LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A longtime member of the Louisville Metro Council announced Thursday he will not seek reelection, which means another change to the city's legislative body.

Metro Government was formed in 2003 with Mayor Jerry Abramson with 26 councilmembers. Republican Robin Engel, who was one of those original members, announced Thursday he would not seek reelection next year.

His announcement is just the latest change on an evolving Metro Council.

At the end of last year, the city elected a new mayor, Craig Greenberg, who added two sitting members to his administration, Keisha Dorsey and former Council President David James. Outgoing Councilwoman Nicole George also joined the staff.

With resignations, retirements, and two incumbent defeats, by the time March 2023 rolled around, 10 of the 26 seats had changed in three months.

The seat for District 3 recently changed again, with Kumar Rashad departing and Shameka Parrish-Wright stepping in after winning a special election.

In recent weeks, Independent Councilman Jecorey Arthur, Democrat Pat Mulvihill, and Engel have all announced they're not running for reelection.

It's a local shakeup that's also hitting the state's capitol, Frankfort, as two state legislators eye open seats on Metro Council. That includes Democrat Josie Raymond for District 10, which includes West Buechel, Watterson Park and Camp Taylor. She announced her plans to run for the seat on Monday.

"I've been really inspired by the power of local government over the last several years, when Frankfort is not doing the things it needs to for our communities," said Raymond.

Raymond was first elected as a state representative in 2018. After re-districting, Raymond represents around 45,000 constituents in Louisville.

Republican State Rep. Kevin Bratcher, who has served in the state House since 1997, told WDRB News on Thursday that he won't run again for the Kentucky House of Representatives and plans to file paperwork next week to run for Engel's seat. 

"It's all about doing what's best for the people," he said. "It's this party stuff. I think people are getting tired of it. It's time to move on and do what's best for our communities and our state and our city of Louisville."

With the most recent announcements, by January 2025, at least half of the Metro Council will have turned over since the end of 2022.

There's still another month before the deadline to file for 2024 elections.

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