Shameka Parrish-Wright shares ideas, criticizes Greenberg in Metro Council District 3 forum

Given a stage all to herself on Wednesday night, Louisville Metro Council District 3 candidate Shameka Parrish-Wright shared her ideas for the future of the district and the city.

This was the second of three forums hosted by the League of Women Voters of Louisville to learn more about council candidates on the ballot Nov. 7. Both Democrat Parrish-Wright and independent Gibran Crook were expected to attend the Wednesday's event at the Shawnee Library, but only Parrish-Wright was present.

She answered question after question from moderator Geneva Stark, highlighting her perspectives on policing, violence, housing, zoning and even sharing her thoughts on the Greenberg administration.

"You have a role, mayor, to manage the city," she said. "We have a role to lift the voices of all the people in the city and every community and its issues - solve their problems. That's what our tax money should be spent on, not to overinflate budgets so it comes back and then it's unrestricted. And then you use that money for whatever you want to do and your development friends and your business stuff. That's what's happening."

Parrish-Wright, the director of the grassroots organization VOCAL-KY, placed second behind Mayor Craig Greenberg in the Democratic mayoral primary last year.

Greenberg has created one budget for Louisville since being elected, and it was unanimously passed by the Metro Council in June – excluding those who abstained from voting or who were not present. It received bipartisan support.

Parrish-Wright also criticized the mayor's approach to boards and commissions, which has come under fire by current members of the council.

"I think the administration has to first stop being so defensive and be more proactive by engaging community members that are diverse – not just their friends and loved ones, but making sure we boards and commissions have people who are directly impacted so they can lead in the decision making," she said.

Greenberg spokesman Kevin Trager recently said the administration is "dedicated to improving the process going forward" and that "we are working every day to nominate well-qualified individuals who reflect the wonderful diversity of our entire community, while also ensuring that we have committed volunteers who are excited to make positive change and hold our agencies accountable."

The Mayor's Office did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment.

Parrish-Wright said that if elected, she wants to help unify the council in order to be "more supportive of the administrative side."

She also emphasized reforming the Louisville Metro Police Department.

"They actually do need help," she said. "They cannot solve all our problems no matter how much money we give them."

Parrish-Wright said she would like to see the police have more trauma training. She'd also like there to be more education about 988, the suicide prevention hotline.

One of Parrish-Wright's other passions is environmental justice, she said. She is concerned about air quality, toxins and fungus growing on people's homes that are near distilleries. If elected, she said she hopes to focus on how health outcomes in her district have been affected by various environmental factors.

Parrish-Wright also suggested more incentives for people to get solar panels, especially because she said she witnessed several people in her district who are unable to afford electricity. She is concerned these issues will persist and the number of homeless people in Louisville will continue to grow.

According to the Coalition for the Homeless, nearly 600 people were living outside in January − a 140% increase from the same period last year.

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As The Courier Journal previously reported, homeless camp clearings have increased under Greenberg's administration. Parrish-Wright also expressed concern about the clearings.

"You're playing marbles with their lives," she said.

Neither Parrish-Wright nor Crook is the incumbent. The current councilman for District 3 is Democrat Kumar Rashad, but after some confusion and a vote count flub by the Louisville Democratic Party nominating committee, Parrish-Wright secured the nomination for this November's ballot.

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: Shameka Parrish-Wright airs vision at Metro Council voters forum