City Council appoints Bierman to Ward 1 seat
After a long discussion from Louisville City Council and many public comments, councilmembers voted 5-1 to appoint Tim Bierman to fill the Ward 1 vacant seat Tuesday.
The vote took place after the Camera’s print deadline on Tuesday.
The Tuesday vote was informal, and the council will once again vote to appoint Bierman to the Ward 1 Council seat during the Feb. 6 meeting.
The vacancy was created after Chris Leh was elected as mayor, leaving his previous Ward 1 representative seat empty.
Councilmember Judi Kern said that the amount of support Bierman has testifies to how engaged and involved he is with the community. Bierman had more than 40 public comment emails supporting him attached to the Tuesday meeting agenda.
The rest of the council agreed that Bierman was very involved and has great interpersonal skills which will be useful as a council member.
The council also spoke positively of the other two candidates, Gordon Madonna and Josh Cooper, stating that Madonna’s history in the city was a great strength and that Cooperman’s unwavering support of sustainability and helping to combat the climate crisis would make him a valuable asset.
“These were three really solid, amazing Louisville residents,” Kern said.
The one vote not in favor of Bierman was for Cooperman. The votes were cast anonymously.
Councilmember Caleb Dickinson said that the process of the council appointing someone to the vacant seat is “imperfect,” but Bierman will hold the seat until the November elections when residents can elect someone to the seat.