Charlotte Zietlow, the public servant with over 50 years of political activism and work in Monroe County, has died. She was 91 years old.
Zietlow’s name is all over Monroe County and its history. It’s also etched, literally, in its stone: the justice center she helped create bears her name. Her political career dates back to 1960, when she began door-knocking for then-presidential candidate John F. Kennedy.
She broke local government’s gender barrier, becoming the first woman to serve as Bloomington City Council president and on the Monroe County Board of Commissioners. She ran for U.S. Congress in 1978 and Bloomington mayor in 1995.
She volunteered and served on a myriad of service groups: she was president of Stone Belt Arc, a founding member of the Indiana Women’s Network for Political Action, executive director of the United Way of Monroe County and worked with the Middle Way House, to name just a few.
She operated Goods for Cooks, a kitchen goods store on the square, with her friend and fellow politician Marilyn Schultz for over a decade and a half.
In her elder years, she never stopped speaking up or lending advice to the decisionmakers of the county. In the months before her death, she advocated against the planned construction of a new county jail; her efforts were vindicated just last week when the county council unanimously voted against funding the purchase of a site for the facility.
But she’s also remembered by those close to her for her kindness. Her resoluteness. Her hats.
Monroe County Sheriff Ruben Marté wrote on social media that Zietlow’s “passion, wisdom, and strength left a lasting mark on all of us.”
“From the very beginning, she always provided honest advice and never hesitated to speak her mind—whether it was constructive criticism or kind words,” Marté wrote. “She was a pioneer, and someone I will always have an incredible amount of respect for.”
Marty Hawk, the lone Republican on the Monroe County Council, also expressed her sympathy in a Facebook comment.
“My friend. You will be missed,” she wrote. “Always willing to share her knowledge. Always took my calls for advice. Grateful to have known her.”
David Henry, a Democrat on the council, also mourned Zietlow online.
“I have so much I want to say, and much I will keep between us for some time, but all I’ll manage today is ‘Thank you, Charlotte,’” he wrote.
The Indiana Daily Student is working on an obituary for Charlotte Zietlow. If you have any memories or information that you would like to share, please contact us at editor@idsnews.com.
CORRECTION: This article has been updated to correct information about Charlotte Zietlow's electoral history.
