Greg Fischer officially became Louisville’s 50th Mayor on January 3, 2011. Six months into the year, he seems to be building a reputation as a serious but approachable problem solver. It’s not easy to follow an administration formerly headed by Mayor “for life” Jerry Abramson, but, Mayor Fischer seems to be holding his own according to a number of citizens throughout Metro Louisville. Known for his accomplishments as an entrepreneur, businessman and philanthropist these attributes seem to be serving him well. He doesn’t seem to shy away from serious issues whether its facilitating a break-through on the Ohio River Bridges Project, funding the Revitalization of Sheppard Square in Smoketown, making government more transparent, improving the warning system for residents of Rubbertown or balancing the budget. He’s constantly visiting neighborhoods everywhere and soliciting input from citizens via Face book, Twitter or in person. He exudes a quiet confidence and a laid back style, but his message remains the same; education, jobs, growth in the economy and government transparency.
A graduate of Trinity High School and Vanderbilt University, the mayor truly believes that education is the key to creating the best city government in the U.S. He sees government as an investment by the citizens of metro Louisville and feels they are entitled to a better return on their investment. At a recent gathering in West Louisville’s Nia Center, the Mayor said, “The message for everybody in Louisville is that success starts in the school room, and that’s the 55,000 Degree Program. So getting through high school and at least getting a two-year certificate is key." The public private partnership is working to increase the number of people in our community with college degrees by 55,000 by the year 2020.
He adds, “The African American Leadership has agreed to take 15,000 of the 55,000 Degrees. So we’ve had great individual leadership like Ben Richmond, Kevin Cosby and some others step up from the very beginning. That’s a good first step. Now we have to begin the actualization phase so people can be identified one-by-one.” Mayor Fischer is once again rallying the community to look to the future and come together as JCPS prepares to move forward with the new leadership of Donna Hargens. The former chief academic officer for the 143,289, student Wake County Public School system in Raleigh, North Carolina, is known for being data driven and for closing the achievement gap. She will, no doubt, play a key role in the mayor’s overall strategy to reach his 55,000 Degree Goal.
The mayor also considers economic development in West Louisville, Portland and other areas as priorities. Hosea Mitchell, President & CEO, Louisville Enterprise Group said, “At this point the general consensus is that the mayor is open to new ideas and suggestions. He’s actually made several visits to West Louisville for various occasions which we are excited about and very pleased to see occurring.”
Donna McDonald, President of the West Louisville Business Association and owner of the Embroidery and Golf Gallery said, “I feel the mayor has not only reached out to the West End but to all communities. He’s taking intentional and deliberate steps to include everyone at the table in order for them to be heard.” She continued, “He makes everyone feel valued and takes the time to listen one-on-one with people. He’s definitely on the right track. In his role as mayor, we have to let him do what he believes is necessary. He’s putting the right people in place to make sure that things are inclusive. He’s striving to bring the community together and I think that will be very beneficial for the city.”
Members of the Portland community are also pleased that the mayor is approachable but remain cautiously optimistic about the future. Debra Mercer of Portland Now said, “The mayor is doing a good job of getting out and meeting with people in the community to find out firsthand what are the problems. West Louisville, Portland and Shawnee residents and businesses are concerned about vacancy rates, neighborhood deteriation and some of the practices of previous administrations where there seemed to be little help for our parks or anything else.” Mercer added, He has already helped us by getting maintenance for our parks. I look forward to working with him on the sub-standard housing issue faced by several neighborhoods, especially with what’s happening with Sheppard Square. If Mayor Fischer can make certain that poor neighborhoods are not overwhelmed with Section 8 housing and other problems affecting the quality of life of residents - that would be great. It’s a real concern for all neighborhoods, so I wish him well on dealing with the challenges and Portland Now is here to work with him.”
Businesses like Coles Limousine Service, and Bennett Photography and Video Services seem to echo Debra Mercer. Clinton Bennett, owner of Bennett Photography and video services said, “Because of my line of work I’m out in the community a great deal. I cover a lot of social and political events and he’s been practically everywhere. It’s sometimes exhausting just seeing him. I would cover two to three events a day and he would be at all of them, and he would stay at the events until it was over, not pop in and out like many other politicians. Mayor Fischer, despite his busy schedule, comes across as sensitive and genuine. Time will tell as it relates to his actual policies, but at this point he’s off to a good start.” Tamika Sloss, manager of Coles Limousine Service said, “The mayor is doing a very good job. Everyone seems to be working together and everyone likes the opportunities he’s bringing to the West End and the city as a whole. He’s not excluding anyone or their opinions. I really feel he is on the right track in bridging trust among all neighborhoods.”
On the issue of West End and Portland development, Mayor Fischer added, “There’s a significant number of signature real estate pieces in West Louisville that require a good deal of investment, infrastructure and retail. I would hope in the not to distant future that we’d have a more holistic development plan. I believe the keys to economic growth are education and investment in the community.” Mayor Fischer sees the future of Metro Louisville as promising and issued this call to service. He said, “I need help on boards and commissions. Hopefully, you can see through my administration’s transparency and diversity. So, I need people to step up. If you’re going to complain you must help me at the same time.”
Other Interesting Links:
http://www.louisvilleky.gov/Mayor/
http://www.louisvilleky.gov/Mayor/News/default.htm
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