LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Mayor Greg Fischer pledged yesterday to bring the same energy, innovation and commitment to his third term as when he first took office in 2011, saying he and his team “are dreaming even bigger, and will move even faster and work even harder in the days ahead.”
Delivering his third inaugural address in the rotunda of Metro Hall, which was decked in blue and filled with music by local artists Ben Sollee and Scott Moore, Mayor Fischer highlighted accomplishments of the past eight years, including 80,000 new jobs, 2,700 new businesses and $13 billion in capital investment.
“What we’re experiencing right now is a period of prosperity unlike anything we’ve seen in generations. And that’s because of our focus on innovation, globalization and entrepreneurship – and our beautiful citizenry and the thousands of companies that call Louisville home,” Mayor Fischer said.
Now, he added, it’s time to focus on equity and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to share in the city’s prosperity. “My team and I feel a fierce sense of urgency to create prosperity and possibility that reaches every home in every neighborhood,” he said.
Mayor Fischer said his team will continue work to build the city’s economy, including an even greater focus on radically growing our tech training programs and upgrading our workforce development and tech infrastructure to win even more of the jobs and talent for the future.
And he discussed plans to invest more resources on our city value of lifelong learning, including working with an expanded Cradle to Career effort to provide comprehensive wraparound support services for children and parents through schools and other community organizations, and a scholarship program giving JCPS graduates the opportunity to earn a two-year college degree or skills certificate tuition-free.
“Our children must see that we care for them,” Mayor Fischer said, adding that Cradle to Career “shows our citizens and the world that Louisville is the kind of forward-looking city that understands the critical value of lifelong learning in the 21st Century.”
Mayor Fischer noted that his team has created a 100-day action plan to kickstart the next four years, and he thanked his team, as well as business leaders and community partners, who “share our relentless optimism that tomorrow will be better than yesterday because of the work we’re doing today.”
Reiterating his team’s dedication to the three goals that have guided the city’s work since 2011 – becoming a healthier city, a city of lifelong learning, and an even more compassionate city – Mayor Fischer said, “Our victories over the past eight years have given us momentum that we have not seen in decades and fueled the determination to do even more. Now is the time to take the next great leap forward.”
The mayor’s remarks were made shortly after he was sworn into office, for his third and final term, by Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Lisabeth Hughes Abramson. University of Louisville President Dr. Neeli Bendapudi served as emcee for the Inaugural ceremony.
Louisville Metro Councilmembers and other elected officials were also sworn in for new terms of office during the special inaugural ceremony, which was paid for by private contributions.
In addition to the Mayor and members of the Metro Council, other elected officials taking the oath of office included County Attorney, County Clerk, Sheriff, Circuit Court Clerk, County Judge-Executive, Property Valuation Administrator and Coroner.
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