Pete Buttigieg - Wikipedia

Mayor of South Bend, Indiana

Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg[1] ( BOO -tih-jej; born January 19, 1982) is an American war veteran, politician and the mayor of South Bend, Indiana. He is also a lieutenant in the United States Navy Reserve.[2] He was a consultant at McKinsey and Company, a management strategy consulting firm, from 2007 through 2010.[3] Buttigieg is a graduate of Harvard University, a Rhodes Scholar, and a veteran of the War in Afghanistan.[4]

Buttigieg is running for the Democratic Party's nomination in the 2020 presidential election, campaigning on universal healthcare, protecting American jobs by strengthening labor unions as well as renegotiating trade deals, ensuring universal background checks for guns, protecting the environment by addressing climate change, protecting DREAMers, passing a federal law banning discrimination against LGBT people, and ending the drug war by legalizing marijuana.[5][6] He is the first openly gay Democratic candidate for the office.[7] If elected, he would be the youngest as well as the first openly LGBT American president.[8]

Early life and education

Buttigieg was born in South Bend, Indiana, to Jennifer Anne (Montgomery) and Joseph Buttigieg, both professors at the University of Notre Dame.[9] His father was an immigrant from Malta, and his mother is a multiple-generation Hoosier.[10]

Buttigieg graduated in 2000 from St. Joseph High School in South Bend, where he was president and valedictorian of his senior class.[11] In his senior year of high school, he was honored for an essay for the "JFK Profiles in Courage Essay Contest"; he traveled to Boston, where he met Caroline Kennedy and other members of President Kennedy's family during a ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Library. Buttigieg had written about the integrity and political courage demonstrated by U.S. Congressman Bernie Sanders of Vermont, one of only two independent members of Congress.[12] He was also selected as one of two Indiana delegates to the United States Senate Youth Program.

Buttigieg attended Harvard College, where he was president of the Harvard Institute of Politics Student Advisory Committee and worked on the Institute's annual study of youth attitudes on politics.[13][14] Buttigieg was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa.[15]

Buttigieg graduated magna cum laude from Harvard in 2004, receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in history and literature.[16] He wrote his thesis on the influence of puritanism on U.S. foreign policy, as reflected in Graham Greene's novel The Quiet American.[17] He received a first-class honors degree in philosophy, politics and economics in 2007 from Pembroke College, Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.[18][16]

Early career

Before graduating from college, Buttigieg worked as an investigative intern at WMAQ-TV, Chicago's NBC news affiliate. He also worked as an intern for Jill Long Thompson's unsuccessful[19] 2002 congressional campaign. He later served as an adviser to her unsuccessful[20]2008 gubernatorial campaign.[21]

From 2004 to 2005, Buttigieg worked in Washington, D.C., as conference director for former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen's international strategic consulting firm, The Cohen Group. He also spent several months working on Senator John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign, where he was a policy and research specialist.[22] After earning his Oxford degree, he worked as a consultant at McKinsey and Company from 2007 through 2010.[23][24]

He was the Democratic Party nominee in 2010 for State Treasurer of Indiana. Buttigieg lost to Republican incumbent Richard Mourdock, garnering 37.5% of the vote.[25]

Military service

Buttigieg was commissioned as a Naval intelligence officer in the Navy Reserve in 2009, and deployed to Afghanistan in 2014.[26] After a seven-month deployment, Buttigieg returned to South Bend.[27] He remained a lieutenant in the Naval Reserve until 2017.[28][29]

Mayor of South Bend

First term

The County-City Building in downtown South Bend, which houses the Office of the Mayor.

Buttigieg was elected Mayor of South Bend in November 2011, with 74% of the vote[30] and took office in January 2012 at age 29, as the youngest mayor of a U.S. city with at least 100,000 residents.[30][31]

In 2012 Buttigieg demoted South Bend police chief Darryl Boykins after a federal investigation found that the police department had improperly recorded telephone calls.[32] Buttigieg also fired the police department's communications director, who had "discovered the recordings but continued to record the line at Boykins' command."[32] The police communications director alleged that the recordings captured four senior police officers making racist remarks and discussing illegal acts.[32][33] Buttigieg opted to settle suits brought by Boykins, the communications director, and the four officers out of court.[32][34] A federal judge ruled in 2015 that Boykins's recordings violated the Federal Wiretap Act.[33] Buttigieg came under pressure from political opponents to release the tapes, but declined to do so, citing the Wiretap Act,[33] while also calling for the eradication of racial bias in the police force.[32]

Buttigieg appointed Ron Teachman, formerly the police chief of New Bedford, Massachusetts, as the new police chief. Teachman oversaw the introduction of ShotSpotter technology to South Bend, as well as a new anti-gang initiative.[32]

