Go Green Campaign News

Mayoral debate involves Louisville schools, other issues

By Andrea Uhde Shepherd - October 9, 2010

Three candidates for Louisville mayor turned their thoughts to a topic fitting for the location of their debate Saturday at Central High School: public education.

Central student Chania Coleman asked Democrat Greg Fischer, Republican Hal Heiner and independent Jackie Green to share their visions for improving the public education system.

“We need a comprehensive, new look” at education, Heiner said. While some schools are “shining stars,” he said, “it's time for a change.”

He said a new plan, which he said would “take resources” to accomplish, could cut class sizes for at-risk youth, as an example. While the mayor has no authority over Jefferson County Public Schools, Heiner said he could seek money from business groups and foundations and lobby Frankfort for help.

Fischer said that while the county has “a lot of great teachers,” several programs could aid the educational system, including Every 1 Knows, an initiative he outlined recently to get parents and grandparents more involved in education by encouraging employers, churches and community organizations to conduct educational sessions.

Green said money could be directed to hiring more teachers and improving the student-teacher ratio. He also said the city needs to focus more on educating parents.

“Many parents themselves lack education, and schools need to help them … so they can help their student body,” Green said.

The televised debate was sponsored by the League of Women Voters and WLKY-TV. The questions covered a wide range, including how the candidates would cultivate new employees and how they'd handle the decline in occupational tax revenue.

One topic was whether the urban services district, which offers more services, should be expanded outside the old Louisville city limits. Fischer acknowledged some residents are frustrated that services are not being expanded and said improvements can be made, such as reducing the cost of garbage pickup outside the urban district.

Green said he would like to see a referendum, with residents asked if they want more services and told what the cost would be. “Let's vote on it,” he said.

Heiner said residents can vote to join the urban services district. He said suburban areas are doing “great,” and while the district could ultimately expand, “the system we have today is working well.”

Asked what he'd do to bring fresh blood to the city's administration and cultivate new leaders, Fischer pointed to his business background.

“I'm known for building businesses by finding qualified people who treat people with dignity and have passion for life-long learning,” he said.

Heiner said his campaign is focused on “new voices, new faces.”

He said he plans to recruit workers from across the community, “representing the entire geography.”

Green said that as an independent, “I don't owe parties anything.” He said he could blend workers from both parties and “bring in other people who have not been at the table.”

The candidates also touched on making cuts because of declines in occupational tax revenue stemming from the high unemployment rate.

“We need to prioritize our spending, determine what is important and make sure those elements are covered,” Green said, adding that increased taxes “is not an issue we can take on at this point.”

Heiner said he would “focus on efficiency in this government like it has not seen” in years. For example, government should move to a more paperless system and emphasize transparency and accountability for spending, he said.

Fischer said he has experience as a businessman in reducing waste.

“The way to address these things is to increase productivity” by involving employees and citizens, he said.

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