May primary could be last partisan race for Louisville Metro Council seats
There are 13 Louisville Metro Council seats at stake this year in a primary that could be the last of its kind. The May primary could be the last partisan race for Louisville Metro Council seats. Currently, there are 13 seats in the city, six of which will be decided in this year's primary. However, a new state law could change this, with House Bill 388 passed along party lines in the Republican-controlled statehouse. The law removes political labels from candidates on the ballot for Metro Council and the city mayor's race. If signed into law, all candidates, regardless of party, will be on the May ballot in 2026. Public safety concerns have been highlighted during a candidate forum, with several candidates emphasizing the need for safer streets for pedestrians.
Published : 4 weeks ago by Conroy Delouche in Politics
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Yard signs are in the ground and candidates are hitting the campaign trail with Democrat and Republican primaries less than six weeks away.
There are 13 Louisville Metro Council seats at stake this year in a primary that could be the last of its kind. Six of those seats will be effectively decided in this year's primary.
When the city of Louisville and Jefferson County voted to merge, the people approved partisan mayoral and council races. That means each fall, the Democratic winner would face the Republican winner, but a new state law could change that.
House Bill 388 was passed last Thursday, mostly along party lines in the Republican-controlled statehouse. The vote followed several recommendations from last year's sweeping review of city services. One of those reforms included taking the political label off of candidates on the ballot for Metro Council seats and the city mayor's race.
Louisville has elected a Democrat as mayor in every election since 1969, and Democrats have held the majority of Metro Council seats since the city-county merger.
Right now, the District 4 seat on Metro Council is represented by Jecorey Arthur, who is now an Independent. Arthur is not seeking re-election. He won election in 2020 as a Democrat, and all of the candidates running to replace him are Democrats.
The city's fourth district includes Butchertown, NuLu, parts of west Louisville and downtown. One issue that is concerning every street is public safety.
During a candidate forum Wednesday evening, Jody Dahmer emphasized the need for safer streets for pedestrians.
"But I don't want to wait for another death to actually try to increase public safety," Dahmer said. "I think that MagBar should not have been hit 13 times, and be the story to do something about it."
Other candidates, Carol Clark, Bridget Smith, and Ken Herndon emphasized the Louisville Metro Police Department and the need to hire more trustworthy officers.
"We need more police," said Clark. "We need police to show up. When you're called, come. Don't take 45 minutes. By the time you come, it's over with."
"But don't just fill them, fill them with qualified police officers that are trained to do the job, and will be respectful," Smith said. "And when they're not, and they don't do their job properly, they need to be held accountable."
"The good cops that I've worked with for two decades do not want people like that, or those named in the DOJ report, being the posterchildren for policing," Herndon said.
Candidate Stan Moore went a step beyond policing, looking to the courtroom and those behind the bench.
"Right now, we have people that are going to jail for non-violent crimes, and we're letting violent offenders go home on house arrest," said Moore. "So that falls right on the judge."
Six listed candidates were not at Wednesday's forum. They are Dennisha Rivers, Mary Hall, Demetrius McDowell, Dino Johnson, Bobbie James and Joshua Crowder.
In total, there are 11 candidates running for the District 4 seat, all of them Democrats, to represent one of the most diverse districts in the city.
District 4 is one of six districts that have all Democrats listed as candidates. If House Bill 388 is signed into law, all candidates, regardless of party, will be put on the May ballot in 2026. Then, the top two vote-getters will move on to the November election. It applies to Metro Council races and the mayor's race.
Some Democrats in Frankfort are calling the legislation a "power grab," and an attack on how the city governs.
"I'm so sorry to see so many people from outside of Louisville overriding the will of the people I represent," Rep. Lisa Willner, D-Louisville, said.
"And to me, that's a travesty to the people, voices," Rep. Al Gentry, D-Louisville, said.
But the GOP defends the move, and said nonpartisan elections were widely supported by the Bipartisan Review Commission, and puts Louisville in line with the vast majority of Kentucky cities.
"Whether you think the cities in the state should be partisan or nonpartisan is fine, but why not Louisville Metro be as the rest of the state, nonpartisan," Sen. Mike Nemes, R-Shepherdsville, said.
The bill is now sitting on Gov. Andy Beshear's desk. If the Democratic governor vetoes the legislation, there are more than enough GOP votes to override it.
If that happens, the first time voters would see nonpartisan races is 2026.
However, this November, Metro Council seats will still be Democrat versus Republican.
To read more about the bill, click here. To read the current version of the legislation, click here.