'Councilwoman' chronicles the story of a politician — and proud hotel housekeeper

During the day, she wears a uniform and cleans rooms at a high-end hotel. At night, she makes financial and policy decisions as a City Council member in Providence, Rhode Island. Now the story of immigrant hotel-housekeeper-turned-politician Carmen Castillo is coming to public television.

On Tuesday, Sept. 3, the documentary “Councilwoman” will have its broadcast premiere on the World Channel, as part of the latest season of “America ReFramed.”

A mother of three and a grandmother, Castillo is currently serving her third term on the City Council in Providence, a city with a $773 million annual budget.

The council job is part time, paying $18,000 a year, so she works full-time as a hotel housekeeper.

That Castillo is a councilwoman is notable since working-class people are underrepresented in American politics, so they rarely have a say in the policies that affect their lives.

Carmen Castillo at her daytime hotel job.Courtesy Nikki Bramely

“It’s like being in two worlds,” Castillo said in an interview of her dual role as a hotel worker and a politician. If necessary, Castillo will negotiate with her employers to take time off during the day to rush to City Hall for council business. Then she returns to her shift, her uniform and the hotel job she has held for 24 years.

Originally from the Dominican Republic, Castillo was working as a hotel room attendant and volunteering with her union when she decided to run for an open seat on the Providence City Council; she was elected in 2011.

“At first, I was scared, I worried about my English, I worried if I could really do it,” she said. “But I wanted to help protect my co-workers, and this was an opportunity.”

It was also the challenge of a lifetime, as Castillo was sometimes mocked for being “a servant” as well as a political novice.

source: nbcnews.com