SCHERERVILLE | The predominantly white town of Schererville has diversified its committee appointments, appointing a black man to the town's Board of Zoning Appeals.
Greg Crowley, 37, said he was unaware of the significance of his appointment.
Several town officials said they could not ever recall a black person serving on any of the town's councils, commissions or boards.
"Hopefully it won't be the last time," Crowley said.
Schererville is mostly white, with blacks accounting for only 2 percent of its population, according to 2000 U.S. Census numbers.
Town Council President Hal Slager said race was not a factor when Crowley was selected for the position. He is a highly qualified candidate, Slager said.
"He was selected because of his credentials," he said. "In my mind, that's the most important part."
Crowley is an engineer with an undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame, a master's from the University of Maryland and an MBA from Cornell University.
A native of Ohio, he and his wife met in college and moved to Chicago. After a few years in a loft apartment overlooking the Eisenhower Expressway, they decided to move to Schererville, near his wife's hometown of Gary, Crowley said.
Crowley's motivation to get involved at the town level came when he was starting a business that needed a combination of office and shop space, but he couldn't find any in Schererville.
Although he was happy to see the town ranked 71st in Money Magazine's annual list of the Top 100 Best Places to Live, Crowley thought that some of the development and growth was not in the best interest of the town. He would like to see more professional office space available in town.
Town Manager Bob Volkmann said he recognizes the historical significance of Crowley's appointment, but said his race should not be a big deal.
"My true perspective is that's the way things should be, that people, based on qualifications, should be put in positions, and we should be oblivious to color," he said. "The reality is that people aren't. Color is an obvious attribute to people. You have to look past that and look at the person and not think of color."
