LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In the crowded race for Louisville mayor, Timothy Findley Jr. says he’s the candidate with the ability to connect with the community. 

What You Need To Know

  • Timothy Findley Jr. is seeking the Democratic nomination for mayor of Louisville

  • Findley is the senior pastor of Kingdom Fellowship Christian Life Center and an activist

  • The primary is May 17

  • If elected, Findley would become Louisville’s first Black mayor

 

“I’m one that’s coming as a community member who has walked, walked in the path of many Louisvillians, and who wants to do practical things to uplift everyone in the city,” Findley said, sitting in the sanctuary of Kingdom Fellowship Christian Life Center where he is senior pastor.

From joyous weddings to standing at a hospital bed as someone takes their last breath, Findley celebrates his congregation’s greatest moments and is there during their darkest hours. It’s a level of personal connection he believes is missing from Metro Hall, as he looks to be the city’s next leader. Findley is seeking the Democratic nomination to become Louisville’s next mayor. He’s never held an elected office, but he says the work he does every day as a local faith leader has prepared him for the job. 

“We need someone right now who loves people, who loves the city, and is not simply angling for their next big resume point,” Findley said. 

Findley, who grew up in Newburg, says Louisville’s neighborhoods need to be more equitable. In order for that to happen, he says the city’s future mayor needs to address what he calls “false narratives” about things like affordable housing. 

“All across the city, we’ve got to stop picking and choosing the areas that we think deserve to be treated correctly and treated equitably,” Findley said. “We don’t just have an affordable housing issue. We have a segregation issue. And as much as we want to put affordable housing everywhere, there are communities in Louisville that don’t want affordable housing because they think affordable housing is synonymous with higher crime, which is not the case.”

Fighting crime, particularly gun violence, is personal for Findley, who says he’s done too many funerals of young people killed in shootings. Some of his opponents say the solution to gun violence is dedicating more funding for the Louisville Metro Police Department budget, but Findley, who was a prominent voice during Louisville’s social justice protests, believes that money should go elsewhere. 

“I think we need to invest in neighborhoods. I think we need to invest in young people [...] into programs and things that are going to lift up families. I think there is such a lack of hope that young people are dealing with today,” Findley said. “We need leaders who understand that maybe we’re not going to police our way out of this.”

Findley founded the Justice and Freedom Coalition, which works with communities of color and economically disadvantaged communities to defend and advance their political, social and economic rights through the combination of legal advocacy, research, organizing and communications. He previously served as a faith-based liaison for Metro Government’s Office of Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods and was a member of Gov. Andy Beshear’s Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Transition Team. 

The primary is May 17. Findley is one of eight candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for mayor in Louisville, while four people will appear on the Republican ballot. The winner of the general election in November will replace Mayor Greg Fischer, who is term-limited. If elected, Findley would become the first Black mayor of Louisville. 

“Our city is ready to move on and do something that we’ve never done before. That’s why I don’t shy away from the fact that I’m running to be the first black mayor,” Findley said. “That’s not divisive, — that’s a fact, and I believe that our city is ready for that.”