Louisville Metro Council elections: Who's in, who's out and what's uncontested

Eleanor McCrary, Louisville Courier Journal
Updated ·6 min read

From banning the retail sales of dogs and cats to creating Louisville's first proactive lead abatement law to approving the yearly budget, the Louisville Metro Council has the power to make significant changes in the lives of Jefferson County residents.

Now Metro Council will have a major election year, with all 13 even-numbered council seats up for grabs in 2024. The primary will be May 21, with the general election Nov. 5.

As of 4 p.m. Friday, the candidate filing period has come to a close, giving residents their official list of options for a council representative from the two major political parties. Independents will only appear on the final ballot in November.

But based on those filings, there will be some significant primary elections. Several districts of Louisville only have candidates for one party running, meaning council campaigns for the two major political parties will likely ramp up in the coming months.

Here are the districts up for election, the incumbents who are not running and the races with candidates from only one political party vying for the seat.

Which districts are on the ballot?

Metro Council elections go in cycles between even- and odd-numbered council seats, and this year all the even-numbered seats are up.

Here are the even-numbered seats, where they are located and who currently represents them:

  • District 2, which includes the Newburg, Norfolk, Poplar Hills, and Buechel neighborhoods and is represented by Councilwoman Barbara Shanklin.

  • District 4, which includes Butchertown, California, Clifton Heights, Downtown, parts of Old Louisville, Parkland, Phoenix Hill, Portland, Russell and Smoketown and is represented by Councilman Jecorey Arthur.

  • District 6, which includes historic Old Louisville and is represented by Councilman Phillip Baker.

  • District 8, which encompasses the Highlands and includes parts of Bardstown Road and is represented by Councilman Ben Reno-Weber.

  • District 10, which includes parts of Petersburg, Buechel, West Buechel, Bashford Manor, Watterson Park, Audubon Ridge, Camp Taylor, Fincastle, Nightingale, Audubon Park, North Audubon, Schnitzelburg, Parkway Village, Germantown-Paristown, George Rogers Clark Park, Prestonia, and Belmar and is represented by Councilman Pat Mulvihill.

  • District 12, which includes Pleasure Ridge Park and parts of the Riverport, Valley Station and Shively neighborhoods and is represented by Councilman Rick Blackwell.

  • District 14, which includes parts of Valley Station, Pleasure Ridge Park and Kosmosdale areas and is represented by Councilwoman Cindi Fowler.

  • District 16, located in northeast Jefferson County, is currently represented by Councilman Scott Reed.

  • District 18, which includes parts of Douglass Hills, Hurstbourne, Jeffersontown, Lyndon and Anchorage and is represented by Councilwoman Marilyn Parker.

  • District 20, which includes other parts of Jeffersontown, Fern Creek, Eastwood and Fisherville and is represented by Councilman Stuart Benson.

  • District 22, which includes parts of southeast Jefferson County like Heritage Creek, Fern Creek and pieces of Jeffersontown and is represented by Councilman Robin Engel.

  • District 24, which includes portions of Highview, Fern Creek and Okolona and is represented by Councilwoman Madonna Flood.

  • District 26, which includes parts of Cambridge, Jeffersontown, Houston Acres, Lincolnshire, Meadowview Estates, Norbourne Estates and St. Matthews and is represented by Brent Ackerson.

Some geographic areas of Jefferson County are split between different council members. For example, multiple council members represent the area around Jeffersontown. Residents can find their council district by plugging their address into the Metro government's online district map.

Which current Metro Council members are not running again?

At least four current council members are not running for reelection this year: Arthur, Mulvihill, Engel and Flood.

Democrats are clamoring to win Arthur's seat, with over 10 people filed to run in the primary. Arthur won as a Democrat in the left-leaning district in 2020, making history as the youngest elected council member.

But he exited the party in 2023, switching to an independent while expressing frustrations with partisan politics.

"There was a lot of partisanship that I've noticed just being an elected official – it's such a distraction from the actual work that needs to happen," he said in August.

Months later, other officials began making announcements they would not run again in 2024.

Mulvihill said in November that he would not seek reelection after being part of the council since 2015. He currently chairs the council's Labor and Economic Development committee and is one of six members on the Charging Committee, which was created following the Ethics Commission's ruling on Councilman Anthony Piagentini.

Soon after Mulvihill's announcement, current state Rep. Josie Raymond revealed her bid for the District 10 seat he is vacating. In a surprising move, she is trying to leave state politics in favor of local government, citing a distaste for being in the minority party in Frankfort as a Democrat.

“In my time in Frankfort, Republicans banned abortion and trans healthcare for kids, attacked labor unions, and cut state revenue by dangerous levels,” Raymond said in a statement announcing her council bid. “I fought them every step of the way for the wellbeing of our neighbors. Now I'm ready to join a majority working productively to improve people's lives. After years on defense, I'm ready to play offense.”

She is running unopposed.

Engel and Flood, meanwhile, have served on the council since its inception in 2003.

Flood is the current chair of the Planning and Zoning Committee, which another council member will have to take on after December 2024.

"This has been an incredible journey serving the district and City, and I am deeply grateful for the trust and support you have shown me throughout my service," Flood said in a statement to constituents. "I encourage you to continue engaging in the political process, holding your elected officials accountable, and working together for the betterment of the community."

Engel serves as the vice chair of the Labor & Economic Development Committee, which will also need to be filled.

And in a move mirroring Raymond's, State Rep. Kevin Bratcher announced he would be running for District 22 to fill Engel's seat.

"The older I get the more interested I am on local issues such as planning and zoning," Bratcher told The Courier Journal in November.

He is running against another Republican, Robert Zoeller, and then potentially a Democrat, Rasean Crawley.

Which primaries have just one party running?

Out of the 13 seats up for grabs, six have candidate filings for just one party.

For example, there are only Democrats running in District 4. This means that whoever wins the Democratic nomination could be the only candidate on the General Election ticket, unless an independent files to run.

The other districts with just Democrats running are 2, 6, 8, 10 and 26. There is no district with only Republicans running.

And while some districts have members of one party on the ticket, their specific party identities may vary — like JP Lyninger, running for District 6, and Joshua Crowder, running for District 4 — who both label themselves as Democratic Socialists rather than just Democrats.

Still, a little under half of the seats up for election will have just one party to vote for in May.

Reach reporter Eleanor McCrary at EMcCrary@courier-journal.com or at @ellie_mccrary on X, formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville Metro Council candidates for the 2024 elections