LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As 2021 comes to a close and a mayoral election in 2022 is on the horizon, WHAS11 News spoke with residents living and working in Downtown Louisville about the changes they want to see in their city.
Among their biggest concerns: public safety, public transportation, and the revitalization of Downtown Louisville.
Incumbent Mayor Greg Fischer said these are some of his top priorities as he finishes the final months of his term.
Fischer said public safety is his number one priority for 2022.
“I hope that we're going to see a significant downtrend in gun violence," he said. "Gun homicides in particular.”
Fischer said the $388 million the city is receiving in federal money in response to the pandemic will translate to more immediate action to combat crime, like community-based gun violence prevention programs.
“We need the entire community and all families to also be part of the solution,” Fischer said.
Another priority for the coming year, he said, is bringing more energy back to city streets.
Fischer said he feels for the businesses and retailers that used to rely on the lunchtime crowd. "So what we can do is everybody do their part with the vaccine, that'll get the economy back to normal as soon as possible,” he said.
The need for higher COVID vaccination levels, especially as we head into the holidays, is something Fischer calls urgent.
“We've lost almost 1,800 people in Louisville, it's frustrating," he said, referring to lives lost as a result of COVID-19. "That number could be lower if more people got vaccinated.”
But most of all, what Fischer said he's looking forward to in 2022 is spending more time with his granddaughter. He said he's expecting a second grandchild early next year.
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