David L. Armstrong

David L. Armstrong
David L. Armstrong
48th Mayor of Louisville
	In office; January 1, 1999 – January 5, 2003
Preceded by	Jerry Abramson
Succeeded by	Jerry Abramson
Jefferson County Judge/Executive
	In office; 1989–1999
Preceded by	Harvey I. Sloane
Succeeded by	Rebecca Jackson
44th Attorney General of Kentucky
	In office; 1984–1988
Governor	Martha Layne Collins; Wallace Wilkinson
Preceded by	Steve Beshear
Succeeded by	Frederic J. Cowan
Commonwealth's Attorney for Jefferson County, Kentucky
	In office; 1976–1983
Preceded by	Edwin Schroering
Succeeded by	Paul Richwalsky
Personal details
Born	David Lawrence Armstrong; August 6, 1941; Hope, Arkansas, U.S.
Died	June 15, 2017 (aged 75)
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	Murray State University (BA), University of Louisville (JD)
Profession	Attorney, judge, politician

David Lawrence Armstrong (August 6, 1941 – June 15, 2017) was an American politician. He served as the mayor of Louisville, Kentucky from 1999 to 2003. He was the city's last mayor before its merger with Jefferson County to form Louisville Metro.

Early life and education

Armstrong was born in Hope, Arkansas. He was raised in Madison, Indiana. He attended Hanover College, where he became a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, before graduating from Murray State University in 1966. He earned a J.D. from the University of Louisville school of law in 1969.

Early career

Following graduation Armstrong 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.

Mayor of Louisville

Prior to becoming mayor, he had served as Jefferson County Judge/Executive from 1989 until 1999. The city of Louisville 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 Louisville Glassworks. The Louisville Extreme Park, renamed in his honor in 2015, was one of his signature accomplishments as Mayor.

Armstrong's term as 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.

In 2000, Armstrong fired Police Chief Gene Sherrard, after 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 18-year-old, 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.[1]

Armstrong did not run to be the first 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.

Armstrong died on June 15, 2017.[2]

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gollark: I bet they just pick those at random.

References

"Former Louisville Mayor Dave Armstrong Has Died". WFPI. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
Shafer, Sheldon S. (June 15, 2017). "Dave Armstrong, last mayor of the old City of Louisville, dies at 75". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved June 15, 2017.

Rodriguez, Nancy (2002-12-15). "Dave Armstrong; In four years as mayor, he helped reshape downtown but was dogged by controversy". Courier-Journal. p. 1A.
FRANCIS X. CLINES, "Protesting by Angry Police Leaves Louisville Unsettled", NY Times, Section A, Page 12

Political offices
Preceded by Jerry Abramson	Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky January 1, 1999–January 5, 2003	Succeeded by Jerry Abramson (as mayor of Metro Louisville)
Legal offices
Preceded by Harvey I. Sloane	Jefferson County Judge/Executive (Kentucky) 1989–1999	Succeeded by Rebecca Jackson
Preceded by Steve Beshear	Attorney General of Kentucky 1984–1988	Succeeded by Frederic Cowan
Preceded by Edwin Schroering	Commonwealth's Attorney for Jefferson County, Kentucky 1976–1983	Succeeded by Paul Richwalsky

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[1] "Former Louisville Mayor Dave Armstrong Has Died". WFPI. Retrieved 20 November 2019.

[2] Shafer, Sheldon S. (June 15, 2017). "Dave Armstrong, last mayor of the old City of Louisville, dies at 75". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved June 15, 2017.