As Republicans in Louisville look to pick up Metro Council seats in the South End, a Democrat is mounting a serious challenge to a Republican incumbent in the East End.
District 16 Republican Scott Reed has been in office for the past eight years. In the November election, he’ll face Matt Golden, a familiar face in Democratic politics, who has so far out-fundraised and out-spent Reed.
Both Golden and Reed are native Kentuckians. Reed is an executive at a family business, VG Reed & Sons, a commercial printing company located in west Louisville. Golden, in contrast, spent most of his career in the public sector, working in the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office for two decades before moving to former Mayor Greg Fischer’s administration as the general counsel for the bus system and head of Public Services. Golden is now the general counsel and chief strategy officer for Jewish Community of Louisville, Inc.
This will be the last local election in Louisville where candidates will have their party affiliation on the ballot. Republicans are targeting three council districts in southwest Jefferson County in the upcoming election, districts where they believe they have a real chance of unseating two Democratic incumbents. Golden could counteract Republican gains elsewhere, if he’s able to beat the two-term Republican.
On the issues
Metro Council District 16 covers the River Road corridor going east out of downtown. Its boundaries extend all the way out to Prospect and the Oldham County line.
One of the biggest development projects underway there is the new Veterans Affairs hospital near Brownsboro Road and the Watterson Expressway.
“As you can see, it’s a pretty big construction process,” Golden said during a recent interview at a coffee shop across the street. “It’s now 2 o’clock in the afternoon and traffic is already starting to pick up.”
Golden, who’s never held elected office before, has made what he calls “smart development” a focus of his campaign. Construction of the new hospital has fueled residents’ existing concerns about the viability of roads and public infrastructure in a district that’s growing rapidly.
“How are we going to get the veterans that might need services from here to some of the specialists downtown?” Golden said. “What does traffic look like for folks that are trying to get around on the Watterson? It’s just the little things that turn into big things.”
Golden said residents have told him they think the traffic patterns around the new VA weren’t well thought-out. But fixing the problem is going to be complicated.
“You’ve got local roads, state roads right there, the federal level, the interstate highway feeds right here,” Golden said, pointing to the intersection outside the construction site. “So it’s really going to take some strong advocacy to start working through those problems.”
Golden thinks he has the experience necessary to be that advocate. He said his experience as a prosecutor and public servant will give him a unique advantage as a legislator.
“At each place I got to see government working well, and in some cases room for improvement,” Golden said. “So I think that has given me an outsized role to see how things work.”
Golden’s Republican opponent sees his service in the Fischer administration differently.
In an interview with LPM News last month, Reed said many of Louisville’s current problems started with Fischer.
“To me, it’s a very distinct choice between someone who has worked in the public sector their entire life and worked for the previous administration who helped create these problems, as opposed to someone who has tried to fix the problems that they created,” Reed said.
Golden has disputed Reed’s characterization of him as a lifelong bureaucrat. Golden noted he’s been a partner at a private law firm for years.
Reed became the District 16 representative in 2016, narrowly beating entrepreneur Gill Holland by less than 700 votes. Reed ended up paying a $2,000 fine after that race for erroneously reporting his campaign’s finances. He beat Democrat James Michael Green by a larger margin in 2020, earning 12,000 votes to Green’s 9,900.
In his pitch to voters, Reed is highlighting his advocacy for transparency and fiscal responsibility. He’s also focused on support for the police department. Reed said voters in District 16 are frustrated that they don’t see patrol officers in their neighborhoods anymore.
“They don’t have the manpower to be all places at all times, but the bottom line is we have to get our numbers back,” he said. “We have to get 250, 300 officers hired.”
Reed said he strongly supported the most recent police contract, negotiated by Mayor Craig Greenberg, that gave significant raises to officers. On his campaign website, Reed also talks about how he supported Metro Council’s funding for new license plate readers and other technology that supports law enforcement.
“I think that in a nutshell,” Reed said when asked why residents should vote for him. “Plus the simple fact that we’ve got a lot accomplished in this district with regard to road projects and with regard to Locust Grove and helping them fund some of these improvements.”
But Golden said he feels Reed hasn’t used his time on the council effectively. He said it’s one of the things that motivated him to run.
“Most of the folks don’t see anything happening here,” he said. “We don’t have time for potted plants. We don’t have time for house cats. We need folks that are actually doing things in the minute.”
While campaigning, Golden and Reed have also had to solidify their positions on a proposed middle housing initiative. The plan would allow for building duplexes, fourplexes and townhomes in all of Louisville’s residential areas without a special permit, as long as they meet size, height and setback requirements.
That’s concerned officials in independent cities and homeowner’s associations across District 16, including Dan Tafel, the mayor of Rolling Hills.
“We learned about it and became really concerned, mainly [for] the rights of our existing homeowners,” he said.
The City of Rolling Fields recently formed a commission to look at ways to counteract the proposed changes to Louisville’s Land Development Code, if it’s approved by Metro Council.
“We’re going through a number of different strategies, everything from deed reform to lobbying the state to help protect our homeowners’ rights,” Tafel said.
Rolling Fields isn’t alone.
The Jefferson County League of Cities, which represents home-rule cities in Louisville Metro, recently sent a letter to council members outlining various issues they see with the middle housing plan. District 16 has the third-most independent cities of any council district.
During a recent town hall meeting, Reed said he fears small cities and HOAs won’t have the resources to fight big developers, even if a plan to build a duplex or townhome is restricted by deed.
“And, quite frankly, I’m concerned that in many of these areas it would affect home values,” Reed said. “So, as it is now, I’m opposed to it.”
Golden has also said he’s skeptical of the plan. He says he’s not sure neighborhoods designed for single family homes can take an influx of new residents.
“Moving that needle from 100 units with 100 levels of road infrastructure, street lighting, parking and you’re increasing it by 50%, can the neighborhood sustain that?” he said. “I think that’s something you have to take on a case-by-case, neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis.”
Both Golden and Reed say Louisville Metro needs to be quicker to expand roads and public infrastructure in areas like District 16, where new housing is being built oftentimes on former farmland.
The larger picture
With less than a month until Election Day, Golden is outperforming Reed in fundraising. Their most recent reports filed with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance show Golden has so far raised $92,000 for the general election compared to Reed’s $55,000.
If he wins, he would be the first Democrat to ever represent District 16. Since 2003, when the city-county merger led to the creation of Louisville Metro Council, the district's voters have always elected Republicans.
Golden has the endorsement of two prominent Kentucky Democrats: Gov. Andy Beshear and U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey of Louisville. He’s also got the support of the local chapter of the United Auto Workers union and the Jefferson County Teachers Association.
On his campaign website, Reed touts endorsements from Republican elected officials “from every sector of Kentucky government,” including Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams, state Rep. Jason Nemes and U.S. Senator Rand Paul. His campaign has also received financial support from the Louisville Apartment Association and the Greater Louisville Association of Realtors.
Defending District 16 from Democrats is a top priority for the Jefferson County Republican Party. Helping Reed win re-election is part of the party’s “Protect 4, pick up 3” plan, which aims to grow the Republican minority in Metro Council from 9 seats to 12.
Correction: A previous version of this story used an out-of-date title for Matt Golden's work at Jewish Community of Louisville, Inc.
