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right here today at 6:00. The election night results came as a surprise to Jefferson County, removing several key Republicans in Frankfort from office. But as our political reporter Isaiah Kim Martinez shows us today, it was these Republicans who raised huge funds for Louisville. In this year's state budget alone, $11 million was allocated for the Kentucky Performing Arts Center here in downtown Louisville. In many ways, it is one of the main entertainment centers in our city. And that's just a fraction of the more than $1 billion Kentucky lawmakers have poured into the city over the past two budget cycles.
Funds for the University of Louisville, food banks, pediatric therapy, as well as museums, a zoo, an orchestra, and a ballet. The question now is, will this trend continue without Louisville's two most influential Republican votes in the Kentucky legislature? Am I a little nervous about what this means for Louisville's future? Of course, yes. Longtime City Council member, Republican Kevin Cramer was shocked that state legislators Jason Nemes and Julie Rake Adams lost their races to Democratic opponents this week. Please join me in welcoming Senator Julie Rake Adams, a tireless advocate for Louisville and Kentucky During his first term, Democratic Mayor Craig Greenberg worked closely with Nemes and Adams to secure record funding for
Louisville, especially for downtown. Although the composition of the General Assembly regarding Jefferson County has changed slightly, it does not change my commitment to working with them and their colleagues. The mayor, who just this week won a second 4-year term, dismissed any concerns that the changes would make it harder for Louisville to receive major investments from the state. However, he admitted to me that he had been in contact with Kentucky House Speaker David Osborne and Senate President Robert Stivers, the state's leading Republicans, since Tuesday. I, I, I've been in touch with both of them since election night. And again, what did you tell them?
Uh, you know, it was mostly just a conversation to get a sense of the status of things and to let them know, uh, that I wanted to continue working with them. And I thanked them for what they have done to support Louisville over the past 4 years. Cramer was more forthright, saying that Greenberg's job with the state is now definitely becoming more difficult. No matter how much preliminary work the mayor does and how many conversations he has, when it comes time to make a decision, we won't be in that room. In a statement sent to WHAS 11, the Democrat who defeated Adams, Sarah Cole McIntosh, noted that Louisville is our largest city, our largest tax base and the economic engine of our state. I look forward to working with
my Senate colleagues from both parties to ensure Louisville gets the resources it needs and deserves from the General Assembly. Louisville's state funding has been approved for the next 2 years, but sooner or later the focus will shift to 2028, the next budget session. So the funding level, a billion, was a considerable gain from Frankfort. Is there a chance that this level will simply be reduced? Well, when I asked Senate President Robert Stivers about this, he essentially said that this whole situation raises questions. He did not give a clear answer. However, I will say that Kevin Cramer, a Republican city council member,
seems concerned that the results might be a bit worse without Jason Nemes or Julie Rocky Adams. He even told me that he made an offer to Mayor Craig Greenberg, essentially saying, " Listen, I'll go with you to Frankfort. Me and maybe some other Republicans on the city council will go there and try to bridge some of the divide." But you heard him say that ultimately he wouldn't be in the room when the final decisions were made in that budget session Okay, thank you very much, Isaiah. Well, what?
