LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The election is almost two years away, but the race to be Louisville's next mayor is already off and running.
Metro Council President David James threw his hat into the ring Thursday morning, making his announcement at the Teamsters 89 Union Hall on Taylor Boulevard.
“Today, I am proud to announce my candidacy for mayor for the city of Louisville,” James told a cheering group of supporters.
James promised transparency, service and leadership, and is running on a theme of unity.
“We're one Louisville,” he said. “All potholes are purple is what I always tell people.”
James has represented the Sixth District on the council for 10 years and is on his fourth term as Metro Council president. He is also a retired Louisville Metro Police officer and former president of the police union.
James said, with record levels of violence in Louisville, now is the time for a mayor with a law enforcement background.
“We've seen what it's like when we don't have one," he said.
James said he will support police, promising to push for higher pay. But he promised to also hold them accountable in the wake of the Breonna Taylor shooting and the resulting protests.
“I just got a root canal done from when the police knocked my teeth out of my mouth when I was 14,” James said. “So I understand when people talk about when we have bad police officers that do bad things to people. I know first-hand.”
It promises to be a crowded field to replace Mayor Greg Fischer, who is in his third and final term.
Social justice activist Shameka Parrish-Wright announced earlier this week on social media that she is running, “to bring the real changes, the real demands that we've been asking for all summer, all winter, and all spring.”
James was on the selection committee that recommended hiring new LMPD Chief Erika Shields, who had resigned as Atlanta's chief following a controversial police shooting.
But James said he is not committed to keeping Shields if he wins.
“Anybody that's in office right now, as one of the directors, would need to reapply for their job," he said. "Everybody."
James criticized of Fischer for what he called, "frivolous spending, such as hosting family and friends at Derby."
“This is not going to be one of my priorities, he said. “But getting your trash picked up, keeping your alleys clean, your streets paved and keeping everybody safe will be.”
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