Jon Costas Says Goodbye: A Drive Down Memory Lane in a Jeep.

Aug 13, 2019

Mayor Jon Costas Interview- A drive down memory lane in a jeep

I think you’ll agree that Valparaiso is a cool town with a very cool Mayor! Today, Jon Costas shares his journey as Mayor of Valparaiso; a journey that lasted 16 years. You’ll drive around Valparaiso in a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. You’ll discover up close and personal the challenges, the successes, and what drove Valpo’s popular Mayor. You’ll also experience driving through a roundabout with a humorous twist. In this special edition of Cool Cars…No Boundaries, Jon Costas Says Goodbye: A Drive Down Memory Lane in a Jeep.

This video will make you laugh, cry, and discover the drive of Mayor Jon Costas

Content:

Video: Jon Costas says good bye: A drive down memory lane in a Jeep.
Article: Jon Costas
Music: The Gong Show Blues, by Jon Costas and the Conservadellics
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited: Parallels with the Valparaiso revival
Schedule: Mayor Costas Farewell Celebration. Downtown’s Central Park party includes live music, food and more!
Past Mayors in Valparaiso history

Cool Mayor…No Boundaries

Mayor Costas Interview

Valparaiso is a progressive town. It’s a destination for everything cool…great music, events, outdoor dining, and a remarkable downtown. Even our transportation and roads are progressive. We have the bike share program, the Chicago Dash, the V-Line, and, of course, the roundabouts.

Ironically, Costas was able to establish Valparaiso as a future-thinking community through a simple premise: make everything old new again–more on that later.

Valpo B.C….Before Costas

Interview in a Jeep Wrangler with Jon Costas

For those over thirty, you’ll remember “Valpo BC” (Before Costas). Valparaiso was on cruise control (Jeep pun) and running on fumes. Then we elected Jon Costas as Mayor.

When Costas was first elected, he saw plenty of push-back. He had big ideas and believed people want to follow big ideas. He promoted going big, or going home.

After years of running on cruise control, many people were horrified of big changes. It was common for people to respond to his ideas as if the world was coming to an end. Like many things in life, making a difference came with resistance.

Costas had an attitude

So how did Valpo become such a forward-thinking town? Attitude. Jon Costas had big ideas with the tenacity to keep things moving forward. Rather than taking offense by his opposition, he would listen to peoples’ concerns. He demonstrated empathy and understood that it’s natural for people to be afraid of change. Costas also knew that fighting the good fight required perseverance.

Mayor Jon Costas interview discusses bringing the community together

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Jon Costas needed a City Council that wouldn’t cave. He believed that if his team could keep the faith, success would follow. Costas encouraged the act of building bridges. He fostered the sense of working together as a community. With the growing support of the community, Valparaiso was on the move!

You can’t lead unless the citizens let you

Griegers Valpo- Interview Mayor Costasna- Griegers

Having a few victories under his belt, people started to believe. With the shift in momentum, it became cool to get involved. Leadership was coming from restaurant owners, business owners, and the community’s people itself. Working together was becoming contagious.

It’s the family business

Jon and Bill Costas- service leadership in Valpo

Senator Bill Costas instilled in his son the values of servant leadership–which he regarded as the best form of leadership.

The desire to serve others and make people happy was a characteristic of Costas long before he entered politics. Before Costas was Mayor, he was on the Parks Board…but before that, he was an entertainer. I remember when Costas first ran for office, I knew him as the musician that always volunteered to perform at fundraising events.

Jon Costas interviews for cool car...no boundaries

He even appeared on TV’s, “the Gong Show.” Just listen to Costas perform his original cut, the Gong Show Blues, with his band the Conservadellics.

Combining Jon Costas’s passion for Valparaiso, restaurants, parks, music, and politics made the perfect ingredients for downtown Valparaiso’s crown jewel… Central Park.

Making everything old…new again.

Costas said his continued theme over the years was, “Make everything old…new again.” The Mayor calls it a transformation. I think of it as a revival.

A revival is defined as a reawakening of something, or to something coming back to health, life, or popularity. A spiritual awakening. Synonyms include restoration, revitalization, awakening, rejuvenation, stimulation, and rebirth.

Jon Costas says good bye: A drive down memory lane in a Jeep | Griegers-Jon Costas discusses making everything old-new again

The Jeep Wave…

For our special interview, “Jon Costas says goodbye: A drive down memory lane in a Jeep”, Brad Hallal from Griegers Motors spent a considerable amount of time looking through his Griegers inventory before selecting the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited as the featured vehicle for the Mayor Costas interview. As seen from the humorous roundabout scene in the interview, Jon Costas is good friends with Brad’s father-in-law and Griegers Motors owner, Dave Rodgers.

Jeep Wrangler-the perfit fit for Valpoaraiso's Mayor to interview

Family is significant at Griegers, and both the Costas and Rodgers families are close. But the vehicle also needed to represent Valparaiso’s 16 years of progress under the Mayor. Here is why Hallal chose the Jeep Wrangler to represent Valparaiso’s Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram dealership.

