The Accidental Mayor

This engaging narrative by a former mayor offers a rare inside look at the workings of city government under the strong-mayor system . . . the politics and personalities that shaped the growth of her town in a crucial period of its history. This book tells how Tomilea Allison accidentally became mayor of a small university town in southern Indiana. Shown a draft of the book, a resident, already familiar with part of the history, said she could hardly wait to see the next chapter. How would it all turn out? A professor called it an invaluable source for students of public and environmental affairs. In 1963 Tomilea Allison, a native Californian, was newly arrived in Bloomington, Indiana, as a faculty wife (her husband, James, was a professor in Indiana University's department of psychology) with two young daughters. A few years later she found herself in charge of Senator Eugene McCarthy's Monroe County primary campaign for president of the United States. In 1977 she was asked to fill a vacancy on the city council. In 1983, after the sitting mayor was elected to Congress, she was chosen to take his place and served for thirteen years.