{"id":2522,"date":"2026-05-22T00:01:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T00:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/stephen-joseph-caswell\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T20:10:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T20:10:03","slug":"stephen-joseph-caswell","status":"publish","type":"candidate","link":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/stephen-joseph-caswell\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen Joseph Caswell"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-e44e021b wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-h-4-font-size\">About the Candidate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-left is-style-short-red\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019m a family-first, hardworking person and dad. I believe in doing right by people. I served as Richmond fire chief and still care deeply about the town. I want to help keep it a good place for our kids.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-e44e021b wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-h-4-font-size\">Education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-left is-style-short-red\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">High school graduate with continued training in fire service, emergency response, leadership and public safety.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-e44e021b wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-h-4-font-size\">Previous campaigns and elected office(s) held<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-left is-style-short-red\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is my first time running for elected office<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-e44e021b wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-h-4-font-size\">Top three priorities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-left is-style-short-red\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My priorities are keeping taxes reasonable for families while still supporting all the town services people depend on, making sure Richmond stays a safe and strong place to live, and being open and honest so people know what\u2019s going on and feel included.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-e44e021b wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-h-4-font-size\">Why are you running?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-left is-style-short-red\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019m running because I care about this town and the families in it, especially the kids growing up here, including my own. I\u2019ve spent years serving the community and know what it means to show up when people need help. I\u2019m not a politician, but have been involved in it for years. I\u2019m someone who wants to do right by the people here and help keep Richmond a good place to live.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-e44e021b wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-h-4-font-size\">What is the biggest challenge facing your community? The biggest opportunity?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-left is-style-short-red\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The biggest challenge is the rising cost of everything and how that impacts families, while still trying to support all town services. The opportunity is making smart, steady decisions now that keep Richmond strong for the future without gouging taxpayers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-e44e021b wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-h-4-font-size\">If you could change one thing about how your community functions, what would it be and why?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-left is-style-short-red\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I would improve communication with the community. People should feel like they know what\u2019s happening in their town and that their voice matters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-e44e021b wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-h-4-font-size\">Do you support more development in your community? Why or why not?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-left is-style-short-red\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I support growth, but it needs to be done the right way. We need housing that&#8217;s small, local. It should fit the town and not take away from what makes Richmond a great place for families.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2766,"template":"","meta":{"voter_guide_candidate_first_name":"Stephen","voter_guide_candidate_middle_name":"Joseph","voter_guide_candidate_last_name":"Caswell","voter_guide_candidate_suffix":"","voter_guide_candidate_race_id":2520,"voter_guide_candidate_age":35,"voter_guide_candidate_hometown":"","voter_guide_candidate_occupation":"Hazmat technician, firefighter","voter_guide_candidate_bio":"","voter_guide_candidate_education":"","voter_guide_candidate_years_in_state":0,"voter_guide_candidate_years_in_municipality":0,"voter_guide_candidate_time_in_area":"20 years","voter_guide_candidate_website":"","voter_guide_candidate_headshot_url":"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/open?id=1zLbOBqGWmQML-gPVSdv083NOmauNfsSG","voter_guide_candidate_date_filed":"","voter_guide_candidate_incumbent_years":"","voter_guide_candidate_is_clean_elections":false,"footnotes":""},"vg_party":[],"vg_residence_municipality":[565],"class_list":["post-2522","candidate","type-candidate","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","vg_residence_municipality-richmond"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/2522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/candidate"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/2522\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3331,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/2522\/revisions\/3331"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"vg_party","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_party?post=2522"},{"taxonomy":"vg_residence_municipality","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_residence_municipality?post=2522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}