LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Kentucky state lawmaker wants to overhaul the way Louisville Metro Government operates and the way it elects a mayor.
Republican Rep. Jerry T. Miller, who is former Metro Councilman, said the city’s recent issues, including protests over racial injustice, the turmoil within LMPD, and spiraling violence signal time for change.
“It's time, I think, we re-look at Louisville, some of the issues in Louisville Metro,” Miller said. “And a lot of it comes back to the mayor's office.”
Miller's House Bill 309 would bring sweeping changes to Louisville's Metro Government. It would give Metro Council more authority and oversight over the mayor's office.
“There's a definite imbalance of power,” Miller said.
The bill would require the council to sign off on settlements and contracts, including labor contracts, and also make it easier for the council to remove a mayor from office.
“We need more legislative oversight, ways to hold people accountable, more transparency,” Miller said.
Metro Council President Pro tem Markus Winkler said those kinds of changes should not be coming from Frankfort.
“I think one person trying to change that for 750,000 people is wrong,” he said. “Ultimately, I think that decision is the voters' decision, and trying to meddle from the outside, I think, is just bad practice.”
The bill would also make the mayor's race non-partisan. The candidates would not be labeled either Republican or Democratic. There would be an open primary, and the top two finishers would face off in the fall.
“There's no reason that operations of a city should be a partisan issue,” Miller said.
Senate Democratic Floor Leader Morgan McGarvey said he hopes Republicans in Frankfort are not just trying to disrupt a Louisville government dominated by Democrats.
“My hope is that this is not a partisan bill and the Republicans here in the legislature aren't trying to change the way things work here," McGarvey said. "Because they can't do it at the council level.”
Miller said he's gotten input from business and civic leaders in Louisville, and now it's just time to do something different.
“How do we get past what we've gone through in the last year in Louisville and take our city to another level?” Miller said.
Rep. Jerry T. Miller (R) Eastwood
HB 309 would also establish a system for Louisville’s Civilian Review Board to subpoena witnesses through Metro Council. The board investigates allegations of police misconduct.
In a statement, Mayor Greg Fischer’s spokesperson Jean Porter said:
“We appreciate the work that Rep. Miller and others in the Louisville delegation have put into empowering our Civilian Review Board and Office of Inspector General with subpoena powers. This legislation rightly acknowledges the need for a strong Civilian Review Board with investigatory powers, but we have concerns about the additional layers of bureaucracy this proposal would require.
“We are disappointed this legislation does not address the gag order repeal for pending police disciplinary cases. Fueling some of the unrest last summer were concerns stemming from a state law that forbids city officials from commenting on police disciplinary actions.”
Porter went on to say the legislation, “erodes the spirit of our city-county merger by attempting to make our elections nonpartisan.”
Miller believes his bill has a good chance of passage and that Louisville residents would embrace the change.
“Think back over the last ten months and ask yourself: ‘Is it time for some significant changes in the power dynamic in Louisville?’” he said.
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