David L. Armstrong (August 6, 1941 - June 15, 2017) is an American politician. He served as mayor of Louisville, Kentucky from 1999 to 2003. He was the last mayor of the city before the merger with Jefferson County to form Louisville Metro.
Video David L. Armstrong
Early life and education
Armstrong was born in Hope, Arkansas. He grew up in Madison, Indiana. He attended Hanover College, where he became a member of the Sigma Chi Brotherhood, before graduating from Murray State University in 1966. He earned his J.D. from the law school of the University of Louisville in 1969.
Maps David L. Armstrong
Initial career
After graduating, Armstrong worked in the public and private sectors, including a term as a family court judge and election as Jefferson County Commonwealth Lawyer, the local prosecutor. In 1983 Armstrong was elected as Kentucky Attorney General. He ran unsuccessfully to Lieutenant Governor in 1987, losing in primary Democrats to Brereton C. Jones.
Louisville Mayor
Prior to becoming a mayor, he served as Jefferson County Judge/Executive from 1989 to 1999. Louisville City was merged with Jefferson County near the end of his term; Armstrong is a supporter of the size of the ballot that led to the merger.
His tenure had some success, especially his support for the revitalization of Downtown Louisville. Some of the projects he strives for are the expansion of the medical district, the $ 111 million Marriott hotel, Fourth Street Live! and Louisville Glassworks. Louisville Extreme Park, renamed in his honor in 2015, is one of his achievements as Mayor.
The term Armstrong as mayor is characterized by some controversy. Some NBA teams are at least thought to have moved to Louisville during his tenure, but nothing has materialized. Armstrong was criticized for not exploring the possibility of a downtown arena for such a team, although Armstrong denied that he should not be expected to lure a franchise to Louisville. Nevertheless, some, including members of the city's NBA chase team, blame Armstrong for lack of leadership on this issue.
Perhaps the most important controversy was the dismissal of Chief of Police Gene Sherrard. Sherrard, unbeknownst to the mayor, has approved a bold award for two officers involved in deadly shootings with racial tones. Officers have been freed from accusations in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man, Desmond Rudolph. The shootings received praise from the African American community, but angered police officers and supporters, leading to a march in Louisville City Hall.
Armstrong did not run for Metro Louisville's first mayor, where he would become a heavy underdog for Jerry Abramson. In early 2007 Armstrong stated that he was considering a campaign for the Governor of Kentucky, though he ultimately chose not to run.
Armstrong died on June 15, 2017.
References
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Rodriguez, Nancy (2002-12-15). "Dave Armstrong: In four years as mayor, he helped rebuild the city center but was hit by controversy." Courier-Journal. p.Ã, 1A. - FRANCIS X. CLINES, "Protest by Angry Police Leaving Louisville Immovable", NY Times , Part A, Page 12
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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