Jens Beutel (12 July 1946– 8 May 2019) was a German judge and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. A member of the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...

(SPD), he served as Oberbürgermeister (mayor) of

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...

, the state capital of

Rheinland-Pfalz Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

, from 1997 to 2011. During his tenure, the city improved especially by building projects, including the new synagogue, and new parks.

Career

Born in

Lünen Lünen is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located north of Dortmund, on both banks of the River Lippe. It is the largest town of the Unna district and part of the Ruhr Area. In 2009 a biogas plant was built to provide electric p ...

Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...

, Beutel studied law at the

University of Mainz The Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (german: Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz) is a public research university in Mainz, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany, named after the printer Johannes Gutenberg since 1946. With approximately 32,000 stu ...

from 1968 to 1976 and then served as a judge in

Frankenthal Frankenthal (Pfalz) ( pfl, Frongedahl) is a town in southwestern Germany, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. History Frankenthal was first mentioned in 772. In 1119 an Augustinian monastery was built here, the ruins of which — known, aft ...

Koblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman mili ...

and Mainz. He presided over the Mainzer Landgericht in the Worms abuse cases, which received nationwide attention. He began his political career as ' in

Mombach Mombach, with 13,875 inhabitants (Apr. 2021), is a borough in the northwest corner of Mainz, Germany. Mombach can be reached via Mainz-innenstadt (downtown) or Bundesautobahn 643. Location Mombach is located on the southern (left) bank of the ...

, a borough of Mainz, in 1974. Beutel was elected to the

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

of Mainz (''Stadtrat'') in 1989, where he focused on topics such as building, traffic, finance, commerce and sports. He became chairman of the Mainz SPD in 1995. Beutel was elected as Oberbürgermeister in 1996, the first who was elected to the position directly by the citizens. He took up the office on 3 May. During his time as mayor, a new shopping passage, a new stadium and the new synagogue were built, the Sanctuary of Isis and Magna Mater was discovered. Projects which improved the appearance of the city included a new design of the parks along the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

river, especially a garage close to the Kurfürstliches Schloss which made more park area available, the Kunsthalle as part of the former Zollhafen, the expansion of the and building along the Winterhafen. The expansion of the

Staatstheater Mainz The Staatstheater Mainz (Mainz State Theatre) is a theatre in Mainz, Germany, which is owned and operated by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Situated on the Gutenbergplatz, the complex comprises two theatres which are connected by an undergrou ...

by a modern rooftop was discussed controversially. Other projects were the expansion of the Main Station, and a redesign of the area around

Mainz Römisches Theater station Mainz Römisches Theater station is a station in the city of Mainz, the capital of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate on the Main Railway from Mainz to Frankfurt am Main. It is the most important station in the city after Mainz Hauptbahnhof ...

at the

Roman Theatre Roman theatres derive from and are part of the overall evolution of earlier Greek theatres. Indeed, much of the architectural influence the Romans came from the Greeks, and theatre structural design was no different from other buildings. However ...

. Beutel was for many years president of the , and of the International (Gutenberg Society). He was active in the

Council of European Municipalities and Regions The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) is the largest organisation of local and regional governments in Europe. Its members are 60 national associations of towns, municipalities and regions from 41 countries that are part of the ...

and in several foundations in Mainz. Beutel was re-elected for a second term as mayor in 2004. He resigned in 2011, after a 2010 court case because he had accepted an invitation to a trip to Italy by an entrepreneur without a political reason. Beutel died on 8 May 2019 aged 72.

Chess

Beutel started playing chess at age 13 and became an expert player. He managed to attract the

Chess Classic The Chess Classics were chess tournaments initiated by Hans-Walter Schmitt, they were organized in the years 1994 to 2010. Among other things, the world champions in rapid chess and - also under rapid chess time control - the world champion in Ches ...

tournament to Mainz.

Legacy

Beutel's successor

Michael Ebling Michael Ebling (born 27 January 1967) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who served as State Minister of the Interior in the government of Minister-President Malu Dreyer of Rhineland-Palatinate since 2022. From 2012 to 20 ...

(SPD) credited Beutel as a man of balance and dialogue () and a committed team player, who always emphasized the community in the city ().

Career

Chess

Legacy

See also

References

External links