Gainesville, Fla., Local 1205 President James Ingle made clear in his first speech as a member of the Gainesville City Commission where his passion for helping others came from.

Wearing his trademark fedora and long hair pulled back, Ingle told how he never pictured himself getting involved in politics as a kid. He grew up in Orange Park, Fla., near Jacksonville, in a single-parent household with a loving mother, but one that struggled financially in a "trailer at the end of a dirt road."

"People like us just didn't run for office," he said.

At 19, he moved to Gainesville — not to attend the University of Florida, as many people his age did. He fondly remembered visiting other family members there during his childhood and his best friend was attending school there, so he headed to the city with no clear prospects.

"When I moved down here, just through sheer, dumb luck, I fell into an electrical apprenticeship program sponsored by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers," he said. "With the exception of marrying my beautiful and awesome wife, that probably was the most consequential decision of my life."

With that, Ingle had his ticket to the middle class. He went on to become a journeyman wireman and worked with the tools for many years, including time as a traveler, before becoming an organizer and later the president of Local 1205.

Now, he's intent on helping Gainesville's struggling residents transition into a better life, just like he did.

"It got me involved in the labor movement," Ingle said of his getting his IBEW card. "That has been my passion ever since."

The commission is a seven-person body that includes the mayor and sets the budget and passes laws and ordinances in Gainesville, a city of 150,000 about 110 miles north of Orlando. Ingle won an at-large seat during last November's elections.

"He's very conscientious," said Local 1205 Business Manager and longtime friend Lanny Mathis. "He's what I would call tenacious. He tends to argue a lot sometimes, but he's always fighting for the right things and to help working people."

Florida has a long-deserved reputation as an anti-union stsate, but Mathis and Ingle both said Local 1205 has had a positive relationship for many years with elected officials in Gainesville, a college town with a progressive bent. They've been open to their concerns, along with the concerns of other unions and advocates for working families.

But Ingle, who often visits the state capital in Tallahassee to lobby for labor issues, said he noticed that not many working people hold political office at any level. For some, the time commitment is too much. Others, especially those without union representation, must work multiple jobs.

That's why he believes his presence is so important.

"They've never used a porta-potty on a 100-degree day," he said of politicians in general. "They don't understand why prevailing wage is so important.

"Because of that, they too often don't understand the consequences of their decisions. But when you do have people who understand issues like that, it makes the entire labor movement so much stronger."

Ingle credits his mother for instilling a strong sense of helping others. He knew of some union history in his family, but not much understanding of what it meant.

His grandfather was a union-represented bus driver for Greyhound. His grandmother was a union-represented worker for Southern Bell. They spoke positively of that experience but offered few specifics.

"I didn't know what a union was," Ingle said, "but I knew I wanted to be in one."

He briefly was a Teamsters member before being accepted into the Local 1205 apprenticeship in 1997. He immediately knew he had found a home.

"What I liked about it is that it was such a huge variety of work, both physically and mentally," he said. "One day, you're sitting down looking at prints, trying to figure out something with your brain. The next day, you're digging a ditch."

Ingle takes pride in knowing that Local 1205 has been a success even in a place like Florida, which has had a right-to-work law in effect since 1947 and has ramped up its attacks on working people in recent years under a far-right governor and legislature.

"Every job we get here is despite the fact we're union," he said. "We have to show customers that we can provide the manpower and technical expertise that others don't. We have to muscle our way in."

This was Ingle's third attempt at a seat on the commission. His two previous attempts fell just short. But those campaigns still had value, he said.

"Even if you don't win, a lot of people stick a microphone in your face," he said. "We were able to bring up a lot of labor issues that had never been talked about in local politics before."

His message for any IBEW member or retiree across North America considering a run for political office is simple:

Go for it.

"I don't think there is a downside to trying," he said. "When the labor movement was the most powerful movement in the country, we were involved in politics. Not to say that politicians were beholden to us, but politicians were with us."

In that inauguration speech, Ingle noted he was wearing a pair of high quality, union-made work boots. When it is time to purchase another, he won't have to go without something else or wondering if his credit card will be declined.

He promised to be a voice for those who haven't achieved that kind of stability just yet.

"What I want is for the working-class people in Gainesville to have what I have," he said.

And he's laying the groundwork for a successful tenure. After finishing his inspiring acceptance speech, Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward turned to Ingle before introducing other council members about to take the oath of office that day.

"That's going to be a hard act to follow," the mayor told the crowd with a smile.