Opinion | Councilwoman Amy Drake Called South Bend a “Shithole.” Here’s Why It Matters

Aerial view of downtown South Bend. Photo by Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock

Logan Foster | Redress South Bend

Jan 29, 2026

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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.