Kelly Downard
Encyclopedia
Patrick Kelly Downard is the Republican
Councilman
for the 16th District of Louisville Metro
in Kentucky
in the United States of America and served as Metro Council President from 2004 to 2005. Downard previously held the title of President of Louisville Community Development Bank, which he was appointed to by Mayor Jerry E. Abramson
. Before being appointed by Abramson, Downard (who is a Certified Public Accountant
) held the titles of President of the PNC
Mortgage Company and Senior Vice President of PNC Private Banking. In 2005, Downard filed to be a candidate in the 2006 Louisville Metro Mayor election.
He was raised in Indian Hills, Kentucky
, a suburb of Louisville, and has moved back to the area as an adult. His grandfather, C. Paul Downard, worked for a retail coal company, and served as president of the former Louisville Board of Aldermen. Downard's father, Norman, was president of a coal mining and mining equipment company, P&D Coal Mining Co. Inc.
Downard graduated from St. Xavier High School
in 1964, also graduated from the University of Dayton
School of Business Administration and earned a Master of Business Administration
from Bellarmine University
. A Roman Catholic, Downard and his wife Denise have two children.
Downard's 2006 Mayoral campaign was an underdog one, Abramson was a long-time mayor of the city and had wide name recognition, and most polls showed his approval rating at around 80%. Downard ran his campaign based on promises to improve the local economy and increase funding for public safety, saying that under Ambramson the city had slipped in both areas and was lagging behind nearby cities like Cincinnati and Indianapolis
.
Downward was defeated in the election, receiving 76,423 votes (31%) to Abramson's 164,414 (67%). Although Downward was endorsed by police officers and firefighters, the Courier-Journal reported that his message that Abramson was soft on crime and economic issues failed to reach voters, saturated by other ads of, among other things, five congressional races in the Louisville television market. Nevertheless, Downward was arguably the most serious challenger Abramson had yet faced in the mayoral race.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Councilman
Louisville Metro Council
The Louisville Metro Council is the city legislature of Louisville, Kentucky . It was formally established in January 2003 upon the merger of the former City of Louisville with Jefferson County and replaced the city's Board of Aldermen and the county's Fiscal Court .The Metro Council consists of...
for the 16th District of Louisville Metro
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
in the United States of America and served as Metro Council President from 2004 to 2005. Downard previously held the title of President of Louisville Community Development Bank, which he was appointed to by Mayor Jerry E. Abramson
Jerry E. Abramson
Jerry Edwin Abramson is a Democratic politician who is currently the Lieutenant Governor-elect of Kentucky.Abramson previously served as the longest serving Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky...
. Before being appointed by Abramson, Downard (who is a Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant is the statutory title of qualified accountants in the United States who have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and have met additional state education and experience requirements for certification as a CPA...
) held the titles of President of the PNC
PNC Financial Services
PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. is a U.S.-based financial services corporation, with assets of approximately $264.3 billion...
Mortgage Company and Senior Vice President of PNC Private Banking. In 2005, Downard filed to be a candidate in the 2006 Louisville Metro Mayor election.
He was raised in Indian Hills, Kentucky
Indian Hills, Kentucky
Indian Hills is a city in Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 2,882 at the 2000 census.Indian Hills and with the neighboring cities of Mockingbird Valley and Glenview have been considered the most prosperous suburbs of Louisville since the mid-20th...
, a suburb of Louisville, and has moved back to the area as an adult. His grandfather, C. Paul Downard, worked for a retail coal company, and served as president of the former Louisville Board of Aldermen. Downard's father, Norman, was president of a coal mining and mining equipment company, P&D Coal Mining Co. Inc.
Downard graduated from St. Xavier High School
St. Xavier High School, Louisville, Kentucky
St. Xavier High School is an all-male, Xaverian Brothers-sponsored school in Louisville, Kentucky. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville. St. Xavier, also known as St. X, was founded in 1864 by Br. Paul Van Gerwen, C.F.X. The school currently resides on Poplar Level Road...
in 1964, also graduated from the University of Dayton
University of Dayton
The University of Dayton is a private Roman Catholic university operated by the Society of Mary located in Dayton, Ohio...
School of Business Administration and earned a Master of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
from Bellarmine University
Bellarmine University
Bellarmine University is an independent, private, Catholic university in Louisville, Kentucky. The liberal arts institution opened on October 3, 1950, as Bellarmine College, established by Archbishop John A. Floersh of the Archdiocese of Louisville and named after the Cardinal Saint Robert...
. A Roman Catholic, Downard and his wife Denise have two children.
Downard's 2006 Mayoral campaign was an underdog one, Abramson was a long-time mayor of the city and had wide name recognition, and most polls showed his approval rating at around 80%. Downard ran his campaign based on promises to improve the local economy and increase funding for public safety, saying that under Ambramson the city had slipped in both areas and was lagging behind nearby cities like Cincinnati and Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
.
Downward was defeated in the election, receiving 76,423 votes (31%) to Abramson's 164,414 (67%). Although Downward was endorsed by police officers and firefighters, the Courier-Journal reported that his message that Abramson was soft on crime and economic issues failed to reach voters, saturated by other ads of, among other things, five congressional races in the Louisville television market. Nevertheless, Downward was arguably the most serious challenger Abramson had yet faced in the mayoral race.