Roger Parent

Roger O. Parent is an American politician who served as the 29th mayor of South Bend, Indiana.

Parent was first elected mayor of South Bend in 1979, and was reelected to a second term as mayor in 1983.

Parent was sworn-in as mayor in January of 1980.

Parent prioritized economic development. He sought to increase employment and the city's tax base by providing direct assistance to new commercial and industrial development. He also sought indirectly encourage new economic ventures by improving the city's amenities, particularly in its downtown.

Among the key projects of Parent's mayoralty was the construction of the East Race Waterway whitewater facility. The idea for this project had predated Parent's tenure as mayor, and had been supported by his predecessor Peter J. Nemeth during the later part of his tenure. Ground broke on the project in 1982, and it was opened in 1984. The project had faced fierce opposition from "Fair Tax", a small citizen's association of St. Joseph County taxpayers. The opposition particularly dealt with the municipal bond issue Parent was pushing to fund the construction of the raceway along with several other projects. Fair Tax operated an opposition effort under the name "Citizens Information Exchange". Originally asking for a $5.6 million bond issue to fund not only the waterway, but also additional projects, Parent ultimately settled for a $3.2 million bond just to fund the waterway.

Another key project he successfully championed in his first term was the construction of a $141 million dollar ethanol plant on the far west side of the city, which was designed to employ 150 people. The ethanol plant also faced opposition from "Fair Tax".

In his first term, most of his redevelopment efforts were especially focused on the east side of South Bend's downtown business district.

A key project of Parent's second term was the funding and the construction of Coveleski Stadium.

Parent had advertised the stadium as being a generator that would contribute to the development of the nearby "Studebaker Corridoor", which he argued would be key for the redevelopment city's southwest quadrant. He announced plans for the stadium in March 1985. The stadium received some notable opposition from citizens and groups, including Fair Tax. The stadium was built, despite this opposition.

As mayor, Parent believed that underutilized land at the 220 acre former site of the Studebaker's plant (located in the "Studebaker Corridor") could be a key asset in attracting new business and industry. However, this area did not see significant development during Parent's mayoralty, and would only far later see developments in the 2000s with the creation of such projects as Ignition Park.

In 1987, South Bend hosted the Special Olympics World Games in conjunction with Notre Dame, with Parent playing a role.

Parent announced he would not run for a third term in the 1987 election. Rumors arose that this decision was precipitated by controversy surrounding the construction of Coveleski Stadium, and poor internal polling results for his prospects of reelection. Parent was succeeded as mayor by Joe E. Kernan in 1988.

Parent supported Pete Buttigieg's, ultimately successful, candidacy for mayor of South Bend in 2011. Parent had endorsed Buttigieg at the start of his campaign.

For five years, ending in 2014, Parent served on the school board of the South Bend Community School Corp.