By Guy Smith
February 14, 2005

he literature and guides for newly elected local officials in the United States can be considered woefully inadequate. For years, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, in cooperation with the Harvard University John F. Kennedy Institute on Politics, has conducted a seminar for newly elected mayors, making available guidance and advice on a wide variety of topics from U.S. mayors on everything from crisis management, media relations, intergovernmental relations, local finances and other topics of urgent concern to newly-minted mayors.

Now, those interested in local politics and governance and the role of the mayor have a new resource in a book by former Terre Haute, Indiana Mayor Pete Chalos. Chalos spent 24 years in local politics, 16 of them as mayor from 1980 to 1995. His tome chronicles his first election campaign to successive chapters dealing with his devotion to his efforts to elevate what had been in the 1960's a "rundown factory town" rife with what the Saturday Evening Post called a "Sin City" with rampant gambling, prostitution and corruption.

If, as former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tip O'Neill once said, "all politics is local," Chalos- book documents the nitty-gritty of running local government. In frank terms, and with exuberance, Chalos describes the battles he waged on all fronts in building a reputation for his city which gained national honors so that in 1989 "Inc." magazine called Terre Haute a "hot spot for development."

In pursuing jobs for his community, Chalos and other civic leaders forged an energizing combination where large companies like Sony, DADC, Columbia House, Bemis, Eli Tilly and Pfizer helped turn once moribund Terre Haute into a boom town.

During the Great Depression, Chalos grew up in his city, later serving in World War II and then attending Indiana State University. He worked as a teacher, a coach and a school administrator for thirty years before running for public office. He served on the City Council from 1972 to 1980 before becoming mayor. He also served as the President of the Indiana Democrat Mayors Association from 1983 to 1993.

Refurbishing his city's image used all of his skills in previous careers. These included building teams of local volunteers to do some cleaning up of various city parks and recreational facilities, doing the sometimes numbing tasks of street repairs, motivating city employees in all departments and, as Chalos documents, becoming a steward of local public revenues.

In 1982, Chalos attended the Annual Conference of Mayors meeting in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota where his efforts in creating public-private partnerships for parks won him an award, one of six cities that received national special recognition honors.

Next, Chalos attended the 1983 Winter Meeting of the Conference in Washington, D.C.. His increasing involvement resulted in his selection to join a Conference of Mayors delegation to the Republic of China. Twelve mayors and wives were selected for that ten day trip and Chalos brought back vivid memories of Chinese economic growth and innovation in such areas as industrial parks with efficient workforce development. He used this trip to forge overseas relations with China, and the insights on his trip to help continue the economic development of his city.

In his summary, Chalos gives bountiful credit to the many volunteers, civic leaders and ordinary people who joined his campaign in making one city a more livable and progressive community.

The book is must reading for aspiring mayors.

Contact Information:

Pete Chalos Books

P.C.Chalos@msn.com

1903 South 25th Street

Terre Haute, Indiana 47802

(812) 235-6435