Hide Transcript Show Transcript

US MORE. POTHOLES HAVE NO PARTIES AS MAYOR OF JEFFERSON TOWN BUILDER OF WAS ELECTED IN A NONPARTISAN ELECTION. THAT MEANS CANDIDATES. DO NOT RUN AS DEMOCRATS OR REPUBLICANS AND HE THINKS METRO LOUISVILLE WOULD BENEFIT FROM THE SAME SYSTEM. WE LOOK AT WHAT WE DO LOCALLY WHETHER IT’S A POLICE OR FIRE OUR GARBAGE OR PAVING OUR AMBULANCE CARE. IT SHOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WE WORK TOGETHER ON A NONPARTISAN BASIS HOUSE BILL 605 WOULD REQUIRE LOCAL CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENTS. SUCH AS LOUISVILLE AND LEXINGTON TO HAVE NONPARTISAN ELECTIONS 416 CITIES IN THIS STATE 409 OR NINE PARTS, BUT NOT EVERYONE IS CONVINCED OPPONENTS OF THE BILL SAY THAT METRO LOUISVILLE IS NOT A TRUE CITY GOVERNMENT WITH ALL THE SUBURBAN CITIES IN JEFFERSON COUNTY. IT’S MORE LIKE A COUNTY GOVERNMENT IN A HUNDRED 19 COUNTIES. THAT THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT IS ELECTED IN A PARTISAN FASHION. NOBODY IS SAYING THAT DAVIESS COUNTY IS BEING HELD BACK A WARREN COUNTY IS BEING HELD BACK OR THAT THEY CAN’T PATCH POTHOLES BECAUSE THEIR PARTISAN LOUISVILLE METRO COUNCILMAN BILL HOLLANDER SAYS, THIS IS A DECISION. THAT SHOULD NOT BE MADE BY STATE LAWMAKERS, BUT BY THE JEFFERSON COUNTY VOTERS WHO ONCE APPROVED MERGER AND PARTISAN GOVERNMENT, I’M FINE WITH HAVING A DISCUSSION IN THE COMMUNITY A BROAD PUBLIC DISCUSSION ABOUT WHETHER A NON-PARTISAN GOVERNMENT IS BETTER THAN A PARTISAN. WHAT I’M NOT FINE FOR AND VERY MUCH OPPOSED TO IS REALLY OVERRULING WHAT THE VOTERS VOTED

Advertisement 'War on Louisville' or a pragmatic solution? Bill would require nonpartisan elections Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A bill requiring Louisville's mayoral and Metro Council elections to be nonpartisan passed out of committee Wednesday in Frankfort by an 11 to 6 vote, along party lines.Some view House Bill 605 as a way to get partisanship out of Louisville's city government, but others see it as an intrusion by state lawmakers on something that should be decided by Louisville residents.Rep. Lisa Willner, D-Louisville, said the bill evoked the "War on Louisville" of years past, in which critics accused the Republican-controlled state legislature of trying to assert control over the largely Democrat-controlled city."I'm fine with having a discussion in the community, a broad public discussion about whether a nonpartisan government is better than a partisan government," said Metro Councilman Bill Hollander, D-9. "What I'm not fine for, and very much opposed to, is really overruling what the voters voted for in 2000. I think that silences everyday Louisvillians who went to the polls in 2000 and were asked to vote for what kind of government they wanted."One of the bill's chief supporters, Jeffersontown Mayor Bill Dieruf, was elected in a nonpartisan election, although he is widely viewed as a conservative."On a local level, if we're going to move Louisville to the next tier city, we have to do it in a unified group," he said. "We merged Louisville, but we need to merge completely to where there is no lines or no divisions among us in this community."Dieruf believes elected officials who do not have to run as Democrats or Republicans are more likely to work together and come up with pragmatic, bipartisan solutions to challenges."Potholes have no parties," he said.HB 605 now goes to the House floor for a vote.