Last week, as he cleared out his desk in the mayor's office, Roberts said goodbye to his view of Main and Vine.

As one who has spent most of his 50 years here, he has seen it change. The soda fountain and drugstore are gone - along with the train.

"It used to be a Mayberry-type place, but no more Mayberry," Roberts said. "We've been able to keep some of the charm. And now you don't have to drive to Salt Lake to buy every- thing."

Since Wal-Mart landed on Tooele's edge more than a decade ago, the city has shifted north toward the retail giant and away from its historical downtown. New businesses have cropped up as the population mushroomed from 14,000 to 28,000.

The old part of town has struggled, but is finding its feet again with the help of a new City Hall, library, aquatic center and parks. All were brought on during Roberts' reign - and without raising taxes.

Roberts left his post Friday - several months before his second term ends - and left Tooele better off than when he took its helm in 1998, according to City Councilman Michael Johnson.

"Charlie had the ability to deal with tremendous growth," Johnson said. "The city we have today is not the same city as when he became mayor."

But even with the frenetic growth, Roberts' calm presided over City Hall.

"He's friendly and easy to approach," Johnson noted. "He's a real people person."

As mayor, Roberts backed the city's volunteers and especially its volunteer sports, said Larry McFarland, chief of Tooele's volunteer fire department.

"He was always real supportive of anything we needed," McFarland said. "And one of the things he was always working on was providing more recreation facilities."

Roberts stepped down to become a commuter - like many Tooele residents.

He starts a new job today in Salt Lake City as public information officer for the Utah State Tax Commission.

He learned his communication skills the hard way. Before spending a decade as public relations specialist for the Laidlaw Environmental Services hazardous and toxic waste site in remote Tooele County, he worked for 10 years as managing editor of the Tooele Transcript Bulletin newspaper.

"The title was [managing] editor, but everybody did everything," he recalled. "I'd cover a football game and then rush over to take pictures of the Cub Scouts and then run out to Dugway to watch the Soviets [arms inspectors] come in."

His news background served Roberts well when, as mayor, he dealt with the press on a plethora of issues from the storage of hazardous waste to the incineration of chemical weapons.

"You should play it straight," he said. "And don't try to hide anything. That just makes reporters mad."

That attitude is why the Tax Commission hired him, said Commissioner Palmer DePaulis. "We needed someone who would be good with external communications with television and the print media," DePaulis said. "He's pretty unflappable, and we needed a problem solver who is enthusiastic."

It was that energetic citizen who, in 1995, ran for the Tooele City Council as a "feel-good deal." But what Roberts found once inside government was a city unprepared for growth.

"We were doing things like zoning changes without a master plan," he said. "I decided I had to get more involved. That was the driving force that led me to run for mayor."

Stepping into the top job proved a challenge, but Roberts credits dedicated staffers for helping him learn the gig.

"I had good people around me," he said. "And I feel real strongly now that we have the right people in place. They are up to the task of mastering our future challenges."

As he drove around town last week looking at new housing developments and parks, Roberts had the look of a satisfied man.

"I attempted to provide a sense of direction. And I did that primarily by talking with our employees and coming up with goals," he says. "You can't be all things to all people. But if you focus on [your goals], good things will happen."

csmart@sltrib.com