Chuck Chalk, a 43-year old retired Air Force officer and current DoD civilian employee at Robins Air Force Base, is one of three candidates running for Mayor of Warner Robins. Chalk has been a Warner Robins resident for nine years and his married with two sons and two grandchildren. The Chalks attend First Assembly of God in Warner Robins.

Chalk began his campaign relatively unknown, hoping to “make a good run of it.” However, in the past month he has gained more attention, receiving endorsements from local figures such as Chris Krok, 940 WMAC morning talk radio host, and Patricia Walker, the widow of former mayor Donald Walker.

Chalk sees as his best qualifications the leadership skills he learned in his 20-year career in the Air Force. After retiring, Chalk says that he became interested in running for public office, and decided to run for mayor because it is the position he saw himself as the best suited to.

“My skills run towards leadership,” said Chalk. “Mayor seemed like a good fit.”

In December, Chalk will have completed half his coursework for a Master’s degree in Public Administration at the Robins campus of Georgia College and State University, courses which Chalk says are specifically suited to the job of mayor.

Chalk was born in 1966 in Detroit, Mich. His father was the child of British immigrants and his mother hails from Cordele, Ga. At the age of eight, his family moved to Cordele, where Chalk says he learned to appreciate the friendliness and charm of the South. Several years later, Chalk and his family moved to the Tampa, Fla.

In 1986, Chalk enlisted in the Air Force where trained as a Spanish linguist. His first assignment took him to Howard Air Force Base in the Republic of Panama where he served on reconnaissance flights aboard AWACS aircraft. While serving in the Air Force, Chalk earned an Associate’s degree in Communications Application from the Community College of the Air Force and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Nova Southeastern University. It was also during this time that he met his wife, Silvia. In 1994, Chalk was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and was trained as an intelligence officer.

Chalk’s Air Force career saw him stationed around the country and around the world, something which Chalk says has helped to prepare him for the office he now seeks.

“Living in so many different places creates a well-rounded person,” said Chalk. “It gives me the opportunity to bring together ideas from all over the world to Warner Robins. After all, we are the International City. People criticize Warner Robins for not having any identifying features like a downtown or landmarks. We can begin to develop those in the future with Commercial Circle, but we already have a great asset in our moniker as the International City. It’s something we can develop even more.”

Chalk and his family came to Warner Robins in 2000 when he was assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command at Robins AFB. In 2002 he was transferred to 116th Air Control Wing (JSTARS) and deployed in 2003 for a 90 day tour as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and served as the JSTARS liaison to the Combined Air Operations Center in Doha, Qatar. Upon returning, Chalk underwent aircrew training and deployed for three more 90 day tours with the JSTARS as an Airborne Intelligence Officer and Chief of Intelligence for one of the JSTARS squadrons.

Chalk expressed mixed feelings about his deployments.

“Being deployed is bittersweet,” said Chalk. “As an airman or a soldier, sailor, or marine, it’s where you want to be, to be in the mix. But you don’t want to be away from your family. Deployment begins to get hard on the family.”

After retiring from active duty, Chalk said that he received job offers in Florida and Virginia, but he and his wife chose to remain in Warner Robins to be near his mother, who lives in Cordele. Chalk says that he believes that this history makes him uniquely qualified among the candidates to represent an important subset of the Warner Robins population.

“25% of the residents of this city were not here in 2000, and if you look back there have been about another 20% who have arrived in the 10 to 15 years before that,” said Chalk. “I am somewhat representative of the people who have come to live here because of the base and stayed because Warner Robins is such a great place.”

Chalk says that this relationship with the base is the most important issue for the city. According to Chalk, projects like G-RAMP will help secure the future of the base and the city, along with maintaining a capable and educated workforce and remaining in compliance with clean air standards. Among the most pressing issues for the city are economic development and infrastructure investment.

“We need to insure that we bounce back from this recession well,” said Chalk, who emphasized the importance of making sure the recovery included all citizens. “We especially need to focus attention on the north and northeast sides of town.”

The most important thing, Chalk says, is that people get out to vote.

“People need to realize that this is a crucial vote for the city. The next mayor will have an impact lasting 15 or 20 year beyond their term. Everybody needs to come out to vote on November 3, and I hope they will vote for me.”