The most revealing thing an elected official can do is show which places they no longer believe are worth the effort.
That realization rarely comes from a council vote or a policy disagreement. More often, it comes from language, from the way an official explains what deserves attention and what does not.
That moment came during a conversation my wife and I had with St. Joseph County Councilwoman Amy Drake at Villa Macri’s during a Hoosier Conservative Voices event. Councilwoman Drake approached us to ask for our support in her bid to become chair of the St. Joseph County Republican Party. We took the conversation seriously, as leadership positions are earned through engagement and understanding, not assumption.
During our conversation, I raised a concern that sat close to my heart. South Bend, the county’s largest city, often feels like an afterthought within party leadership. I told Councilwoman Drake that if she wanted to lead the party, I hoped she, and the party, would be more present in South Bend and more attentive to the people who live here.
Her response was blunt.
“South Bend is a Democrat shithole,” she said,
and it was not worth the effort.
The remark was not framed as frustration with a specific policy or administration. It was presented as a settled conclusion.
While criticism is part of politics, writing off an entire city is something else. When an elected official dismisses a place so casually, they are making a judgment about the people who live there and whether those people are worth representing.
Even if one accepts the premise implied in her remark, that South Bend votes heavily Democrat (which is true), it should not be abandoned.
Even if it is a “Democrat shithole,” it is still our city.
It is our responsibility.
It is our “Democrat shithole,”
and it is worth fighting for.
South Bend is home to roughly 104,000 residents, about 38 percent of St. Joseph County’s population. Those residents pay county taxes, rely on county services, and deserve leaders who believe their city is worth the effort, regardless of how it votes.
Public office is not a license for contempt. It is a responsibility to serve communities in their full complexity, including those that struggle or vote differently.
When a council member writes off South Bend, she writes off the people who live here.
For those reasons, I do not believe Amy Drake should be re-elected.
Logan Foster
Logan Foster is the founder and editor of Redress South Bend, an independent news outlet covering local government, courts, and public institutions in South Bend and St. Joseph County, Indiana. He reports from primary documents: public records requests, court filings, state audit reports, and campaign finance disclosures. His reporting has examined city and school district payments made without competitive bidding, school board spending, and the records of candidates in county races. Redress South Bend obtained the South Bend Police Department's ShotSpotter coverage map after the department initially denied public access. The outlet is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Online News Association. Reach him at info@redresssouthbend.com
