6/18/98

(6/19/98) Louisville Mayor Presented Public Service Award at Annual Mayors' Conference

Editor's note: Mayor Jerry Abramson of Louisville, a former President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors is scheduled to receive the Conference of Mayors Distinguished Public Service Award and the Kentucky League of Cities Wilson W. Wyatt Award at a noon luncheon PDT Saturday, June 20 in the Reno Ballroom of the Hilton Hotel in Reno, Nevada, during the 66th Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting. Following the presentations, Mayor Abramson is expected to respond with remarks outlining major changes that occurred during his tenure in office.

Press contact for the Conference of Mayors in Reno beginning Thursday, June 18, is Chip Brown. Phone: 702-328-1500 through 1503. The Washington, D.C. phone number for the Mayors Conference is 202-293-7330. A news feed satellite transmission of the ceremonies will be available Saturday at 7:00 p.m. on the following coordinates: KU-Telestar 5, Transponder 28, Downlink 12183.5.

Louisville Mayor Jerry E. Abramson will be awarded the United States Conference of Mayors Award for Distinguished Public Service and the Kentucky League of Cities Wilson W. Wyatt Award on June 20 at the organization's 66th annual meeting.

Abramson, currently completing his final year of a 13-year tenure as Mayor of Louisville, served as the 51st President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in the years 1993-94. The two awards were presented at the opening plenary luncheon before some 300 Mayors from across the country.

The award was established by the Executive Committee of the Conference and is presented to individuals for "outstanding and meritorious public service" to the nation's cities. Since 1949 only thirteen awards have been presented. The first United States Conference of Mayors Award for Distinguished Public Service was presented in 1949 by President Harry Truman to General George C. Marshall at the White House on November 25, 1949. Among the recipients has been Mayor David Lawrence of Pittsburgh, famed for launching that city's "Golden Triangle" downtown development, and Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago who served 21 years as Mayor of the Windy City.

In the second award presented to Mayor Abramson, Sylvia L. Lovely, executive director of the Kentucky League of Cities presented the Wilson W. Wyatt League of Cities Award for exemplary public service. "This award is for truly exemplary service," Ms. Lovely said in making the presentation.

In commenting on the award, current Conference President Mayor Paul Helmke of Fort Wayne said, "Jerry has been a leader both within his community and among his peers -- the nation's mayors. He understands the importance of building partnerships and coalitions, of working with the private sector. His driving enthusiasm for projects both large and small is a demonstration that positive thinking drives success. Most importantly, Jerry reminds us that a mayor, above all else, must serve as a leader and he has done that successfully both in Louisville and within our organization."

During his tenure as President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Mayor Abramson successfully championed passage of the federal crime bill and the Unfunded Mandate Reform Act. The implementation of the COPS program authorized under the crime bill was simplified and streamlined thanks to Mayor Abramson's focus on the issue. Abramson has continued to be an active leader within the Conference as a past president, and currently serves as Chair of the Youth Violence Task Force.

Locally, he has been a leader, teacher and was one the first to be called "an entrepreneurial mayor" because of his partnership in promoting the economic development of his region, which involved an alliance with not only Jefferson County, Kentucky but also neighboring Indiana counties.

For example, Abramson co-authored an historic agreement with the county which allowed for the city to share occupational taxes, thus ending in-fighting between the city and the county over where prospective businesses would be located.

Abramson laid the basis for Louisville's economic resurgence, after the city lost 30,000 manufacturing jobs in the recession of 1981-82. He expanded the airport, revitalized the downtown and the riverfront. He cleaned up the downtown and neighborhoods, planted over a million bulbs and flowers, collected over 100,000 tons of trash and established an environmental unit in 365 schools with a program called Operation Brightside. He built over 4,000 units of affordable housing and launched a public/private partnership effort to restore city parks.

His "Strategies for a Safe City" resulted in 4,202 fewer crime victims this year as compared to the same time last year, as well as a 52 percent reduction in the homicide rate and a 16 percent reduction in the overall crime rate.

Through his efforts, the Ohio River waterfront is being redeveloped with a 22-acre park, festival plaza, wharf, 11-acre great lawn and marina. A new minor league ball park, Louisville Slugger Field, will be built near the waterfront. West Main Street's historic cast-iron buildings have been restored to house cultural and fine arts attractions and museums, including a new Louisville Slugger museum and Hillerich & Bradsby bat factory. A downtown convention center is being expanded, doubling its existing space.

Jerry Abramson was first elected Mayor in 1985 by a record 73% of the vote, his approval rating never dropped below 70% and once reached over 90%, and in 1994, he became the first Mayor in the history of Louisville to be elected to a third four-year term.

The United States Conference of Mayors

J. Thomas Cochran, Executive Director
1620 Eye Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006
Telephone (202) 293-7330, FAX (202) 293-2352

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