Josh cooperman on Responsible Governance
The City of Louisville generally functions at a very high level. Residents consistently affirm the high quality of life that they enjoy. City staff consistently demonstrate their dedication, expertise, and excellence. The City’s government is consistently responsible, responsive, and considerate. Having lived in Louisville for nearly five years, interacted with a variety of City staff, and attended many City Council, board, and commission meetings, I can personally attest to the City’s functionality. As a City Councillor I will strive to not only maintain, but also advance this high level of functionality. The City’s vision, mission, and values will inform and shape my work as a City Councillor.
Vision
The City of Louisville is dedicated to providing a vibrant, healthy community with the best small-town atmosphere.
Mission
The City of Louisville’s commitment is to protect, preserve, and enhance the quality of life in our community.
Values
The City of Louisville values innovation, collaboration, accountability, respect, and excellence.
City Council’s Roles and REsponsibilities
City Council's role as a governmental body intimately interconnects with City Councillors' responsibilities. City Council's primary role is to make decisions on behalf of the City. City Council does not make all decisions for the City: the City's residents democratically elect City Councillors (imbuing the City Council with its decision-making powers), the City's boards and commissions make decisions in certain prescribed circumstances, and, of course, City staff make the vast majority of day-to-day decisions. Aside from such elections (except in the case of temporary appointments), City Council makes all high-level decisions for City. These decisions — ranging from policy to development to planning — inform the decisions made by the City's residents (for instance, in subsequent elections), the City's boards and commissions, and City staff.
In making decisions City Councillors have a great many responsibilities. First and foremost, City Councillors have the responsibility of representing their constituents, primarily of their respective wards and secondarily of the whole City. Such representation requires attentive and respectful listening to constituents' concerns, ideas, and perspectives. City Councillors also have the responsibility of representing business owners and visitors, again primarily in their respective wards. Equally importantly, City Councillors have the responsibility of working towards the City's mission, developed by the City's residents to advance the City's best interests, and planning for the City's future, envisioned in the City's Comprehensive Plan. As part and parcel of such work, City Councillors have the responsibility of ensuring that City staff ably and responsibly run the City, most especially, proficiently providing the services on which residents, business owners, and visitors rely. City Council must ultimately ensure that the City runs within its own means, respecting financial, staffing, and other constraints. In all decision making City Councillors also have the joint responsibilities of upholding local, state, and federal law and respecting the rights of all relevant individuals and groups. City Councillors should also consider regional, national, and global constraints and necessities, historical and socioeconomic contexts, and the wellbeing of the natural world. To ensure equitable and inclusive decision making, City Councillors should be consciously thoughtful, open-minded, and deliberative.
City Council has a further role in serving the community — residents, business owners, and visitors — beyond representing them in making decisions: City Councillors should assist community members in their interactions with the City. In this role City Councillors have the responsibility of acting as impartial intermediaries between community members and City staff, helping both parties to understand their respective positions.
The City’s Fiscal Sustainability
To continue to function at a high level, thereby realizing its vision and fulfilling its mission, the City must remain fiscally sound. As I stated above, ensuring the City’s fiscal health is one of City Council’s primary responsibilities. So crucial is this responsibility that the City’s charter and codes establish fiscal guardrails for many of City Council’s decisions. For instance, the City’s budget is required to be structurally balanced with projected expenditures not exceeding projected revenues, and certain development applications are required to have a neutral or positive projected fiscal impact on the City; crafting the City’s budget and deciding on development applications within these bounds should moreover reflect the community’s values, needs, and desires: City Council should prioritize maintaining what makes Louisville so wonderful, pursuing our aspirations and goals, and addressing local, regional, and even global needs. As private residents we must also attempt to maintain our own and our families’ fiscal health. Personally, my wife and I make fairly conservative fiscal decisions: for instance, we plan for our family’s future, we research our decisions, and we seek quality and durability. We also bring our values to bear: we attempt to minimize environmental impacts and pursue positive social impacts. I will bring this outlook to City Council.
Providing and Maintaining Core Services and Amenities
To continue to function at a high level, thereby realizing its vision and fulfilling its mission, the City must provide and maintain core services and amenities for residents, businesses, and visitors. As I stated above, ensuring such provision and maintenance is one of City Council’s crucial responsibilities. Fortunately, the City employs an adept, dedicated staff, most of whose work is directed to providing and maintaining core services, like transportation infrastructure, waste collection, and water supply, and core amenities, like open spaces, parks, and recreation facilities. In supervising City staff’s work to provide and maintain core services and amenities, City Council should again prioritize maintaining what makes Louisville so wonderful, pursuing our aspirations and goals, and addressing local, regional, and even global needs. The City’s new contract with Republic Services for waste collection with all-electric trash trucks is a shining example.
interactions with constituents
My primary relationship with constituents — residents, businesses, and visitors — will be serving as their representative on City Council, principally but not exclusively for residents of Ward 1. As their representative I will make decisions attempting to integrate their diverse perspectives while upholding local, state, and federal law and protecting the rights of all relevant individual and groups. I will interact with constituents individually, for instance, when emailing or meeting with a resident, in small groups, for instance, when hosting Ward 1 forums, and more formally, for instance, when a constituent speaks at a City Council meeting. I will be communicative about City business, respond in a timely manner to constituent’s inquires, expand forums with Ward 1 constituents, and listen intently to constituent’s comments. I will also interact with constituents as an intermediary between them and City staff. In all of these interactions, I hope that residents perceive me as being available, accessible, attentive, concerned, nonjudgmental, open-minded, respectful, responsive, and trustworthy. In serving as their representative, I hope that residents perceive me as receptive to their ideas and feedback, as an advocate for their preferences, and as constantly working to improve our City. Ultimately, I hope that residents consider me a valued neighbor and friend.