LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In a vote Thursday night, Louisville Metro Council expressed their lack of confidence in Mayor Greg Fischer’s leadership. The council voted 22-4 in favor of an amended no-confidence resolution that lays out steps for the mayor to take in order to restore the public’s trust.
After three hours of debate, the council took a vote on a resolution that looked different than the original resolution proposed by the council's seven republicans. The amended version, proposed by Democrats, Council President David James (D-6) and Councilman Markus Winkler (D-17), did not include language urging the mayor to resign. Council voted 14-11-1 in favor of adopting the amended resolution in substitution of the resolution calling for just a vote of no confidence.
"We can choose to divide and play off of each other, or we can choose to work together to try to find a path forward that advances the needs of the city," Winkler said.
The original Republican co-sponsors of the resolution, and some democrats, maintained their positions in favor of a vote of no confidence without the language added in the amended version.
"We felt that it might- not might- it is time for the mayor to resign," Councilman Kevin Kramer, (R-11) said. "We can certainly say with a strong voice 'we are imploring you Mr. Mayor to look at the situation we're in and ask yourself is this really the direction you want us to go?'"
Here's the list of steps laid out in the resolution:
- Advance policies for social and racial equity by evaluating all policies through an equity lens.
- Champion reform by demanding action in Frankfort to address systemic racial and socioeconomic inequity in the criminal justice system.
- By 12/31/20, develop a plan/task force to address and reduce the rising rates of homicides across Jefferson County.
- Demonstrate a total commitment to transparency, through words and actions.
- Finalize the Fraternal Order of Police (“FOP”) contract by 12/31/20
- Continue to balance First Amendment rights with a focus on the protection of life and property through improved police training and response.
- Immediately develop a plan to improve communications and collaboration with the Council.
- Conduct and publish a study of Metro Government’s employee demographic make-up.
- By 12/31/20, develop a plan to significantly enhance Code Enforcement activity by prioritizing high impact areas and proactively searching for and addressing code violations versus being dependent upon resident complaints.
- Implement programs that prioritize infrastructure spending across the county by need.
- With the approval of the Council, hire a Louisville Metro Ombudsman and Community Relations Director to address online complaints, work with social and civic organizations, and collaborate with protesters to establish solutions for addressing perceived or actual injustices.
- Create and hire a director-level position within Louisville Forward with a concentration in economic development within disadvantaged or at-risk areas of the community.
"We can change mayors all day long," Councilwoman Keisha Dorsey, (D-3), said. "And the system doesn't mean anything if we keep changing the people and places and we don't change the actual space and procedures and policies."
While councilmembers voted overwhelmingly to approve the resolution, it didn't come without concerns, and push-back, even by many of those who ultimately voted in favor.
"It's simply destabilizing, and it's bad for the community, and it's bad for the city," Councilman Bill Hollander (D-9) said.
Hollander, one of the nay votes, expressed concerns with what a vote of no confidence would do to future communications and relations between any mayor and metro council. Hollander, as the budget committee chairman, also cautioned that "money doesn't grow in trees." He said many of the steps laid out in the resolution would require funds the city doesn't necessarily have.
Many council members expressed shared frustrations with the mayor's actions or decisions, but many also differed on whether or not to take a vote of no confidence.
"We shouldn't point a finger at anybody or throw stones without looking at ourselves," Councilman Brandon Coan, (D-8) said.
Other council members also had concerns with the lengthy steps laid out in the resolution.
"How dare we lay out a plan for the city and for constituents and for citizens without even having consulted those citizens to see whether or not they agree?" Councilwoman Jessica Green (D-1) said.
The resolution is merely symbolic and does not take any actions to remove the mayor from office. It does state, however, if the mayor does not take the steps laid out, council will take some kind of action. Several council members, though, took issue with what they said is a lack of accountability or repercussions for the mayor if he does not comply with the steps for trust laid out in the resolution.
"We're now putting the responsibility of that list that Councilman Winkler created on us to see that it gets done and when it doesn't it's on us," Councilman James Peden, (R-23) said.
Following the vote, Mayor Fischer released a video response with an apology. He said this year has brought several challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, increased violent crime and response to protesters.
“Tonight, Metro Council voiced its displeasure about how I have handled some of those challenges. With the benefit of hindsight, I see that given the choice of two difficult paths, I’ve sometimes taken the wrong one. I sometimes failed to recognize quickly enough where changes needed to be made,” the mayor said in part. "I apologize for all of this because what’s also clear is this, we have enormous challenges ahead and to move forward we need to pull together, and we must work together in both good times and tough times like these."
The mayor also addressed several of the steps laid out in the council's resolution, saying some of them are already underway. He points to changes in LMPD policies and procedures and the top-to-bottom review of LMPD currently ongoing.
"But the work needed goes beyond public safety. We must invest more in affordable housing and our youth and work tenaciously and tirelessly to close the racial gaps in wealth, educational and opportunity in our city," he said. This work requires a substantial financial commitment and unwavering focus and it requires that we are all in, my team, Metro Council, our community partners and our constituents."
"Tonight, I ask council and our community as a whole, lets come together and seize this moment. Let’s show the world what we already know. That we have the combination of wisdom, courage and compassion to be that community that takes itself from tragedy to transformation."
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