Buttigieg was named mayor of the year for 2013 by GovFresh.com, tying with former three-term New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg.[35][36] In 2014, The Washington Post called Buttigieg "the most interesting mayor you've never heard of" based on his youth, education, and military background.[30] In 2016, The New York Times columnist Frank Bruni published a column praising Buttigieg's work as mayor and asking in the headline if he could eventually be elected as "the first gay president."[37]

Buttigieg has made redevelopment a top priority of his administration. One of its signature programs has been the "Vacant and Abandoned Properties Initiative" (known locally as "1,000 Properties in 1,000 Days"), a project to repair or demolish blighted properties across the city.[38][39] The goal was reached by the program's scheduled end date in November 2015.[40]

Buttigieg served for seven months in Afghanistan as a lieutenant in the Navy Reserves, returning to the United States on September 23, 2014.[41] In his absence, Deputy Mayor Mark Neal, South Bend's city controller, served in the role of executive, from February 2014 until Buttigieg returned to his role as mayor in October 2014.

Second term

In 2014, Buttigieg announced that he would seek a second term[42] and went on to win the Democratic primary with 78% of the vote, defeating Henry Davis, Jr., the city councilman from the 2nd District.[43] In November 2015, he was elected to his second term as mayor of South Bend with over 80% of the vote, defeating Republican Kelly Jones.[44]

In 2013 Buttigieg proposed a "Smart Streets" urban development program to improve South Bend's downtown area, and in early 2015 (after traffic studies and public hearings) he secured a bond issue for the program[32] backed by tax increment financing.[45][46] One of Buttigieg's signature projects,[45] "Smart Streets" was aimed at improving economic development and urban vibrancy as well as road safety.[47] The project involved the conversion of one-way streets in downtown to two-way streets, traffic calming measures, the widening of sidewalks, streetside beautification (including the planting of trees and installation of decorative brickwork), the addition of bike lanes,[46] and the introduction of roundabouts.[47] Elements of the project were finished in 2016,[32] and it was officially completed in 2017.[47] The project was credited with spurring private development in the city.[46]

As mayor, Buttigieg was a leading figure behind the creation of a nightly laser lighting display along downtown South Bend's St. Joseph River trail as public art. The project cost $700,000, which was raised from private funds.[48] The "River Lights" installation was unveiled in May 2015, as part of the city's 150th anniversary celebrations.[32]

Under Buttigieg, South Bend launched a $50 million investment in the city's parks, many of which had been neglected during the preceding decades.[48]

In December 2018 Buttigieg announced that he would not seek a third term as mayor of South Bend.[49]

2017 DNC chair election

In January 2017 Buttigieg announced his candidacy for Chair of the Democratic National Committee in its 2017 chairmanship election.[50] He "built a national profile as an emerging dark horse in the race for the chairmanship with the backing of former DNC Chairman Howard Dean[51] and former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley.[52] Buttigieg "campaigned on the idea that the aging Democratic Party needed to empower its millennial members."[51] He withdrew from the race on the day of the election.[51]

2020 presidential election

2020 presidential run logo

On January 23, 2019, Buttigieg announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2020 election.[53][54][55]

Honors and awards

Buttigieg was named a 2014 Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow.[56] He was named a recipient of the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Fenn Award in 2015.[57]

Personal life

Buttigieg is a devout Episcopalian,[58] and has spoken in depth about how has faith influenced him.[59][37] He has cited St. Augustine, James Martin, and Garry Wills as among his religious influences.[60] He is a congregant at the Cathedral of St. James in downtown South Bend.[61]

Buttigieg is a polyglot. He taught himself to speak Norwegian and is also conversational in Spanish, Italian, Maltese, Arabic, Dari, and French.[62][63] Buttigieg plays guitar and piano,[64][65] and in 2013 performed with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra as a guest piano soloist.[66][67]

In a June 2015 essay in the South Bend Tribune Buttigieg announced that he is gay.[68] He is the first openly gay municipal executive in Indiana.[69]

In December 2017, Buttigieg announced his engagement to Chasten Glezman, a junior high school teacher, whom Buttigieg had been dating since August 2015 after meeting on the dating app Hinge.[70][71][72] They were married on June 16, 2018, in a private ceremony at the Cathedral of St. James.[73] They live in the same South Bend neighborhood where Buttigieg grew up, with their two rescue dogs, Truman and Buddy.[74]

