The deputy mayors of Louisville, KY are senior appointees who serve directly under Mayor Craig Greenberg, each managing a cluster of city departments on the mayor’s behalf. Kentucky law requires the mayor of a consolidated local government to appoint at least one deputy mayor within seven days of taking office and to keep the position filled for the entire term.1Justia Law. Kentucky Revised Statutes 67C.105 – Qualifications, Election, Title, and Powers of Mayor Greenberg currently has four. The role carries no independent legal authority; deputy mayors handle only the duties the mayor assigns them, but in practice they function as the administration’s top operational leaders across public health, budgeting, emergency services, and development.
Who Louisville’s Deputy Mayors Are Right Now
As of late 2025, the official mayoral staff page lists four deputy mayors:2LouisvilleKY.gov. Contact the Office of Mayor Craig Greenberg
- Nicole George, Deputy Mayor for Public Health and Services, overseeing the Public Health Department, Public Works, and related agencies.
- Dana Mayton, Deputy Mayor for Operations and Budget, responsible for the Office of Management and Budget, Human Resources, and other administrative departments.
- Julie Carr, Deputy Mayor.
- Chan Kemper, Deputy Mayor.
The lineup has changed more than once since Greenberg’s inauguration in January 2023. David James originally served as Deputy Mayor for Emergency Services, leading the Louisville Fire Department, Metro Corrections, and EMS; in October 2025, Greenberg appointed him to fill a vacancy as Jefferson County Sheriff, temporarily pulling him out of the administration.3LouisvilleKY.gov. Mayor Greenberg Appoints New Sheriff and County Clerk Pat Mulloy joined in 2023 as the city’s first Deputy Mayor for Economic Development, overseeing a cabinet that included the Department of Economic Development, the Office of Housing and Community Development, and Codes and Regulations, and stepped down from that role in August 2024. Barbra Sexton Smith also served as a deputy mayor focused on strategic priorities during the administration’s early months.
What a Deputy Mayor Does
The statute is deliberately open-ended. A deputy mayor has “only the duties assigned to him or her by the mayor.”1Justia Law. Kentucky Revised Statutes 67C.105 – Qualifications, Election, Title, and Powers of Mayor In Greenberg’s administration, that assignment generally covers four kinds of work.
Department oversight is the core of the job. Each deputy mayor supervises a portfolio of city departments, reviews performance, and relays problems to the mayor before they escalate. A deputy mayor over public health, for example, coordinates between the health department, public works, and nonprofit partners delivering services on the ground.
Policy implementation is the second piece. When the mayor sets a priority on public safety, housing, or a budget target, deputy mayors translate it into operational direction for department heads and track whether agencies are actually executing.
Legislative coordination follows from that. Deputy mayors work with the Metro Council on the mayor’s budget requests and legislative priorities, attend council sessions and committee meetings, and answer questions from council members on behalf of the administration.
Finally, they stand in for the mayor at community forums, press events, and intergovernmental meetings he cannot personally attend. Much of the day-to-day work is interagency mediation. When a project spans multiple departments, such as a homelessness initiative that touches public health, housing, and police, the relevant deputy mayor is usually the person in the room forcing coordination.
What a Deputy Mayor Cannot Do
All executive and administrative power in Louisville Metro Government is vested in the mayor’s office by statute.4American Legal Publishing. Louisville Metro Code of Ordinances – 30.01 Office of the Mayor Deputy mayors operate entirely within that delegated space. They cannot independently issue executive orders, and only the mayor can sign or veto legislation passed by the Metro Council. They do routinely sign certain documents under delegated authority first granted by executive order back in 2003, but that authority can be revoked by the mayor at any time.
The scope of each portfolio can also expand, shrink, or disappear at the mayor’s discretion. When Mulloy left the economic development role in 2024, the mayor was under no obligation to refill that exact slot, and departments can be reassigned or run through a different reporting structure. A deputy mayor does not automatically become mayor if the office goes vacant; KRS 67C.105 sets out a separate procedure for filling a mayoral vacancy, and the Metro Council plays a role in it.
How Deputy Mayors Are Appointed
KRS 67C.105 governs the mechanics. The mayor must appoint a deputy mayor within seven days of being sworn in and must keep the position filled for the entire term. The deputy mayor has to meet all the same qualifications required of the mayor, serves at the mayor’s pleasure, and can be replaced for any reason.1Justia Law. Kentucky Revised Statutes 67C.105 – Qualifications, Election, Title, and Powers of Mayor Metro Council approval is not required, which separates these appointments from certain board and commission seats that do need legislative consent. Appointed officers must take the oath of office required by the Kentucky Constitution before assuming their duties.
The statute technically mandates only one deputy mayor. Louisville’s practice of appointing four or more draws on the broader staffing authority in the same statute, which allows the mayor to appoint and remove staff at will.
Why Louisville Has More Than One
Louisville Metro Government serves roughly 642,000 residents across all of Jefferson County.5United States Census Bureau. QuickFacts Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government (Balance), Kentucky It is a consolidated government, meaning the mayor inherited all powers previously held by both the old City of Louisville mayor and the Jefferson County judge-executive.4American Legal Publishing. Louisville Metro Code of Ordinances – 30.01 Office of the Mayor Splitting oversight across several deputy mayors keeps reporting lines short between department heads and the executive office rather than funneling everything through a single second-in-command. No other position in the Louisville Metro charter carries the same statutory mandate to exist.