audio – 89.3 WFPL News Archive

by Sheila Ash

The two candidates for Louisville Metro Mayor met for another debate Thursday, this time at the Rotary Club’s weekly meeting. The candidates spent several minutes discussing the politics of independent candidate Jackie Green’s decision to endorse Democrat Greg Fischer.

Republican Hal Heiner says Fischer promised Green influence in Metro Government in exchange for his support.

In the debate, Fischer said Heiner has done the same thing.

“Hal you’re a hypocrite,” said Fischer. “Tom Owen released a press release at 11:30 today saying the day before Tyler Allen endorsed your campaign you met with him you promised him input into your administration, you’re now telling me that that’s bad to give people input into your administration.”

Heiner then insisted he did not promise to give Allen influence.

“Tom has shown time and time again that he’s a hard line partisan so you know it doesn’t surprise me at all that he would come out with the comments that he did today.”

The entire debate can be heard below. For more, visit The Edit.

Three candidates for mayor of Louisville met for a debate on downtown issues Friday.

The debate was sponsored by the Downtown Development Corporation and Downtown Management District. When the candidates were allowed to ask each other questions, Republican Hal Heiner asked Democrat Greg Fischer whether he would support a bond for Museum Plaza that he has criticized Heiner for voting against on the Metro Council. Heiner says the bond did not have enough protections for taxpayers.

Just yes or no,” Heiner asked Fischer. “Would you have voted for the bond that came before the council? You said you’d been watching on TV. Would you have voted for that bond in the form that it came for a vote without taxpayer protections? Just say yes or no.”

Hal, I don’t know all the details behind that,” Fischer said. “You were the guy sitting on the Metro Council, and so I can’t answer that question.”

Independent candidate Jackie Green asked Heiner a question about sustainable development he’d previously posed to Fischer. Green says both candidates are too focused on developing new land, rather than rehabilitating existing space.

Fischer later criticized Heiner’s recent call to end the JCPS student assignment plan. Heiner responded that he supports school diversity, but said student achievement should be the school board’s top priority. Independent Jackie Green said he partially agrees with Heiner.

“That is something that we as adults should be taking on rather than putting that responsibility on the narrow shoulders of our children,” said Green.

Green has previously said affordable housing should be spread across Louisville, which would make neighborhoods, and therefore schools, diverse.