Democrat Greg Fischer has defeated Republican Hal Heiner in a tightly contested battle to succeed Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson.
The race appeared close throughout the evening after the polls closed with Heiner taking an early lead. But Fischer gradually pulled ahead as more precincts reported and Heiner conceded the race about 9:30 p.m. with Fischer ahead by about 4,300 votes.
Heiner is an engineer and developer whose Commerce Crossings business park in Southwest Jefferson County made him wealthy. He has served on the Louisville Metro Council since its inception under merged government in 2003.
Fischer, a businessman, ran unsuccessfully in 2008 for the U.S. Senate. He was defeated in the Democratic primary by Bruce Lunsford. Fischer and his brothers ran a family business, SerVend International, and built it into a $60 million a year operation that was sold for $200 million in 1997.
Heiner and Fischer offered voters clear choice. Heiner is an engineer and developer experienced in building office complexes and negotiating with companies to have them move into his space. Fischer is an investor and entrepreneur, whose companies have expanded to create jobs.
Both men made growing Louisville's economy and creating jobs the major theme of their campaigns, and both said that their backgrounds are best suited for the mayor's office.
But there were similarities between the two, as well. Both promised to complete the construction of a new regional library by the end of their first term, and both said they would have construction of a new East End bridge started within that first four years. Both oppose the idea of tolling Spaghetti Junction to pay for the Ohio River Bridges Project, and both opposed high tolls on the new bridges.