21 Facts About Jon Costas

Jonathon Costas was born on May 14,1957 and is an American singer, musician and politician serving as mayor of Valparaiso, Indiana.

Jon Costas is a member of the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, an elder law attorney, and a small business owner.

Jon Costas was first elected mayor in 2003 and served until 2020, before being re-elected in 2023.

The family moved from Gary, Indiana, to Valparaiso in 1972 and Jon Costas graduated from Valparaiso High School in 1975.

Jon Costas was introduced to politics through his father's campaigns, including the father's unsuccessful campaigns for the United States Congress in 1986 and 1990.

In 1995, having established a successful law practice, Jon Costas sought and won an at-large seat on Valparaiso City Council.

Jon Costas cast a vote against allowing city employees to organize into a public employee labor union, though he received labor union endorsements in subsequent elections.

In 1997, as chairman of the Parks Foundation, Jon Costas led an effort to raise $250,000 to buy land for a park on Silver Lake.

Some analysts claim that Jon Costas's running a positive campaign and not 'going negative' contributed to the loss.

Some have said that Jon Costas is too nice to be a politician.

We'll never know if Jon Costas might have won if he had been a more typical political campaigner.

Jon Costas carried the endorsements of the city's firefighters and police, Building Trades Council, AFL-CIO, and Operating Engineers, who historically support Democratic candidates.

Jon Costas appointed the first African-American to a city board and oversaw the hiring of the first African-American police officer.

In May of 2022, Jon Costas was appointed to a four-year term on the Valparaiso School Board, which he stepped down from when re-elected as mayor in 2023.

The Jon Costas Plan, produced during the election, became the basis for Jon Costas's goals in his first term, which included improving city planning, increasing government efficiency, building "strong" neighborhoods, and creating "quality" jobs.

Jon Costas authored the city's first ethics ordinance when he was on city council.

Jon Costas was endorsed by both major newspapers, with the Times noting that Jon Costas "whipped the city's finances into better shape" and "created a spirit of cooperative enthusiasm in the city".

On June 2,2008, Jon Costas was defeated by Greg Zoeller for the Republican nomination for Indiana Attorney General at the Indiana Republican State Convention.

Jon Costas was unopposed in the May 2011 primary election for mayor.

Jon Costas ran unopposed in 2015 and served as mayor before retiring in 2020.

On December 8,2022, Jon Costas announced he would be running for mayor for the upcoming year in 2023, after current mayor, Matt Murphy, stepped down.