page_title: Jerry Abramson
section_title: Mayor of Louisville Metro
hierarchical_section_title: Jerry Abramson / Mayor of Louisville Metro
caption_attribution_description: English: Louisville Metro Government, www.louisvilleky.gov. Image taken of Mayor Abramson by the Mayor's Communication Office staff with permission to use by the public.
context_page_description: Jerry Edwin Abramson is an American Democratic politician who was the 55th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky. On November 6, 2014, Governor Steve Beshear announced that Abramson would step down from his position as Lieutenant Governor to accept the job of Director of Intergovernmental Affairs in the Obama White House. He was replaced by former State Auditor Crit Luallen.
  Abramson previously served as the Mayor of Louisville for an unprecedented two decades. He was the only three-term mayor of the old city of Louisville and subsequently served two terms as the first mayor of the consolidated city-county of Louisville Metro.
  Abramson's long period of service to Louisville as its mayor, as well as the weak opposition he faced in mayoral elections, led to the local nickname of "Mayor for life", a title frequently used by Louisville's own popular radio personality Terry Meiners. Abramson's popularity resulted in Bluegrass Poll approval ratings ranging from a 91 percent high in 1990 to a 73 percent low in 1994.
  From 1993 to 1994, he was President of the United States Conference of Mayors.
context_section_description: After the merger of Louisville and Jefferson County was approved, the previous term limits no longer applied. Abramson was easily elected the first Mayor of Louisville Metro in 2002 by 73.4 percent of the vote over Republican challenger Jack Early, former mayor of Hurstbourne, Kentucky, a major suburb of Louisville.
  One of Abramson's first actions as Metro Mayor was to appoint Robert C. White Chief of the troubled Louisville Metro Police Department, the first African-American to hold the post. The move proved to be politically wise, helping to calm criticism of the department from the black community in Louisville.
  Abramson was re-elected mayor in November 2006; his opponents were Republican Metro Council member Kelly Downard and Independent Ed Springston.
  Abramson is the first person of Jewish faith to have served as mayor of Louisville. He lives in the Crescent Hill neighborhood with his wife, Madeline.
  Kentucky Monthly magazine's readers voted Abramson "Kentucky's Best" civic figure five times (2002–2006).
caption: Abramson during his tenure as Mayor
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