Departments
Catching up with... Former Mayor Chuck Hazama
By Megan Malugani
Rochester Magazine: When you reflect back now, what do you consider your biggest accomplishment as mayor?
Chuck Hazama: The most important thing I did, which really brought me into the fray, was when we set up the Rochester Flood Control Project which brought safety and protection to the citizens of our city. The 1978 flood (which happened the year before Hazama became mayor) brought deaths, damage, and destruction. I had about a foot of mud and water in the new extension I’d just had built at the Y, where I was executive director before becoming mayor. I was doing a TV news interview about the flood and I said “If I’m going to continue living in this town, this will never happen again,” and I made good on my promise.
RM: RochesterFest began during your time in office and you still come back to Rochester every year for it. What do you love about RochesterFest?
CH: The people. The people are some of the finest you’ll find. It’s really Minnesota nice ... It’s still amazing how people who have lived in Rochester recall many of the things that I’ve done and said. People always come up and say, “Mayor, you’ll be mayor forever in this city.”
RM: It’s been said that downtown Rochester should be called Hazamaville, since it was during your tenure that the new Civic Center, new library, new government center, and new skyway system were built. When you are downtown now, where do you hang out?
CH: I always go to the original place which is Rochester’s favorite, Michaels. And all the new places like Chester’s are fun. People enjoy going downtown. My only regret is I was hoping we could keep some of the movie theaters, like in the Galleria (now University Square). But economically it wasn’t feasible.
RM: What was the geese situation like when you were mayor?
CH: Well, people used to complain to me about the geese flying. I said, “It’s truly a zoo. We don’t have a zoo here and it’s very expensive to run a zoo. The geese don’t cost us anything.” We had to have our Park and Rec guys wash doo doo off the sidewalk, but other than that, it didn’t cost us anything. I think it’s a special thing about Rochester, although people living closer to the lake don’t think so.
RM: How would you decorate a ceramic goose if you were taking part in the Rochester Arts Council’s “Goose is Loose” contest?
CH: I would think that the head would be decorated with a crown on it. At one time, in 1993, Rochester was established as one of the best places to live in America (by Money magazine). On the wings I would have some very special gold flecks for all the many things Rochester has accomplished throughout the years and the people who have made Rochester a really special place to live.
RM: You were the first mayor of Rochester that was a member of an ethnic minority. Did the presidential election of an African American hold special meaning for you?
CH: I never really thought much about it ... When I was in Rochester I never encountered any problems or prejudice for being an ethnic minority. All through my 50-plus years in the Midwest, I never once encountered any kind of prejudice at all. I credit people in the Midwest for their stalwart, good, Christian backgrounds.
RM: When you lived in Iowa before moving to Rochester, you were a TV exercise instructor sometimes referred to as the “Jack La Lanne of Iowa.” What do you do these days to keep in shape?
CH: I try to swim three times a week. I’ve got a beautiful ten-lane swimming pool I use in Maui. It’s reserved for lap swimming for adults. I spent 25 years at the Y, with kids jumping in and out of the water. Here I’m proud of the fact that I can swim without being jumped on. When I’m in Rochester, I’m lucky enough to be able to exercise in the Radisson’s health club.