Tuesday, 21 July 2009
Buying The Mayorship of Louisville
One day after Abramson announced he will be Beshear's Lt. Governor candidate in 2011 instead instead of seeking re-election next year and people are announcing their campaign to be the next mayor. Geesh. The body isn't even cold and the vultures are already circling. Well, I guess it HAS been a long time since Democrats could run for mayor. Below is my preliminary preview of the Democratic race.
Steve Fischer has already thrown his hat into the ring. If you recall, he was the candidate Lunsford crushed in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in 2008. He ran an inept campaign then and wasted millions of his own dollars. I expect his ego is as large as his checkbook and he will funnel a bunch of money into the race for mayor. I doubt his campaign will be any better run, but with as much money as he will spend he has to be considered a contender.
The next on the list who will undoubtedly run is Councilman Jim King. If anyone has a larger ego than Steve Fischer it is Jim King. King also has a massive pocket book upon which to draw. Considering the amount of money he funneled into his daughter's race, I expect no less for his mayorial bid. Since he has actually won a political election and has connections to the party machinery, I would have to put him as the slight favorite to win the primary.
The question about King is how much of his personal baggage becomes public. There is a reason he could never get elected in his home neighborhood and had to move to a new district to win a seat on the council. It wouldn't surprise me if Karma comes back to bite King in the butt in this race.
The wild card entry in the race would be Metro Council President David Tandy. I don't know much about him, but I doubt he has deep pockets like the other two. He has been elected and has access to the party machinery. But will he be able to raise enough money to be competitive in the race. Especially with all of the money that is likely to be spent. It will be enteresting to see if he can benefit from the inevitable mud slinging that will occur between King and Fischer.
I'll update my preview as more candidates make a final decision to run. I expect to see more wealthy Louisvillians pop up to explore running for mayor. With as much personal money as we will see in this race, I have to ask the question. How much will it cost to buy the mayorship of Louisville?
Steve Fischer has already thrown his hat into the ring. If you recall, he was the candidate Lunsford crushed in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in 2008. He ran an inept campaign then and wasted millions of his own dollars. I expect his ego is as large as his checkbook and he will funnel a bunch of money into the race for mayor. I doubt his campaign will be any better run, but with as much money as he will spend he has to be considered a contender.
The next on the list who will undoubtedly run is Councilman Jim King. If anyone has a larger ego than Steve Fischer it is Jim King. King also has a massive pocket book upon which to draw. Considering the amount of money he funneled into his daughter's race, I expect no less for his mayorial bid. Since he has actually won a political election and has connections to the party machinery, I would have to put him as the slight favorite to win the primary.
The question about King is how much of his personal baggage becomes public. There is a reason he could never get elected in his home neighborhood and had to move to a new district to win a seat on the council. It wouldn't surprise me if Karma comes back to bite King in the butt in this race.
The wild card entry in the race would be Metro Council President David Tandy. I don't know much about him, but I doubt he has deep pockets like the other two. He has been elected and has access to the party machinery. But will he be able to raise enough money to be competitive in the race. Especially with all of the money that is likely to be spent. It will be enteresting to see if he can benefit from the inevitable mud slinging that will occur between King and Fischer.
I'll update my preview as more candidates make a final decision to run. I expect to see more wealthy Louisvillians pop up to explore running for mayor. With as much personal money as we will see in this race, I have to ask the question. How much will it cost to buy the mayorship of Louisville?
Posted by at 9:21 PM in Louisville Politics
