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Volume 54, Issue 43 | wednesday, november 6, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com
James Mueller elected mayor of city Former chief of staff for Mayor Pete Buttigieg claims office with 66% of vote Tuesday By MARIAH RUSH AND SERENA ZACHARIAS Associate News Editor and News Writer
James Mueller was voted in as South Bend’s next mayor Tuesday evening, with 66% of the vote in early results. Mueller defeated the Republican candidate, Sean Haas, who is a government teacher at LaVille High School. Tuesday was a municipal election day across the country, and the city of South Bend voted for a few roles — mayor, commissioner, common council and city clerk. The mayoral election has drawn more eyes to the city than in past years because of the rise of South Bend mayor and current Democratic presidential
Kellogg faculty fellow dies Observer Staff Report
Fr. Robert S. Pelton, who was a faculty fellow in the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, died Monday, the University announced in a press release Tuesday. He was 98 years old. Pelton studied liberation theology with an emphasis in Latin American countries. He served as the founder and director of the Kellogg Institute’s Latin American/North American Church Concerns (LANACC). Peter Casarella, associate professor of theology at Notre Dame and former director of LANACC, said in the release that Pelton possessed a strong sense of dedication to Notre Dame. “His record of service sheds a lot of light on the genesis of almost all the ecclesial institutes we have around us today,” Casarella said. “From its inception, Fr. Bob see PELTON PAGE 4
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candidate Pete Buttigieg, who has strongly endorsed Mueller as his successor. Buttigieg is serving the end of his mayoral term, having been re-elected in Nov. 2015 with over 80% of the vote. Mueller, former chief of staff to Buttigieg, received 37% of the vote in the primary election in May, while Sean Haas, a former public school teacher and veteran, ran unopposed for the Republican Party. South Bend has not elected a Republican mayor since Lloyd Allen’s re-election in 1967. A South Bend native, Mueller received his bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame, triple-majoring in mathematics, history and philosophy. After earning a Ph.D in oceanography at the University of Delaware, Mueller worked almost
four years as a policy adviser on energy issues for Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. In an interview with the South Bend Tribune, Mueller said he plans on creating more opportunities for at-risk youth to make the community stronger and safer. “We must attract and support top-quality teachers, making it easier for them to buy homes and put down roots in our community,” Mueller said. “We must set up partnerships with unions and technical schools to provide skills and training opportunities. We must encourage local employers to partner with our educational institutions to design programs that meet their hiring needs, so graduates have jobs waiting for them.” Milton Lee, executive director of
Downtown South Bend, said his experience working with Mueller for the past few years solidified his decision to vote for him. “I’ve developed a professional relationship with James Mueller [that] has always been thoughtful, introspective, bright and committed to the city ... he’s moving the city forward, I don’t think there’s a better choice than him,” Lee said at Mueller’s watch party at Corby’s Irish Pub on Tuesday. Mary Jenkins, who also attended the watch party, said she has lived in South Bend most of her life and believes Mueller is the best choice for mayor because he can continue Buttigieg’s policies to reform the city. “I absolutely love Pete and what he’s done with the city, and I believe
that if he had more community support he would have been able to get much more done,” Jenkins said. “I believe that Mueller is pulling for that community support and he’s been engaging with the community, making sure he’s heard.” Both Mueller and Haas said they would prioritize addressing the city’s issues with violent crimes, which has been at the forefront of voters’ concerns. Mueller’s plan included strategies to reduce violence, strengthening relationships through community policing and improving resident participation, creating a diverse police force and reforming officer training and policies. Haas said he would highlight see MAYOR PAGE 3
Baraka Bouts to kick off matchups By ALYSA GUFFEY News Writer
The Notre Dame Women’s Boxing Club, also known as Baraka Bouts, is making final preparations for its annual three-day tournament after two months of training and fundraising. Quarterfinal matchups take place Wednesday night in Dahnke Ballroom with the semifinals and finals taking place on Nov. 11 and Nov. 17. Tickets for all three nights are see BOXING PAGE 4
Photo courtesy of Molly Giglia
Notre Dame’s all-women boxing club, Baraka Bouts, begins its 2018 training with sparring instructions. The Bouts will begin their annual tournament Wednesday in the Dahnke Ballroom.
SMC combines formal, Navy Ball By MAEVE FILBIN Saint Mary’s News Editor
Tickets for this year’s Navy Ball, scheduled for Nov. 15, went on sale in the Saint Mary’s Student Center on Tuesday. In an Oct. 11 email, the Residence Hall Student Association (RHA) announced it would not be hosting the annual fall formal, and will instead be collaborating with Student Government Association (SGA) to host the Navy Ball. The Navy Ball, a long-standing
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tradition born out of the rivalry between the Notre Dame and Navy football teams, brings Saint Mary’s students and Midshipmen together for a night of dancing and is historically hosted by SGA, senior Grace Kelly, president of RHA, said. “It was a little bit of a new project for RHA to take on, but we’re really excited about it,” Kelly said. As the Navy Ball is normally hosted by SGA, Kelly said RHA had to adjust to juggling the schedules of two executive
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student boards in planning the function. “We had to start meeting with [SGA], in addition to meeting with our own RHA executives, and [have] our formal committee meet as well,” Kelly said. “So a lot more meetings started happening … a lot of meetings and collaboration.” Kelly said the groups worked closely with director of residence life Ariel Leary, dean of students Gloria Jenkins and representatives from the Office of Student
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Involvement. Jenkins was not available for comment. This year’s Navy Ball features several new changes, Kelly said, including an increased number of tickets available to both Saint Mary’s students, their guests and Navy Midshipmen. “We have 150 [tickets] set aside for the Midshipmen,” Kelly said. After reevaluating the fire capacity for the event venue, RHA see FORMAL PAGE 4
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