About Me
I was born in 1967 to Michael and Kathy Caldero. Dad worked as a narcotics agent and as a Lieutenant for the Idaho Sheriff’s office and Mom was a registered nurse. They raised my older brother Tony, and I in the small town of Coeur d'Alene. Because I was a lot shorter than other kids my age, I built on my other attributes, particularly my tenacity. Thankfully my height caught up to my peers by college, but I appreciate how much being the little guy built my character.At age seventeen, I joined the U.S. Air Force Reserves with a desire to serve my country, a thirst for adventure and the goal of becoming a pilot. An old knee injury squelched becoming a pilot, but I continued my interest as a Aerospace Warning and Control Technician. Through hard work, diligence and ambition I attained the rank of E-6 in just five years. My military experience instilled in me the value of discipline, honor and hard work while at the same time satisfied my want for adventure. I had the fortune of traveling around the world. These travels helped me see me how very fortunate we are in America.After graduating from Washington State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology in 1991, a friend offered me a job with East Point Seafoods, a small seafood processor in Dutch Harbor. Having never been to Alaska, I jumped at the opportunity. I quickly realized that the Aleutian Islands were not the Alaska I had seen in the generic travel brochures. I am still awed by Alaska’s diverse landscape and climate.As with most in the seafood industry, I started on the production line and worked my way up the ranks. Later I joined UniSea, a much larger seafood processing company in Dutch Harbor. Even though UniSea’s operations were bigger, the basic processes used were very similar to those at East Point, just a lot more zeros on the end with respect to the number of pounds we process and number of dollars involved. The majority of my twelve years at UniSea have been as the Manager of the Dutch Harbor production operations where we processed nearly 375 million pounds of seafood last year alone. Not only have I learned about the industry but I have learned a tremendous amount from working with and leading a diverse group of people. The 1,000 plus people from more than forty different cultures at this one company have broadened my view of others and given me insight and understanding of the challenges facing such a diverse group. This has shaped me as a person and as a leader.I met my wife Janna in Dutch Harbor in 1996 and we married two years later. Without a doubt she is the smarter of the two of us and as the love of my life, best friend, and the mother of our two-year-old twins- son Caden and daughter Riley, Janna is the backbone of our family. Having both been raised in small communities, we share the same small town values like fairness, respect, helping others and being a good neighbor. Although Alaska looks enormous on the map, so many Alaskan communities share small town characteristics and these same American values.As an Unalaska City Council member I reach out to others to bridge differences so that we can accomplish the work that the citizens expect from us. As a member of City Council I view my role as being a good steward of taxpayer money, ensuring accountability and fiscal responsibility. If elected to the United States Senate, I would represent the interests of the people of Alaska in much the same way.I would be honored to have your vote!
