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Over the last four years (including a year spent planning, competing and preparing for this job), I have worked hard, with a lot of help from others, to make Louisville and the Highlands a better place to live. It has been a challenging, rewarding, sometimes frustrating and deeply meaningful personal experience. It has coincided with the presidency of Donald Trump, mayoral and gubernatorial election calendars, state pension and local financial crises, the further (de-?) evolution of news and social media, and 1,052 days (and counting) in the carnival of city life.
In that time, I have stuck to the plan and am keeping the commitments I campaigned on. Additionally, I have relied on the same underlying principles to guide my responses to the unforeseen events and opportunities that present themselves, almost daily. From service requests and pilot projects to political battles and legislation, we have had many successes and, of course, some failures. Our approach has served us well and, so, we will stay the course. We have a lot of work to do yet.
Over the next year, I will continue to execute on our District 8 goals: improve streets for people; preserve and develop well-planned neighborhoods; beautify public spaces; and refresh local business corridors. I will continue to address what I see as foundational issues key to the city’s future: building Metro Council capacity; uniting separate governments; expanding community schools; turning on, tuning in and dropping out of the competitive city rat race; and seeking social and environmental justice. Finally, I will nurture and support the process of choosing the next councilperson from District 8.
To quote LBJ, I shall not seek and I will not accept the nomination of my party for another term as your councilman. And to quote George Costanza, it’s not you, it’s me. More specifically (and like everything), it’s timing. Over the last four years, also, I have wandered off the career path, let my health slip a bit and become a parent. I turn 40 next year. My family is the most important thing to me. Four more years (and 100 more newsletters!) after 2020 may be overcommitting myself, which is a risk I am not willing to take. I take this responsibility extremely seriously. I hope that much is evident.
We are on track to accomplish most of our four-year objectives. From strategic planning and keeping an informed constituency to community organizing and entrepreneurial activity, I believe we have changed the way council offices are run. On immigration, marijuana decriminalization, historic preservation, short term rentals, animal cruelty, littering and other issues, I know we have changed (and continue to change) Louisville for the better. I feel proud of our effort. What a beautiful buzz.
I could go on about my thought process but by now at least a dozen of you have moved on to thinking about your own candidacies (which is a good thing!), so let me close with this: I am here to help. I want you – and District 8 voters – to truly understand how Metro Government works, the possibilities and limitations of this office and the choices I have made. I want you to campaign on platforms that are thoughtful and imaginative but realistic and achievable. I want you to work hard and keep your promises. I want you to succeed. After all, I live here, too.
For breaking news and information, please follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. If you have a question or comment, please call me at: (502) 574-1108 or email: brandon.coan@louisvilleky.gov (and copy jasmine.weatherby@louisvilleky.gov). If you have a service request, please call Metro 311 or visit Metro 311 online. Visit the District 8 Strategic Plan page here.
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