Books

References

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  2. ^ Decker, Cathleen (January 23, 2019). "South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg running for Democratic nomination for president — would be first openly gay nominee". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved March 21, 2019 .
  3. ^ "Secretary of State : Elections Division: Election Foundation Wide". In.gov . Retrieved January 10, 2012 .
  4. ^ Burns, Alexander (January 23, 2019). "Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend, Ind., Joins Democratic 2020 Race". New York Times . Retrieved January 23, 2019 .
  5. ^ Yarvin, Jessica (February 15, 2019). "What does Pete Buttigieg believe? Where the candidate stands on 7 issues". PBS News . Retrieved March 29, 2019 .
  6. ^ Bloch, Emily (March 30, 2019). "Pete Buttigieg already has a following—but what does he stand for?". Daily Dot.
  7. ^ Schwab, Nikki (January 19, 2019). "Pete Buttigieg is first openly gay Democrat to run for president". New York Post . Retrieved January 23, 2019 .
  8. ^ Merica, Dan (January 23, 2019). "Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana, jumps into 2020 race – CNNPolitics". CNN . Retrieved January 25, 2019 .
  9. ^ Trebay, Guy (June 18, 2018). "‘Mayor Pete’ Gets Married, Then Takes His Husband to a Pride Party". The New York Times . Retrieved January 24, 2019 .
  10. ^ Buttigieg, Pete (December 17, 2016). "A letter from flyover country". Medium.
  11. ^ South Bend Tribune (October 24, 2010). "Indiana State Treasurer Name: Pete Buttigieg". southbendtribune.com.
  12. ^ Tom McNaught; John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum (May 2, 2000). "2000 Winning Essay by Peter Buttigieg". jfklibrary.org.
  13. ^ Harvard Institute of Politics (January 2012). "Public Service Fast Track Former IOP Student Advisory Committee member Peter Buttigieg '04 elected mayor of South Bend" (PDF) . harvard.edu.
  14. ^ "American Rhodes Scholars-Elect for 2005" (PDF) . Americanrhodes.org . Retrieved June 18, 2015 .
  15. ^ Harvard University Gazette (2007). "Phi Beta Kappa elects 92 seniors to Harvard chapter". harvard.edu.
  16. ^ a b Alfaro, Mariana (January 23, 2019). "Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana, launches 2020 presidential bid". Business Insider . Retrieved March 25, 2019 .
  17. ^ Ken Gewertz; Harvard University Gazette (2007). "Rhodes Scholars announced six talented students are Oxford-bound". harvard.edu.
  18. ^ University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business (March 30, 2012). "TEN YEARS HENCE: Pete Buttigieg, Mayor, City of South Bend". nd.edu.
  19. ^ https://history.house.gov/People/Detail/17117
  20. ^ https://www.nwitimes.com/news/history/famous-hoosiers/jill-long-thompson/article_cbb78b0a-4f28-5865-83eb-6afe1f76a53b.html
  21. ^ Project Vote Smart (January 13, 2014). "Pete Buttigieg's Biography". votesmart.org.
  22. ^ Arthur Foulkes (April 8, 2010). "Candidate for state office brings campaign to city". Terre Haute Tribune-Star.
  23. ^ "Learn About Pete Buttigieg for South Bend Mayor". Peteforsouthbend.com. January 1, 2012 . Retrieved December 18, 2016 .
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  27. ^ South Bend mayor back from Afghanistan deployment, Navy Times (September 26, 2014).
  28. ^ Pak, Nataly (31 January 2019). "Who is Pete Buttigieg?". ABC News . Retrieved 29 March 2019 .
  29. ^ https://southbendin.gov/official/mayor-pete-buttigieg/
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  33. ^ a b c Buckley, Madeline; Wright, Lincoln. "Judge's ruling on police wiretap tapes leaves questions unanswered". The South Bend Tribune . Retrieved July 31, 2017 .
  34. ^ Peterson, Mark. "Largest settlement yet on SB police tapes case". www.wndu.com. WNDU . Retrieved July 31, 2017 .
  35. ^ "GovFresh names Buttigieg mayor of the year". Wndu.com. January 24, 2014 . Retrieved June 18, 2015 .
  36. ^ "2013 GovFresh Awards". Govfresh.com. 2013 . Retrieved June 18, 2015 .
  37. ^ a b Bruni, Frank (June 11, 2016). "The First Gay President?". The New York Times . Retrieved July 18, 2017 .
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  39. ^ Blasko, Erin (February 28, 2013). " ' 1,000 properties in 1,000 days ' ". South Bend Tribune . Retrieved September 24, 2014 .
  40. ^ "Progress Update". City of South Bend. July 10, 2017 . Retrieved July 18, 2017 .
