Colwell: South Bend mayor looks to continue legacy of progress

South Bend Mayor James Mueller was talked into running in 2019 as the candidate to carry on the legacy of “Mayor Pete.”

Mueller wasn’t his own first choice or even on the list as he worked with Pete Buttigieg to find a mayoral replacement for the man then seeking the presidency in a quest that put South Bend and its “Mayor Pete” on the national political map.

Although not one to seek the spotlight and more comfortable with governmental policy than politics, Mueller was talked into saying “yes” after some other prospects declined, and he easily won the race for mayor with all-support from Buttigieg.

Now as mayor, Mueller is in the spotlight.

It’s not always comfortable there as cities all around the nation are awash with guns and a mass shooting tragedy can occur anywhere. It became tougher when the state legislature just took away a police tool in eliminating the requirement for a permit to carry a gun.

Also, there was the frustration of delay in so many things during two years of pandemic.

So, does Mueller wish he never agreed to run? Does he like the job? Or does he look forward to leaving the mayor’s office at the end of his term — or even sooner? For Washington? Or for the East Coast or West Coast to pursue something more in line with his doctorate in ocean science? Not much ocean science with the St. Joe River.

Mueller expresses no regrets about running for mayor. He says will run again for a second term next year.

The legacy of South Bend progress continues, he says, with the population, declining for so long after the Studebaker demise, climbing to 103,453 and outpacing the rest of the county in growth, with nearly 13,000 jobs created in the past two years, with unemployment at an historic low and with the city maintaining an AA bond rating.

U.S. News just moved South Bend up 18 spots to number 70 on its list of best places to live in the United States — not top tier but a big upgrade from when South Bend was portrayed in a national publication as a dying city.

There still are big problems, the shootings, education, deterioration in some neighborhoods and poverty.

Mueller says he wants to face them, and nobody will have to talk him into running this time.

“I have all intentions of running,” Mueller says, adding, “In many ways we are already underway.”

It’s too early for a formal announcement, but Mueller disdains the more traditional coyness of candidates this far out in making his intentions clear.

Regrets? He regrets most of all what the state legislature did in weakening rather than strengthening Indiana’s already weak efforts to prevent gun violence.

Mueller agrees with his police chief and other law enforcement officials around the state who opposed elimination of gun permits as taking away a tool to prevent gun violence.

If the total “constitutional carry” freedom cited by opponents of any gun restrictions is followed beyond the Second Amendment, Mueller asks, is there a total “constitutional free speech? Can I now holler ‘fire’ in a crowded theater?”

The city still can do some things such as hire more police in continuing efforts to bring the force up to full strength.

Mueller notes that he pushed for higher police wages, even after his wage proposal was stalled for a time in the city council after the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis two years ago.

It’s possible at the same time, he says, to impose regulation to eliminate bad cops and to offer competitive wages to hire more good cops.

The city is doing those two things at once, part of what Mueller regards as continuation of a legacy of progress.

Jack Colwell is a columnist for The Tribune. Write to him in care of The Tribune or by email at jcolwell@comcast.net.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Legacy of South Bend progress continues with population climb.