A member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), he served as Oberbürgermeister (mayor) of Mainz, the state capital of Rheinland-Pfalz, from 1997 to 2011.

[1] Beutel was elected to the city council of Mainz (Stadtrat) in 1989,[1] where he focused on topics such as building, traffic, finance, commerce and sports.

[5] 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.

He resigned in 2011,[1] after a 2010 court case because he had accepted an invitation to a trip to Italy by an entrepreneur without a political reason.

[4][6] Beutel's successor Michael Ebling (SPD) credited Beutel as a man of balance and dialogue (Mann des Ausgleichs und des Dialogs) and a committed team player, who always emphasized the community in the city (als engagierten Teamplayer, der stets das Gemeinschaftliche in unserer Stadt betonte).