Before entering politics, Luecke was a carpenter, then an employee of a foundation focusing on affordable housing and other local issues. Luecke served as a member of the South Bend Common Council for nine years, serving as the councilman for the 1st District in the city's northwest.
Mayoralty
In January 1997, Luecke became mayor of South Bend, filling the vacancy created by the departure of Mayor Joe E. Kernan, who had become lieutenant governor. He was endorsed by Kernan to be his successor, and was thereafter appointed unanimously by the Common Council to fill the vacancy. Luecke remained mayor until 2011. A Democrat, he was the city's longest-serving mayor. Luecke was first reelected in 1999, being subsequently reelected in 2003 and 2007. In 1998, the South Street Station, a bus center, opened in downtown South Bend. The effort to build the station had begun planning in the mayoralty of Luecke's predecessor Joe Kernan. It opened without an originally-planned Amtrak station component. Luecke sought to have the Amtrak component constructed, but was unsuccessful. Highlights of Luecke's tenure as mayor included a reduction in crime in the city, urban redevelopment efforts, and the renovation of the Morris Performing Arts Center. As mayor, Luecke envisioned South Bend as a regional center for arts and culture. He took actions which had generated a growth in the offerings of entertainment and dining in the city's downtown. The Morris Performing Arts Center was renovated in 2000 under his mayoralty. Two studies conducted around 2007 had demonstrated that these efforts by Luecke were allowing the city to enjoy millions in economic spending. One of these, a study by Saint Mary's College, showed that the city-owned Morris Performing Arts Center would generate a $5.9 annual indirect economic impact, excluding its own ticket sales. By 2007, Luecke was proclaiming that the city had seen $1.3 billion in investments during his tenure. Among the infrastructure efforts undertaken during his tenure was a "smart sewer" program. This was subsequently built upon substantially by his successor Buttigieg. A major new development that the city saw during Luecke's tenure was the beginning of the first phase of Eddy Street Commons. Other projects included redevelopment along West Washington Street. The city saw the construction of a The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center during Luecke's mayoralty. Luecke is credited for having strengthened the relationship between the City of South Bend and the nearby University of Notre Dame. Under Luecke, the city made the decision that the former Studebaker plant buildings would be demolished for new use. The city put together TIF funds and federal funding to clear the site, which later became the site of the Innovation Park and Ignition Park tech parks. Luecke opted against running for what would have been a fourth full term as mayor, making the 2011 South Bend mayoral election an open race to succeed him, and the first open mayoral election in South Bend in 24 years. Luecke abstained from endorsing any candidate ahead of the Democratic primary. The race to succeed Luecke was ultimately won by Pete Buttigieg.
Post-mayoralty
From 2013 until his retirement in 2017, Luecke was the executive director of the South Bend Alumni Association, which raises money to benefit South Bend schools. In the 2019 South Bend mayoral election, Luecke endorsed his former special assistant Lynn Coleman in his, ultimately unsuccessful, bid for the Democratic nomination.