  41. ^ Bell, Kyle. "Mayor Buttigieg Reports Being Back on US Soil". South Bend Voice . Retrieved September 24, 2014 .
  42. ^ Bell, Kyle (November 18, 2014). "Mayor Buttigieg Announces Re-Election Bid". South Bend Voice . Retrieved November 18, 2014 .
  43. ^ Diane Daniels Annie Chang (May 20, 2015). "Pete Buttigieg winner of Democratic primary for South Bend mayor race". WSBT.com . Retrieved June 18, 2015 .
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  47. ^ a b c Pete Buttigieg, Mayor: Smart Streets will mean a more vibrant downtown South Bend, South Bend Tribune (June 16, 2017).
  48. ^ a b Chris Sikich, Pete Buttigieg says he’s mayor of a turnaround city. Here's how that claim stands up, Indianapolis Star (March 22, 2019).
  49. ^ Parrott, Jeff (December 18, 2018). "Pete Buttigieg will not seek a third term as South Bend mayor". South Bend Tribune.
  50. ^ Martin, Jonathan (January 5, 2017). "Indiana Mayor Running for D.N.C. Chairman". The New York Times . Retrieved March 18, 2019 .
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  55. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/23/us/politics/pete-buttigieg-mayor-south-bend-president.amp.html
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  57. ^ "November 13, 2015 – 2015 New Frontier Award Release" (Press release). Harvard Institute of Politics. October 28, 2015 . Retrieved July 18, 2017 .
  58. ^ Gambino, Lauren (March 23, 2019). "Pete Buttigieg for president? Long-shot stands out in crowded field". The Guardian . Retrieved March 30, 2019 . Like many of his rivals, he offers a stark contrast to the president in style and substance. Buttigieg is the son of a Maltese immigrant; a navy veteran who took leave from his civic day job to serve in Afghanistan; a Harvard-educated Rhodes scholar; a devout Christian and a polyglot and bibliophile who learned Norwegian to read books by an author in Norway whose work had not yet been translated to English.
  59. ^ Bailey, Sarah (March 29, 2019). "Evangelicals helped get Trump into the White House. Pete Buttigieg believes the religious left will get him out". The Washington Post . Retrieved March 30, 2019 .
  60. ^ Bailey, Sarah (March 29, 2019). "Evangelicals helped get Trump into the White House. Pete Buttigieg believes the religious left will get him out". The Washington Post . Retrieved March 30, 2019 .
  61. ^ Adam Wren, Pete Buttigieg Has His Eye On The Prize, Indianapolis Monthly (December 16, 2018).
  62. ^ Wallace-Wells, Benjamin (February 9, 2019). "Pete Buttigieg's Quiet Rebellion". The New Yorker . Retrieved March 21, 2019 .
  63. ^ Lemin, Jason (March 10, 2019). "Pete Buttigieg 2020: Meet the South Bend Mayor Looking to Become America's First Millennial President". Newsweek . Retrieved March 21, 2019 .
  64. ^ Theresa Seiger,Who is Pete Buttigieg? Democratic mayor joins 2020 presidential race, Cox Media Group National Content Desk (January 23, 2010).
  65. ^ Jeff Harrell, Election victors chill with guitars: Too many well-wishers force Buttigieg to miss his performance, South Bend Tribune (November 12, 2011).
  66. ^ Andrew S. Hughes, Mayor, IUSB singers earn their ovations, South Bend Tribune (February 18, 2013).
  67. ^ South Bend Symphony Orchestra concert feat. Mayor Pete Buttigieg at the Morris Performing Arts Center, South Bend Tribune (December 23, 2013).
  68. ^ Buttigieg, Pete (June 16, 2015). "South Bend Mayor: Why coming out matters". South Bend Tribune . Retrieved June 19, 2015 .
  69. ^ Blasko, Erin (June 17, 2015). "Pete Butigieg's announcement creates a buzz". South Bend Tribune . Retrieved June 19, 2015 .
  70. ^ Trebay, Guy (June 18, 2018). "Pete Buttigieg Might Be President Someday. He's Already Got the First Man". The New York Times . Retrieved April 1, 2019 .
  71. ^ "South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg announces engagement". WNDU. December 28, 2017 . Retrieved March 21, 2019 .
  72. ^ "Faculty and Staff". www.tma-el.org . Retrieved 2019-03-26 .
  73. ^ Shown, Mary (June 17, 2018). "Mayor Pete Buttigieg marries partner Chasten Glezman in downtown South Bend". South Bend Tribune . Retrieved August 21, 2018 .
  74. ^ "Meet Pete | Pete for America". www.peteforamerica.com . Retrieved 2019-03-27 .

External links

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Buttigieg