LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – State Rep. Jerry Miller, a Republican from eastern Jefferson County, is challenging the Democratic power structure in Metro Louisville.
Miller is pushing a bill in Frankfort that Democrats have called a “power grab.”
The voters of Jefferson County have reliably chosen a Democrat to lead the merged city-county government. Miller’s bill would change the race for Louisville’s mayor to a nonpartisan contest – no “Republican” or “Democrat” on the ballot.
“After 20 years of merger, we ought to be further along than we are,” Miller explains on the latest episode of Uncovered, our news podcast.
During a lengthy conversation with WDRB.com reporter Chris Otts, Miller admitted to being “stumped” when asked why, if Jefferson County voters rejected Republicans like Hal Heiner and Angela Leet in previous mayoral races, their will shouldn’t be respected.
“I am not sure how I can answer that other than looking at examples of municipalities that function well,” Miller said, offering Lexington and its nonpartisan mayor as an example.
“… Most people just care about getting the job done, not about whether the guy or gal doing the job is a Republican or a Democrat. If I am a city resident, that’s what I want. I want my city to function. I don’t want my city to descend into chaos and have boarded up windows.”
During the conversation, Miller acknowledges that Republicans like former U.S. Rep. Anne Northrup used to have a better chance of winning in Louisville, and he says, “some of us are trying to change that.”
“I think the Republican brand has been so damaged particularly in (predominantly Black) West Louisville that it would be very difficult for a Republican to get more than 5 to 8 percent of that electorate,” he said.
Yet, Miller rejects the notion that moving to a nonpartisan mayoral race is hostile to Black voters. He says, in fact, that it might make Louisville more likely to elect its first Black mayor.
The podcast also includes comments from Democrats who are critical of Miller’s bill, HB 309. It has passed a House committee and could receive a vote on the House floor as soon as Tuesday.
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