George N. Cretekos (born January 26, 1947) is an American politician from the state of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

. A member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

, Cretekos is the former mayor of

Clearwater, Florida Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, northwest of Tampa and St. Petersburg. To the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and to the southeast lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2020 census, the city had a popu ...

. Prior to his election as mayor, he served as a congressional aide to Bill Young for 36 years, and served on the Clearwater

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural coun ...

Biography

Cretekos is from Tarpon Springs, Florida. He graduated from Tarpon Springs High School and

Davidson College Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after Revolutionary War general William Lee Davidson, who was killed at the nearby Battle of Cowan� ...

, where he received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and ...

. While at Davidson, Cretekos interned for a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, and attended the 1968 Republican National Convention. After graduating from Davidson, he earned his

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

public administration Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment ( public governance), management of non-profit es ...

from the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. After graduating with his master's degree, Cretekos accepted a job as a legislative aide for Bill Young, who had been elected to the

, starting in 1971. He served in the role for 36 years. Cretekos was elected to the

in 2007, filling the remainder of Hoyt Hamilton's term. He was elected without opposition. He was re-elected in 2008, and was sworn in as Vice Mayor in 2008. He was elected mayor of Clearwater in 2012. Cretekos was considered a potential candidate in the 2014 special election to replace Young, representing . He declined to run, saying he is "a local kind of guy".

Personal

Cretekos is

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also cal ...

, and thought about becoming a priest when he was young. After leaving Young's office, he spent a month in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...

as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

. Cretekos and his wife, Carolyn, live in the Sand Key section of Clearwater. His father, Nick, worked as a mail carrier and auctioneer. He has three siblings. His grandfather was a sponge merchant. His grandfather's sponge diving boat, the '' George N. Cretekos'' is on the United States'

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. The Cretekos family are related to

Maria Callas Maria Callas . (born Sophie Cecilia Kalos; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano who was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her ''bel cant ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cretekos, George Living people People from Tarpon Springs, Florida Florida Republicans Mayors of Clearwater, Florida Florida city council members Greek Orthodox Christians from the United States American politicians of Greek descent Davidson College alumni University of Pittsburgh alumni Christian missionaries in Indonesia Eastern Orthodox missionaries American Christian missionaries 21st-century American politicians 1947 births