Longtime East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick, who ran the city for more than 30 years, died Friday.Pastrick, 88, both helped modernize the industrial city and saw it through moments of noted corruption. The former mayor's 33-year tenure — making him the longest-serving mayor in East Chicago's history — was a capstone to his service as a city councilor and East Chicago comptroller and his 50-plus years as an active figure in Democratic politics.
"He epitomized East Chicago," Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. said. "He was a legend."
To serve as a mayor for 33 years is no small feat, McDermott said.
"Always a consummate gentleman, Pastrick was a statesman on a national scale," he said.
He is survived by his wife, Ruth Ann, and their seven children.
"The city of East Chicago extends its deepest condolences to the Pastrick family," the city of East Chicago said in a statement.
Outside of his service to the city, Pastrick led the Young Democrats in the 1950s and was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1972, 1986, 2000, 2004 and 2008.
"You couldn't find anyone who worked harder for or had more pride in his community than Bob Pastrick," Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Gregg said in a statement. "We extend our condolences to his family, friends and all those his life touched."
