Office Of the Mayor

  • Welcome to the Office of the Mayor for the City of Gary. The Office of the Mayor and members of the Mayors Cabinet are responsible for managing City departments, addressing the needs of the community, and implementing the Mayor's agenda.

  • We are responsible for driving continuous improvement in the delivery of city services, including public safety, economic development, education, and public health.
  • We meet frequently to discuss strategy, foster effective cross-departmental collaboration, and ensure that City services are being delivered efficiently and equitably.

  • We strive to operate transparently as servant leaders within the Gary community. Feedback and suggestions are welcome from all City of Gary residents and businesses.

MEET MAYOR
EDDIE D. MELTON

Eddie D. Melton is the 22nd mayor and the City of Gary’s chief administrative officer. He was born and raised in Gary and is a proud graduate of Gary Public Schools.  Mayor Melton’s 100-day agenda is designed to position Gary for greatness, through a series of initiatives focused on improving economic development, education, public safety, environmental sustainability and more.

Previously, Eddie D. Melton served as Indiana Senator for District 3 which includes Gary, Lake Station, New Chicago, Hobart, Merrillville, and Crown Point. Melton was born and raised in Gary. He attended Jefferson Elementary, Beckman Junior High and graduated from Horace Mann High School before earning an athletic scholarship to play quarterback for Kentucky State University. At KSU, he pursued a degree in business management and joined Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. After KSU, Eddie returned to the one place that felt like home: Gary, Indiana. He continued his education at Calumet College of St. Joseph, earning a degree in organizational management.

One of his first positions after graduating college was Community Initiative Officer for the Legacy Foundation. After Legacy Foundation, Senator Melton served as Manager of Corporate Citizen and Community Relations for NIPSCO. In addition, he was chairman of the Indiana Commission on the Social Status of Black Males, and the State Board of Education, representing the First Congressional District of Indiana.

Mayor Eddie Melton
Mayoral Meeting / Event Request

Senator Melton has been recognized as a national leader in youth mentoring. In 2015, he worked alongside President Barack Obama’s Administration in implementing “My Brother’s Keeper,” an initiative designed to address persistent opportunity gaps facing boys and young men of color.

In 2016, Melton was elected as State Senator for Indiana’s 3rd District, succeeding Senator Earline Rogers who held the office for 25 years. He won re-election in 2020. As a legislator, he led the charge to increase teacher pay across the state and supported legislation to improve public health infrastructure. In an effort to help return his hometown of Gary back to economic vibrancy, he fought for land-based gaming, voted to fund the South Shore Double Tracking Project, and more recently, authored Senate Bill 434. This Bill established the Lake County Convention and Economic Development Fund to be used for the creation of a convention...

center in Lake County, created the Blighted Property Demolition Fund; and provided investment to revitalize the Gary Metro Station to complement the South Shore Double Tracking project.

Eddie served as Ranking Minority Member on the Appropriations and State Budget Committee and was elected by lawmakers from around the country to serve on the Executive Committee of the National Conference of State Legislators. He also served as Deputy Chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party.

In 2023, Senator Eddie Melton won the Democratic nomination for Mayor of City of Gary and won the November 7th general election by a landslide. He was sworn in Saturday, December 30, 2023 and assumed office of Mayor of the City of Gary on January 1, 2024.Eddie lives in Gary, Indiana with his wife Crystal and their four children.