Charlie Chong was elected to City Council in 1996 to fill the vacancy left by Tom Weeks' resignation. Chong served for one year, choosing to run for mayor in 1997, an election he subsequently lost to Paul Schell. While on City Council, Chong chaired the Personnel, Organization and Performance Committee. He received his college education at Georgetown University and served in the Air Force before becoming executive vice-president of a small canning company in Minnesota from 1958-1963. For the next 20 years, Chong was an anti-poverty program employee for the Federal government. Prior to running for City Council, he was retired, but was an outspoken community activitst. Chong also ran for City Council in 1999 and for mayor in 2001, but lost in both elections.