Chet Charles was born May 29th, 1987 on what would have been JFK's 70th birthday. Born to Jack Elwin Charles & Jeanette Marie Wood, Chet was raised on the family farm in rural Fremont, Indiana (2005 population: 1,720, not including fur-babies :) ). In the family home, Chet grew up with 4 older sisters, 1 older brother, and 1 younger sister before his parents separated in 1995. Chet's family expanded to include 2 more step-siblings, both sisters. Chet graduated from Fremont High School in 2005, just as Chet's family expanded again to include a younger brother. This union also included an older step-brother, and 2 older step-sisters, with whom he had very limited interaction. 

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Chet was raised in Saint Paul's Catholic Church in Clear Lake, Indiana, where he was 1st baptized. Following the separation of his parents, he found with a compassionate mentor in Bryan Hall, who had been a close family friend for all of Chet's life. Bryan taught Chet a lot about life, how the world works, what it means to be a man of Christ, and unconditional love. Bryan would become like a 2nd father to Chet during his formative teenage years and would be a consistent, positive role model in Chet's life.

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In 2001, Chet was again baptized as a member of Zion Missionary Church in Fremont, Indiana, reaffirming his relationship with Jesus Christ. In November 2002, Chet lost one of his best friends, Dustin Tink, to suicide. During this time, Chet raised the concern of his mother as he refused to speak for weeks. As Chet dissociated from friends and mentors, it was his life-long mentor Bryan Hall who intervened & coordinated Chet's recovery, realigning Chet's walk with Jesus. 

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In 2003 Chet got his 1st Job at Bennigan's restaurant in Angola, Indiana. Chet was only able to maintain this position for 3 weeks before being fired for spending more time working with the construction crew than learning his position at the restaurant. Chet would then get a job working at Wendy's at the Pilot Truck Stop in Fremont, Indiana. In early 2025, while working as a shift lead at Wendy's, Chet's natural team leadership skills garnered the attention of regular customer & owner of the local Hungry Howie's Pizza franchise, Keith Flynn. Keith offered Chet a position as a delivery driver & shift lead until Chet turned 18.

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In 2005, Chet continued to work at Hungry Howie's Pizza in Angola Indiana where, upon turning 18, Chet was promoted to Store Manager. It was under the tutelage of the business owner, Keith Flynn, that Chet would receive his first crash course in Business Management and Financial Responsibility. Keith mentored Chet to become an ambitious business-minded manager. During this period, Chet met a fellow man of faith, John McDonough, who would mentor Chet on personal matters and walking with Christ. In 2006, Chet would begin managing multiple locations for Keith, eventually leading 3 stores in Angola, Auburn, & Kendallville Indiana while assisting with a 4th store in Coldwater, Michigan. 

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In 2008, following the death of a very close friend, Chet resigned his management position at Hungry Howie's & moved to North Carolina, where his family had enjoyed many vacations. Chet struggled to maintain his independence while working a maintenance position. In 2009, he moved again, transferring his maintenance position to South Carolina to live with his girlfriend at the time, but this move was unexpectedly shortened. At the beginning of 2010, Chet would board a Greyhound bus and head to California, looking for his next adventure.

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Upon arriving in Fresno, California Chet quickly realized how expensive life on the West Coast was compared to his Midwest upbringing.  Unable to find affordable housing, Chet spent 3 months in Fresno working odd jobs, bussing tables, cleaning, and washing dishes for cash at various local establishments and sleeping in the Greyhound station for a few hours each night. Chet then befriended a woman from Winston, Oregon who invited him to move in with her until he got back on his feet. Upon moving to Winston, Chet found a job in nearby Roseburg, Oregon at Kmart unloading freight on their loading dock. Chet would stay in Winston, biking to and from work and splitting rent until July when he had saved up enough money to return to the Midwest.

