A barista at Java Haute gave Brandon Sakbun an enthusiastic greeting as he walked up to the coffeeshop’s counter Thursday morning.
“Mister Mayor,” she gushed, drawing a wide smile from Sakbun.
That’s a new sound to his ears. Fewer than 48 hours earlier, Sakbun won the race for Terre Haute mayor, outpolling four-term incumbent Mayor Duke Bennett by 5,666 votes to 3,806. That’s almost 60% of the vote.
Sakbun’s victory made history. He’ll be Terre Haute’s youngest mayor ever at age 27, according to Tribune-Star research, and brings a new diversity to the office as the son of Cambodian and Jamaican immigrants.
“I think it’s a new page as the historic chapter of America continues to evolve,” Sakbun said.
The election of a young, well-spoken former U.S. Army Ranger with two Indiana University degrees as the mayor of a small Midwestern city drew statewide and national attention. Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Mike Schmuhl called Sakbun “a breath of fresh air, with so much potential” in a conference call Wednesday. Sakbun received a congratulatory phone call and an invitation to a future White House visit by Vice President Kamala Harris. National media outlets requested interviews.
In a more humble Thursday morning coffeeshop interview with this columnist, Sakbun readily acknowledged that popularity can be fleeting for a mayor.
“Not everyone’s going to be happy. I’ve come to terms with that,” Sakbun said, politely pausing the conversation each time the sounds of the Java Haute blenders arose. “But everyone should see progress.”
He officially takes office Jan. 1 at noon. When asked the difference Terre Haute residents will see by Jan. 1, 2025 — after his first year in office — Sakbun gave a practical, mayor-like response.
“I hope it’s traffic cones,” Sakbun said. “It’s traffic cones, because they’re seeing that we’re going to properly utilize our redevelopment funds, the general fund, to improve our sewage, streets, sidewalks and roads — kind of the basics. So, they’re going to be like, ‘Man, this mayor, he’s frustrating me; we always have some street closures.’ But it’s because we’re doing improvements.”
Then-Democratic mayoral candidate Brandon Sakbun walks in the Labor Day parade on Sept. 4 on Wabash Avenue.
Sakbun’s vision of that first year also includes visible steps toward big-picture goals.
“What I want to see, too, is just phenomenal branding of the city of Terre Haute,” he said. “Selling the opportunity and really seeing a lot of movement on dilapidated and condemned houses. We need to be better when it comes to these structures, and I want to make a tangible improvement in the first year in that category.”
He doesn’t yet have a target number of degraded houses his administration will remove or compel owners to repair. Addressing that problem is complex, Sakbun acknowledged. The remedies involve boosting support for the city’s building inspection and code enforcement crew; and coordinating the process with the judicial system, and offices of redevelopment and housing authority, he said.
One Hoosier city that efficiently dealt with abandoned houses and buildings has been South Bend, particularly under former Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
“Yes, it is complicated. I’m not going to dismiss that,” Sakbun said. “But when other communities do it faster than us, we can take a play out of someone else’s playbook.”
The differences that Hauteans will notice by Jan. 1, 2028 — the end of his first four-year term — are larger.
“Building bridges,” he said. “I mean that in a metaphorical statement and in an actual statement.
“I’d like to see bridges over downtown connecting the new hotels to the Convention Center, with advertisements of ‘Welcome to Terre Haute,’ ‘Welcome to Indiana State.’ Bridges connecting Third Street to the river,” Sakbun explained. “That’s kind of the physical aspect we really want to see, some of these overpasses, quite literal overpasses — everyone knows we get railroaded. But also building bridges in the community.
“We’re going to have a new president of Indiana State University,” he added. “We have a new superintendent [of Vigo County schools]. I’m a huge cheerleader and supporter of public education and want our school corporation to know, as mayor, I consider myself their partner in City Hall and will work with them, and the results of their feasibility study and the direction they would like to go. I have no problem meeting with them to make sure it’s the right plan for taxpayers but also the right plan for the community.”
The downtown district has undergone changes in the past 17 years, particularly jumpstarted during former Mayor Kevin Burke’s term when the deteriorating former Terre Haute House was demolished. Hotels, a parking garage, the Terre Haute Children’s Museum and most recently the new downtown Convention Center have altered the landscape through Bennett’s 16 years as mayor.
Sakbun sees room for improvement, especially in the downtown’s atmosphere.
“What’s lacking is the neighborhood cultural feel when you go in the downtown, like, ‘Wow, I’m in the downtown, in the city,’” Sakbun said.
“There’s definitely some buildings that could use updated. There’s definitely some developments that need to happen, for example the old school corporation building,” Sakbun added. “Honestly, I want to see blue — that’s their brand at Indiana State. I go to downtown Muncie on a gameday, it’s all red up there. I want to see blue downtown for basketball games, the cultural events that the university does, new student orientation, I want to see job fairs. I want people to know the downtown is thriving for employment, for fun, their culture looks good, and they’ve got consistent programming. Downtown festivals. And you know what? Sometimes that means we have to shut Wabash down to make a pedestrian-friendly environment. But that’s all right. I want this community to know that in the heart of our city, it’s a fun place to be, it’s a safe place to be, and it’s where you should be on a Friday night and for times supporting Indiana State University basketball.”
He’s been particularly inspired by the Terre Haute churches’ and faith community’s desire to help address the city’s entrenched addiction and poverty problems. Sakbun is energized by the input and support he’s received from both young Hautean residents, like himself, as well as the city’s senior citizens. He’s encouraged by supportive conversations with Vigo County’s three Republican commissioners.
And Sakbun’s been especially impressed by Republican Mayor Bennett’s outreach to smooth the transition from the outgoing administration to the administration of the incumbent’s Democratic successor.
Such gestures have become rare in national politics.
“I hope people across the United States see what happened in Terre Haute,” Bennett said. “Yes, there’s this new mayor; it’s so historic. No, no, no. You know what’s history? Mayor Duke Bennett going out of his way to make sure that a young mayor comes in and hits the ground running. That’s historic. That is public service. That is what politics should be, and I’m proud to stand up there with Mayor Bennett to find solutions for the city in the next 60 days before I take over, and taking that baton with him.”
That transition includes Sakbun’s call for all Hauteans with an interest in serving to submit applications to work in his administration.
“We are getting close to going public with our transition team,” Sakbun said. “It will be comprised of individuals from all backgrounds. There will be some political names on there, but there’s also going to be some financial professionals, nonprofit community leaders and it will be bipartisan. We’re in a GOP-majority state, and I am fully willing and ready to work with our Republican super-majority [in the Indiana General Assembly], so you’ll see a lot of that in there.”
He’s interested in all applicants with a background in municipal government or a similar field, or those simply ready to serve. Applicants needn’t have participated in his campaign effort, either.
Members of Bennett’s administration are welcome, too, he said.
“I encourage all current department heads to also reapply, give them a fair opportunity. By no means is it, everyone pack your bags,” Sakbun said. “We are going to look at the talent we currently have, just as much as we look at the transfer portal.”
And then, Sakbun, his team and the community will start tackling the day-to-day and long-term needs of Terre Haute. He’s confident about it all.
“It’s going to be amazing, I think, what we will accomplish in four years,” Sakbun said.
