Lake Station Chief of Staff Adrian Vera has been involved with the city for his entire life. Vera began his career as a lifeguard for the community pool at 16 years old and has since worked to improve the city and the lives of its residents every day.
Vera grew up in Lake Station, and when it was time to look for a job, he decided to become a lifeguard at the community pool located in Riverview Park. He continued to lifeguard for about four years before moving on to take a job at a nearby casino.
Vera worked at the casino for a few years but came back to work for the city after receiving a call from Lake Station’s mayor in 2014. The mayor needed someone to manage the pool, and since Vera was well-versed in the necessary maintenance and skills needed to manage the pool, he felt Vera was the right man for the job.
After a few years of working with the pool, Vera dove into a different role and became responsible for updating the geographic information system (GIS) database, which documents and visually maps geographic data including fire hydrants, and sewer manholes, stormwater drains, streets, and more. Having this information inputted into the GIS database is crucial to the inner workings of a city.
Later, in 2018, Vera became the superintendent of the parks and recreation department. He held this position for a year, and during that time worked on the general beautification of the parks and reinvented the pool rental system. At the time, the pool was rarely rented. Now, the pool is almost always rented at night, even in the middle of the week.
In 2019, Vera became the city superintendent. His success with the parks and recreation department caused city foremen in multiple departments to suggest Vera for the position.
“With that position at the time, you oversaw all the departments besides police and fire. I was overseeing the streets department, the trash department, the stormwater department, the sewer department, the parks department, and the water department. A lot of my job was focused on what's happening on the streets and within different departments and managing employees,” said Vera.
In 2020, Vera became Chief of Staff for the City of Lake Station and has held the position since. He works closely with the mayor and other department superintendents and loves the variety of challenges that occur every day all over the city.
“I like that every day is different and every day we're tackling a new project. There's not much repetition where you're doing the same thing every single day. Everything takes time, and of course, you have to take things one project at a time. I look at them as one small thing that I get done, and then I move on to the next thing,” said Vera.
As Chief of Staff, Vera deals with a myriad of staff members and community issues. Though the work can become stressful at times, Vera always approaches a situation with a calm attitude and the assurance that the team will do whatever it takes to get the job done.
“I'm already laid back as it is, and I don't let things bother me. When things are falling apart or if something's going bad I'm just always relaxed and calm and confident. I know we can get through whatever the problem is and we can fix it one way or another,” said Vera.
For Vera, the job is more than a way to make a living.
“I'm not here for a paycheck. I'm here because I grew up here in Lake Station,” said Vera. “I'm here to get things done, and I'm the type of guy that likes to always be moving and always be dealing with something. There's never a dull moment. I care and I'm passionate about getting projects done, and when I and my team set our minds to get something done, we get it done.”
Though Vera is heavily invested in his career during working hours, he makes sure to keep his work and home life separate. When the day is over, Vera enjoys spending time with his wife and son.
“When I'm not at work I love to not think about work and focus on my family. I have a wife and a 10-year-old little boy, and I really love spending all my time with them. I also love sports and playing video games with my little boy. That's actually key because in the city we have to deal with a lot of negatives. As much as I love it, there can be a lot of negative things and there can be a lot of stress. I make it a priority not to take work home with me,” said Vera.
At 16 years old, Vera never thought he would end up as the mayor’s right-hand man in the city of Lake Station. Now, he can’t imagine a different career.
For more information, visit https://www.lakestation-in.gov/