Selecting the Jeep Wrangler. Nothing represents Valparaiso better. Here’s why…

The Jeep Wrangler exemplifies Valparaiso in so many ways. The Jeep Wrangler has an All-American past. In the 1970s, the Jeep experienced a period of stagnation. It later experienced a revival, and to this day sets standards of forward-thinking progress. Hmmm…nice call, Brad.

Valpo's favorite for a reason...the Jeep wrangler fits Valpo

The Jeep Wrangler also can’t be beat for summer fun. In June’s edition of Cool Cars...No Boundaries, Secrets to a Summer to Remember in Valpo, we challenged Don Quijote’s head chef, Carlos Rivero, to pick his choice for summer fun, al fresco dining vs. al fresco driving. To discover our winner, check out June’s blog. Read more.

The Jeep and Valpo offer diversity by choice. Sometimes it’s hard to choose with so many great options. The Jeep comes in 2 doors and 4 doors, hard top or convertible. It offers affordable options, or you can choose a Jeep loaded. Valparaiso is also a city of great choices. Just look at the food options providing indoor or outdoor dining: Italian (Sage), Greek (Radius), Spanish (don Quijote), Japanese (Furin), Ricochet, Blue Point, Pikk’s, etc. To learn about the numerous options, visit Griegers Jeep page, Jeep.com, or Downtown Valpo Restaurants.

Valpo is a town that loves Jeep, especially the convertible Jeep Wrangler. Just drive downtown on a summer night and peep the variety of Jeeps. You’ll see old Jeeps, new Jeeps, Wranglers, Cherokees, Grand Cherokees, Compasses, Renegades.. and now the all-new Jeep Gladiator.

The new Jeep Gladiator & Wrangler–al fresco driving!

The Jeep Wrangler also shares with Valpo a friendly wave. In our interview video, Jon Costas experienced the Jeep wave. Valparaiso is a friendly town. Just try walking down Lincolnway and you’ll likely spend an hour getting from one place to another. Why? Everyone waves, and says hello. Maybe that’s why Valpo loves Jeep… we love to wave.

In next month’s Cool Cars…No Boundaries, we take a fun look at the Jeep Wave, what it means, how it originated and why the Jeep wave has caught Valpo by storm.

August 17: Farewell Celebration

Clifford is a Valpo Music cornerstone

It’s only appropriate that the city celebrates its 16 years of progress with a celebration in Valparaiso’s downtown Central Park. On August 17th, Valpo came together to say farewell to its popular Mayor. The Griegers sponsored event included amazing cuisine, family activities, and, of course, a live performance with Jon Costas performing with some of the area’s best bands.

Pikk’s, Don Quijote, and Ricochet served at Mayor Costas’ August 17th Event

Valpo’s iconic downtown restaurants Restaurante Don Quijote, Ricochet, Pikk’s, Designer Desserts, and Valpo Velvet served at the August 17th Central Park Event.

According to Valpo Events, it was a celebration of Valpo’s success with Mayor Costas, complete with carnival rides and a bounce house for the kids.

: Designer Desserts

: Ricochet Taco

: Valpo Velvet

Jon Costas and the Conservadellics.

Cool Cars...No Boundaries, Jon Costas Says Goodbye: A Drive Down Memory Lane in a Jeep.

Live entertainment by The Mega Beatles. It is members from The Crawpuppies and Chris and Lou.

Past Mayors of Valparaiso

Name	Party	Term
Thomas J. Merrifield	D	1865-1868
Thomas G. Lytle	R	1868-1872
John N. Skinner	D	1872-1882
Thomas G. Lytle	R	1882-1886
Alvin D. Bartholomew	D	1886-1888
Thomas G. Lytle	R	1888-1892
Frank P. Jones	D	1892-1894
Col. I.C.B. Suman	R	1894-1898
Addison E. Woodhull	D	1898-1902
William F. Spooner	D	1902-1906
William H. Williams	R	1906-1910
William F. Spooner	D	1910-1914
Perry L. Sisson	–	1914-1922
Edgerton W. Agar	R	1922-1926
William F. Spooner	D	1926-1928
Louis F. Leetz	R	1928-1930
Harold J. Schenck	R	1930-1935
Charles L. Bartholomew	R	1935-1944
Garrett Conover	R	1944-1948
Elden Kuehl	D	1948-1952
John E. Wiggins	R	1952-1960
Donald E. Will	R	1960-1968
Bryce Billings	R	1968-1972
Elden Kuehl	D	1972-1984
David A. Butterfield	D	1984-2004
Jon Costas	R	2004-Present

More Reading:

Cool Car….No Boundaries. Your Blog for Fun things to do in Northwest Indiana.

So what is better than a day in a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited? A day in a Jeep when it’s with Mayor Jon Costas.

So what is better than a day in a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited? A day in a Jeep when it’s with Mayor Jon Costas. Valparaiso is a better place for knowing you, Jon Costas. Thanks for taking us for the ride.

Along with my sponsor, Griegers Motors, we hope you enjoyed this special edition of Cool Cars…No Boundaries, Jon Costas Says Goodbye: A Drive Down Memory Lane.

Written by Jim Jano Janesheski,

JANO, LLC

Tags: central park, costas, event, Grieger's, Griegers Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Jeep, jeep wave, jon, mayor, roundabout roads
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