My public career highlights and education:
Mayor Craig Greenberg is a proud Louisvillian, husband, father and entrepreneur who believes in thinking big, working hard, and making things happen. Mayor Greenberg is committed to moving Louisville in a new direction by focusing on key priorities that support the values of Louisville families, including improving public safety, making housing more affordable, creating jobs and expanding early childhood learning for 3 and 4-year-olds.
A proud graduate of Jefferson County Public Schools, the University of Michigan and Harvard Law School, Mayor Greenberg was an attorney before helping launch and lead 21c Museum Hotels. Mayor Greenberg has been married to his wife, Rachel, for 25 years and they have two sons, Daniel and Benjamin.
What I like best about public service:
Professionally, public service is the most challenging and rewarding thing I ever done. I love that I can truly make a difference in improving people’s lives in so many meaningful ways and being able to see those plans for improvements become a reality in people’s lives and in our city as a whole is very rewarding.
I love this city – this is where I was born and raised. So, to be able to implement new programs or build things like new parks or roads that will positively impact people in Louisville for generations to come is a pretty incredible and humbling experience. I ran for mayor because I wanted to lead our city in a new direction. We have incredible momentum right now, and I come to work every day focused on building an even safer, stronger and healthier Louisville.
Some of the best advice I’ve ever received:
Listening is critically important, especially in this role. Everyone is not going to agree on every issue but listening to others and trying to fully understand all sides is so important.
Also, get as much information as possible before making a decision, but it’s important to make a decision. Ultimately, paralyzing the process by not making a decision can often be worse than making the wrong decision.
Something I wish more people knew about my division of government:
When you are mayor, people think you are in charge of everything, including the weather.
While this role has enormous responsibility and the ability to make a meaningful impact on so many areas of our city government and the city at large, there are certain areas that the mayor has less impact directly over.
For example, here in Louisville, the mayor and Louisville Metro Government are a totally separate governmental entity than our public school system. However, people think they are one in the same.
That said, the quality of our public schools is critically important to the success of our city today and in the future. So, I’ve worked to find ways to partner with and support our public school system so that it can thrive, even though there is no direct responsibility.
A current project or initiative that I are working on:
My administration has been working on several new and exciting developments in Downtown Louisville, surrounding housing, work, hotels for visitors, and shopping. These projects would generate jobs, boost local business, attract new talent, create a vibrant community atmosphere, and add to the great momentum we’re experiencing right now in Downtown Louisville, showcasing the best of what our city has to offer.
Such developments include working to repurpose our Louisville Gardens, a historic arena that once hosted Muhammad Ali fights and concerts that has been vacant for decades, is now being reimagined as Louisville’s first-ever soundstage for film and television production. As Louisville’s burgeoning film industry continues to grow, the Louisville Gardens Sound Stages is a first for Kentucky and will be the perfect venue for production companies looking for a new, world-class space to make films, television shows, commercials, and more, while taking advantage of Kentucky’s new tax credits.
Another key area of focus is Louisville’s Belvedere, a gathering space for concerts, festivals, and events for more than 50 years. We are working to reinvent the space into a world-class destination that attracts people from all over the city, across the country and around the world. The new vibrant common space will showcase our riverfront and connect our community by creating something for everyone from dining to shopping or just hanging out with friends and enjoying the view.
In addition, we’re creating the Butchertown Entertainment District, located next to Louisville’s professional soccer stadium, Lynn Family Stadium. It brings together two of my administration’s most important priorities — economic development and housing. Lynn Family Stadium is a crown jewel for our city, and Butchertown is a thriving neighborhood. The project, Butchertown Apartments, will feature 200 upscale apartments designed with spacious layouts. These multi-family units will focus on comfort and convenience, providing a vibrant urban lifestyle in a prime location.
And finally, we just announced Louisville’s Diamond District, a new mixed-use development located adjacent to Louisville Slugger Field, home of our Louisville Bats Triple A minor league baseball team. This project is part of our ongoing revitalization efforts to create a more vibrant, healthy, and connected downtown by offering a mix of housing, retail, hospitality, and entertainment options. With more than 500,000 square-feet of mixed-use development, the Diamond District would be a unique destination, featuring well-residences with fantastic amenities, a full-service boutique hotel, office and meeting spaces, retail shops, a revitalized entrance to Slugger Field, and on-site parking – all steps away from the iconic downtown ballpark.
One thing outside of government service people may not know about me:
I love to spend time with family and travel when I can. For me, it’s a great way to connect, reset and learn from new experiences. Also, I love to run and be active. I find it great for my both my physical and mental health, plus it allows me to see the city in a whole new way.
The post Craig Greenberg: Leading Louisville’s future with work hard, momentum appeared first on Government Market News.