LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg shared what he's accomplished during his first year in office, and shared bold plans for the future, as he delivered his second State of the City address on Thursday.
Greenberg said the city is seeing results under his leadership, including a reported decrease in homicides, overall shootings, and carjackings.
The mayor spoke at the new Summit Wellness Center, a dedicated facility for Louisville Metro Police officers, voicing his support for the direction they're moving in. Greenberg said his administration is "embracing the challenges" alongside officers.
Greenberg touted the effort to get the wellness facility running back in October 2023. It's dedicated to police officers' mental and physical health.
"This was essential for us to change the culture of our police department as well, and make clear that my administration will embrace changes and challenges alongside our police department," he said in front of city leaders.
Greenberg also doubled down on the direction of the police chief he appointed, Jackie Gwinn-Villaroel.
"She demonstrated and continues to demonstrate that she is the right person for the job," Greenberg said as attendees stood for a standing ovation for Gwinn-Villaroel.
Watch the full address below:
Under her leadership, LMPD established the non-fatal shooting squad.
In partnership with MetroSafe and Seven Counties Services, LMPD expanded the Crisis Call Diversion Program, which allows social workers to respond to certain 911 calls to deliver the specific care that’s needed.
"Last year, this team responded to nearly 2,000 calls. And that freed up our police officers for an additional 2,000 hours they could focus on preventing violent crime," Greenberg said.
Greenberg emphasized the drop in homicide numbers under his leadership, but he also acknowledged violent crime is still too high.
Meanwhile, Louisville Urban League CEO Lyndon Pryor told WHAS11 that he understands Greenberg's praise for a police chief he selected, but says he still has his eyes set on reform.
"LMPD has had a rough time and is still undergoing a rough time. There are a lot of things that need to be fixed there, and he wants to support his officers -- completely understand that. But what we need to see as a community is him being willing to hold them accountable for the changes that need to happen," Pryor said. "We still have a consent decree agreement that's hanging out there that we need to see movement on. And we haven't seen a whole lot or heard a whole lot from his administration about that or what's going to happen."
Greenberg urged that in order to save more lives and put a stop to violence, Louisville has to have a police department that is "trusted, transparent, and well-trained."
"That means community policing where officers work with the community to prevent violent crimes. And it means that we provide our police with tools and resources that are best in class," he said.
Greenberg noted that they've also expanded their Group Violence Intervention (GVI) program.
"LMPD identifies people who are at high risk of being involved in violence as a shooter, a victim or both. We connect them with education, employment opportunities and other resources," Greenberg said. "We lay out the legal consequences they’re facing if they don’t change course. They hear from people who’ve lost a loved one to gun violence. Or who’ve been on a dangerous path but changed their own lives and now help others."
Another huge announcement Greenberg made was the push for free pre-K for every 3-and 4-year-old in Louisville. He said to make this happen, the city's new Office of Philanthropy has been working with local experts in childhood education.
The first steps in this long-term plan will be announced in the next few weeks.
"Even though I’ve only been in office for a year, sometimes people already ask me, 'What do you want your legacy to be?' That answer is easy – even though it’s something that won’t happen for 15 or 20 years. That’s when I envision the first group of students who all started off in our free pre-K program will graduate from high school," Greenberg said.
The mayor said Louisville has attracted more than $1 billion in new investments last year, with more than 2,300 jobs announced. This included the largest investment in West Louisville in more than 20 years -- Stellar Snacks.
Greenberg explained that when he became mayor it had been almost a decade since Louisville put together a "comprehensive economic strategy," so - with the help from 80 stakeholders and members of the public - they created Growing Together Louisville.
It's an economic development plan city officials plan to release in December.
The mayor said $20 million will go toward the parks, community centers, and libraries in Louisville. He added that Metro Council agreed to reopen the Parkland Library and Portland Library, and open the Fern Creek Library. In addition, next week the city will start renovations on the Algonquin Park swimming pool. Greenberg said all of this is expected to be done in the next 18 months.
"Creating and maintaining high-quality community spaces is essential for people in every part of our city," he said. "But, of course, in order for folks to really be part of our city, we need to make sure they have a place to call home."
That's why Louisville is working with community partners to create the My Louisville Home plan.
"This is an ambitious and first-of-its-kind strategy to create and preserve 15,000 affordable homes across Louisville," Greenberg said. "We’re taking action – like working to make the Affordable Housing Trust Fund a permanent revolving loan fund."
He said that Volunteers of America will be their operating partner in the Community Care Campus. Construction is expected to begin later this year, with it projected to open in 2025.
Greenberg ended his State of the City thanking everyone for their devotion to the city, and highlighted all of the major events that are scheduled this year -- like Derby 150, the PGA Championship, Bourbon and Beyond, Louder Than Life and much more.
"The state of Louisville is strong – let’s make it stronger, and safer and healthier for everyone in this city we all love," he said.
The mayor shared that after his State of the City address he received word that his mother, Ruth Greenberg, died after a "brief illness." She was 78.
The final words of his State of the City address were, "Mom, I love you."
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