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Mayor Barnes of Gary More than 20 years ago Gary, Indiana drew national attention when it elected Richard Hatcher one of the nation's first Black mayors of a major city. In 1987, Hatcher was successfully challenged by Calumet Township Assessor Thomas Barnes - who now presides on the second floor of City Hall, located across from the vast steel works which gave the city its name and, even today, provide much of its livelihood. An Unabashed Optimist An infectious smile greets anyone who comes into contact with Mayor Thomas V. Barnes of Gary, Indiana. That smile is perhaps a defense against the acrimony that has surrounded his campaign and fledgling administration. But it is surely a sincere expression of the Mayor's abiding sense of optimism about the future of the city he has called home since the age of four weeks. Brother Thomas V. Barnes graduated from Gary's famed Roosevelt High School in 1954 and, in 1958, he received his Bachelor's degree from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. He readily recalled his initiation into Gamma Rho Chapter on April 2, 1955. In 1972, he received the J. D. degree from DePaul University. He is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Indiana; the United States District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana; the U. S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit Court; and the United States Military Court of Appeals. A retired Colonel, JAGC, U S. Army Reserve, Mayor Barnes is a former Staff Judge Advocate, 86th U.S. Army Reserve Command. He has received the Army Commendation Medal (1981); with Oak Leaf Cluster (1983); and the Meritorious Service Medal (1985). Mayor Barnes' occupational resume reflects an involvement with every facet of the city's life. He proudly lists on his current r e s u m e , "Laborer, Inland Steel Co., 1955-56-57." That binds him together with the tens of thousands of proud men and women who drew sustenance from the gigantic steelmaking complex that ringed the southern fringe of Lake Michigan and traversed four states. He also notes employment as a caseworker for the Department of Public Welfare, a washer repair business and, of course, the private practice of law. There's no taint of privilege in that record of hard work and there's no hint of a privileged mentality in the man behind the resume.
New Directions for Gary Try as you might, you can't yet look at the new political landscape in Gary without confronting the legacy of Richard Gordon Hatcher, who served as chief executive for five terms. When asked how difficult it was to challenge this symbolic leader of the city's empowerment and important player in national party politics, Barnes replies that these considerations never fazed him. His aim, he The Sphinx/Spring 1988
Mayor Thomas Vernon Barnes of Gary, Indiana.
says, was to improve the quality of life for the citizens of his hometown. That goal caused him to actively support Hatcher in 1967, 1971 and 1974; the same objective, he says, led to his involvement in a "Neiv Directions" group to oppose the administration in its later years. He cites his election as assessor in 1978 as the pivotal turning point in his thinking about the administration, for this gave him a closer view of government and a greater sensitivity toward the need for cooperation between neighboring communities. In 1983, Attorney Barnes served as Campaign Director for Thomas Crump's unsuccessful challenge of Mayor 19