He was an ever-vigilant watchdog over the Richmond Police Department and champion for reform of Virginia's prisons and a general political gadfly.
He was known for his colorful rhetoric in public, such as calling a city-hall boondoggle he disliked a "horrendous heap of hokum" and his campaign style, including an automobile completely covered in Carwile bumper-stickers.
Richmonders appreciated his verbal theatrics, and in the 1970s it was not uncommon to hear someone say he or she was "shocked and appalled", a frequent Carwile exclamation.
In 1973, voters in Richmond and Henrico County elected Carwile as their representative (part-time) in the Virginia House of Delegates,[3] so he resigned his municipal position, but only served a single term.
Served on Virginia House committees: Clean up City Hall – every crevice and crack; Purge the parasite and liquidate the quack.