Democrats hope to flip Metro Council seat in eastern Jefferson County
Democrats hope to flip a Louisville Metro Council seat in eastern Jefferson County, but to do so they'll need to unseat an incumbent Republican who is a leader in the council's GOP caucus.
Democrat Matt Golden is challenging Republican Scott Reed in District 16, a wedge-shaped district between Brownsboro Road and the Ohio River that stretches from Mockingbird Valley to Prospect and Norton Commons.
Golden's background as a prosecutor could give him credibility when it comes to public safety, one of the top issues in council races in recent years, but Reed also holds seats on the council's public safety and government accountability committees.
Golden is also trying to tap into dissatisfaction with traffic, especially in the area surrounding the Brownsboro Road/Watterson Expressway intersection, where a new Veterans Administration Hospital is raising more concern about future congestion.
"I would expect him to say that, but the reality is that those are all state roads," Reed said. "The V.A. Hospital is a federal project."
Reed said he has successfully advocated for road paving, sidewalk improvement and other infrastructure improvements in the district, as well as bringing city money for amenities.
But Golden said he believes more can be done.
"We're going to have to advocate with our partners," he said. "You know, that's one thing that we haven't really known is everybody said, well, this is a state problem because this is a state road. This is a federal problem. This is a federal road. I'm not heard strong-willed advocacy for all three of those partners to come together and work to fix this, because it's all of our problem."
The district leans conservative, with 14,130 Republican voters compared to 13,009 registered Democrats.