services aimed at helping residents and families become more self-sufficient.
“We promote opportunities for families to reach their full potential,” said Bryant, noting the organization provides early education, adult education, GED programs, prescription assistance and more. “We cover [residents from age] zero to the golden years in life.”
In addition, Bryant also runs his own company, Bryant Enterprises Family Entertainment, which also aims at helping the family unit reach its full potential.
“We provide entertainment for the families in Caldwell County and the Central Texas area through my clown character, through balloon twisting, face painting, mascots, superheroes – that sort of thing,” said Bryant, noting the company also produces children’s literature. “I have my hands in a lot, but it’s all focused around families.
“I just want to give back.”
Bryant said his desire to run for public office originally started several years ago when he and his wife had purchased their first home in Lockhart.
“We were paying taxes,” said Bryant. “We had our property, but there were some things we wanted to advocate for that no one was really advocating.”
According to Bryant, he initially worked with community members to push for the installation of several stop signs and cross walks in his neighborhood to deal with drivers speeding along busy roadways.
Bryant said he also pushed for the creation of a neighborhood watch in his community, which he said has assisted with slowing down traffic and helped to curb crime in the neighborhood.
Now that he’s elected, Bryant said he’d like to push for more neighborhood watch programs throughout the city, especially in District 2.
“Community watch is not neighbors telling on neighbors,” said Bryant, noting even a few neighborhood watch signs posted throughout a specific area can act as a crime deterrent. “It’s just extra eyes watching and being aware and making the phone calls when necessary.”
Bryant also said he’d like to do more to promote parks throughout the city, including possibly creating a day for residents to come together to clean up the city’s parks, much like the recently held city-wide cleanup.
While Bryant said he is happy to be able to provide a voice for concerned residents in his district, he noted he has learned and taken away a lot from Castillo’s time on the council.
“I want to make sure people know they can count on somebody that can help lead them in the right direction and get things done,” said Bryant. “I’ve leaned on John [Castillo] and plan to continue to lean on him.
“I always want to make sure I’m not bashing anyone but lifting them up and making sure they’re seen in the best light, because I think [John Castillo has] done a great job.”