Jim Shaw was the mayor of Rapid City, South Dakota

Rapid City, South Dakota

Rapid City is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek on which the city is established, it is set against the eastern slope of the Black Hills mountain range. The population was 67,956 as of the 2010 Census. Rapid...

 from 1997 - 2001, and from 2003 - 2007. He is the second longest-serving mayor of Rapid City. Shaw's 8 years in office were highlighted by his successful economic development

Economic development

Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...

 efforts, which resulted in Rapid City gaining more than 3000 new jobs during his years in office, according to the RC Economic Development office.

Shaw was born October 30, 1946 in Elmira, New York

Elmira, New York

Elmira is a city in Chemung County, New York, USA. It is the principal city of the 'Elmira, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses Chemung County, New York. The population was 29,200 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chemung County.The City of Elmira is located in...

. He grew up in Dundee, New York

Dundee, New York

Dundee is a village in Yates County, New York, USA. The population was 1,690 at the 2000 census. The name was taken from Dundee, the city in Scotland with a population of 160,000.The Village of Dundee is in the Town of Starkey...

 and attended the State University of New York

State University of New York

The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...

 and the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology.

Prior to being elected mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

, Shaw was a radio personality

Radio personality

A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...

 and television news anchor on KOTA-TV

KOTA-TV

KOTA-TV, channel 3, is an ABC television affiliate based in Rapid City, South Dakota, USA. The station is owned by the Duhamel family of Rapid City...

 in Rapid City.

Shaw was part of a statewide, non-partisan effort to persuade the BRAC (Base Realignment Commission) to remove Ellsworth Air Force Base

Ellsworth Air Force Base

Ellsworth Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota just north of Box Elder, South Dakota....

 near Rapid City from the list of recommended closures in 2005, according to Pat McElgunn, Military Affairs Chairman of the RC Chamber of Commerce

Chamber of commerce

A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...

. Shaw, along with U.S. Senators

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 Tim Johnson, John Thune

John Thune

John Randolph Thune is the junior U.S. Senator from South Dakota and a member of the Republican Party. He previously served as a U.S. Representative for .-Early Life, Education:...

, Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin and Governor Mike Rounds

Mike Rounds

Marion Michael "Mike" Rounds is an American politician. Rounds served as the 31st Governor of South Dakota. Rounds was first inaugurated on January 7, 2003, having been elected on November 5, 2002, and was re-elected on November 7, 2006...

, testified before the BRAC committee public hearing in Rapid City in favor of keeping Ellsworth open. Later that summer, the BRAC voted to remove Ellsworth from the list of recommended closures, and Shaw called it "a grand and glorious day for our community." Ellsworth contributes $328 million to the area economy annually, according to figures from the South Dakota Governor's Office.

In the fall of 2009 Shaw was part of a group that purchased the Black Hills Speedway and planned to renovate it in order to attract more visitors. In early January of 2010 the Rapid City Journal

Rapid City Journal

The Rapid City Journal is the daily newspaper of Rapid City, South Dakota.See also List of newspapers in South Dakota-External links:*...

named him as one of the "Ten in 2010"—ten local residents to watch in the year to follow because they were expected to make news.