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  Armstrong, David L.
  CANDIDATE DETAILS
AffiliationDemocratic   
NameDavid L. Armstrong
Address
Louisville, Kentucky , United States
EmailNone
WebsiteNone
Born August 06, 1941
Died June 15, 2017 (76 years)
ContributorNone Entered
Last ModifedDavid
Jul 27, 2020 05:35pm
Tags
InfoDavid Love "Dave" Armstrong

David L. Armstrong (born August 6, 1941) was mayor of Louisville, Kentucky from 1999 to 2003.

Armstrong was born in Hope, Arkansas. Prior to becoming mayor, he had served as Jefferson County Judge/Executive since 1989. He was raised in Madison, Indiana and earned a J.D. from the University of Louisville school of law in 1969. Armstrong then worked in the public and private sector, including a term as a family court judge and election as Jefferson County's Commonwealth's Attorney, the local felony prosecutor. In 1983 Armstrong was elected Attorney General of Kentucky. He ran unsuccessfully for Lieutenant Governor in 1987, losing in the Democratic primary to Brereton C. Jones.

Armstrong was technically the final mayor of the City of Louisville. The city was merged with Jefferson County near the end of his term; Armstrong was a supporter of the ballot measure that brought about the merger.

His term had several successes, most notably his support for the revitalization of Downtown Louisville. Some of the projects he championed were expansions of the medical district, a $111 million Marriott hotel, Fourth Street Live! and The Glassworks. The Louisville Extreme Park was one of his signature accomplishments as Mayor.

Armstrong's term was mayor was marked by several controversies. Several NBA teams at least considered a move to Louisville during his term, but nothing materialized. Armstrong was criticized for not exploring the possibility of a downtown arena for such a team, although Armstrong rebutted that he shouldn't have been singlehandedly expected to lure a franchise to Louisville. Nevertheless, some, including members of the city's NBA pursuit team, blamed Armstrong for a lack of leadership on the issue.

Perhaps his most notable controversy was the firing of police chief Police Chief Eugene Sherrard. Sherrard, without the mayor's knowledge, had approved valor awards for two officers involved in a deadly shooting with racial overtones. The officers had been cleared of charges in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man, Desmond Rudolph. The firing won praise from the African American community, but enraged police officers and supporters, leading to a march on Louisville City Hall.

He did not run for mayor of Metro Louisville, where he would have been a heavy underdog to Jerry Abramson. In early 2007 Armstrong stated that he was considering a campaign for Governor of Kentucky, though he eventually chose not to run.

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DISCUSSION
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Encyclopedia of Arkansas  Discuss
RACES
  11/03/1998 Louisville, KY Mayor Won 75.47% (+53.57%)
  11/02/1993 Jefferson County Judge/Executive Won 72.69% (+45.39%)
  11/07/1989 Jefferson County Judge/Executive Won 58.32% (+16.65%)
  05/26/1987 KY Lt. Governor - D Primary Lost 25.91% (-7.25%)
  11/08/1983 KY Attorney General Won 67.46% (+34.92%)
  05/24/1983 KY Attorney General - D Primary Won 37.90% (+5.39%)
ENDORSEMENTS
KY Attorney General - D Primary - May 19, 2015 D Andy Beshear
KY US Senate - D Primary - May 20, 2008 D Greg Fischer
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