SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- ABC57 sat down for an exclusive, one-on-one interview with South Bend Mayor James Mueller to discuss the future of the city.
As the epicenter of Michiana, South Bend has gone through many changes over the years. From an industrial boom in the early 1900s, to a decades-long slump when businesses like the Studebaker Corporation shut down, the city has seen it all.
Mueller believes South Bend is firmly on the comeback trail, and hopes that in the next 250, will be squarely back on the world map.
"South Bend will continue to be a place of growth, a place of convening, and a place of opportunity." said Mueller.
Opportunity was a focal point of our conversation with the mayor, who said he doesn't want to miss out on future investments in the area.
"This isn't like a restaurant where there's a menu of options. It's not 'we could have this, this, or this...' This is the opportunity before us, and the question is whether we want to seize it or whether we pass on it." said Mueller.
When asked if he was referencing the proposed data center development shot down by the county earlier this year, Mueller said yes.
"We still have a long way to go, we're not where we need to be. Every block has not been rebuilt, and every block has not been restored."
Nonetheless, Mueller is proud of the work the city has done in recent years to handle long-vacant properties, like the former Drewrys Brewery site.
He hopes to continue fostering a strong relationship with the University of Notre Dame, building even further upon the Linq Trail, which connects downtown South Bend to campus.
Mueller also hopes to repair the city's relationship with the county.
"There's been a nationalization of politics in the county government, and as you know, our national politics are very divisive and very partisan. So, we do hope that we can get past that; we don't need the dysfunction of Washington to come here to St. Joseph County and South Bend," said Mueller.
ABC57 also put together a collection of answers from our "Indivisible 250" special report to the question: "What do you hope to see out of America in the next 250 years?"