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In October 2010, Chet settled into Hudson, Wisconsin and began building a new network of friends and mentors.  While working for The Erickson's at Freedom Valu Center, Chet met Mike Bahneman. Mike and Chet shared an interest in cars and law enforcement. Chet would spend the next few years pursuing a law enforcement career. During that time Chet earned his degree in Criminal Justice & Human Services and underwent the Wisconsin State Patrol PRT (Physical Readiness Test) and Examination process in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. As he was focusing on his studies, Chet met Hudson, Wi officer John Worden. John would take Chet on his 1st ride-along and give him a glimpse of life as a local police officer.

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In 2013, Chet moved to Saint Paul and began his career as a Campus Public Safety officer at a faith-based university in the Twin Cities. In 2014, Chet led an Active Shooter Response as an altercation from a nearby bar spilled over onto the campus property. As a result, Chet received a commendation for his role in the response, performing life-saving measures, and would later be recognized with the agency's Challenge Coin Award, a rare, national commendation for putting service before self. 

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In March 2015 Chet and his then girlfriend, Chelsey welcomed his 1st born son to the world and moved out of Saint Paul to Hastings, MN. Chet would quickly learn the challenges of being a father with a law enforcement career. At work, Chet was quickly promoted through the ranks and in March 2016 Chet became the Director of Security Services for the university. In this role Chet would build working relationships with local agencies (Saint Paul Police, Minneapolis Police, Metro Transit Police). At the same time, Chet would join Mike Bahneman's Security Firm ADS Protection Agency in White Bear Lake, MN as a part-time patrolman. 

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In August 2016, Chet would marry his then-girlfriend Chelsey, the mother of his 1st child. In January 2017, Chet welcomed his 2nd son to the world while also preparing and coordinating security for the Super Bowl and Super Bowl Week events. Training included FEMA Bomb Threat Assessment, FEMA Bomb Threat Search and Identification, FBI evidence protection, and FBI Chain of Custody trainings. Chet would continue to work at the college during the day and work nights at critical infrastructure in and around US Bank Stadium.

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In 2021, Chet would resign from his director role at the college and would take a Corporate Security role with ECMC Group in Minneapolis, hoping to find a better work/life balance. In his new role Chet would oversee security for 5 technical college campuses in 5 different states as well as the Minneapolis Loan Servicing and Operations Center. Chet would build relationships with Security and Law Enforcement agencies in Georgia, Florida, Texas, and California while maintaining his relationships in the twin cities. As this role proved not to be as accommodating to the father role as he desired, he resigned and took a factory position closer to home. In 2023 Chet was hired on at REM River Bluffs in Red Wing to manage a group home for adults with disabilities. It was around the same time that he and his wife would separate, with Chet moving to Red Wing, MN before finalizing their divorce, amicably, in October 2024. 

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On October 12th, 2023 Chet suffered another devastating loss when his life-long mentor, Bryan Hall, was murdered in Angola, Indiana by a man suffering a mental health crisis. Chet leaned on his new-found connections in Red Wing for support and discovered some truly wonderful people. With help, Chet settled into the Group Home Management career path, he expanded his responsibilities, and he quickly began managing and mentoring multiple group homes before becoming a Program Director. He maintained responsibility for 4 group homes and built working relationships with Goodhue County Health & Human Services Case Management personnel as well as several other state and local agencies. In 2025, Chet transitioned from REM River Bluffs to Lutheran Social Services and explored new opportunities in the Human Services field that enabled him to continue to be involved in his children's lives.

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In May 2026 Chet was approached by a colleague about running for City Council. Given his natural ability to build connections and solve complex problems quickly & efficiently Chet decided to undertake this challenge. As he weighed the possibility, Chet considered whether he would run for the At Large seat or just for his Ward. Chet decided that his first steps into public politics should be closer to an entry-level position, so Ward 4 made the most sense. As Chet was researching the incumbent Ward 4 Councilwoman, it became clear that he would have an uphill battle to unseat a fellow ordained Minister & AAUW Citizen of the Year. This should be an intense contest to say the least.

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...Stay Tuned for more.

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