LOUISVILLE, KY April 9, 2024 – Kentucky’s General Assembly created the West End Opportunity Partnership in 2021 to support economic revitalization in West Louisville. The Board is composed of institutional representatives and representatives from each of the nine neighborhoods in West Louisville. All Board members are peers – with the same duties and obligations. Since The Partnership’s inception, the twenty-one (21) member board has dedicated itself to accomplishing its objectives by working cooperatively, on the principle of peer equality.
In September 2023, the Board Development Committee proposed a revised process for identifying new members listed under KRS 65.503(f)(1). Our governing statute’s (KRS 65.503(4) requirement for “self -perpetuation” of Board appointments necessitated the proposal. That is, after the terms of service of the first round of appointees in the subject category, some of whom were appointed to the Board by the Governor, the Board must design a process by describing how such appointments will be made going forward. By a vote of ten (10) to two (2), the full Board adopted the revised process put forward by the Board Development Committee, and this new process was inserted into The Partnership’s Bylaws pursuant to the Board’s vote and were revised accordingly
This new board process mirrors the process adopted by the Board for determining how neighborhood representatives would be selected, requiring at least two nominees for the appropriate categories of institutional designees. Having a process that is equitable and honors the decision-making authority of the Board regarding nominations and elections is fundamentally necessary in maintaining equity, confidence, the integrity of the decision-making process, and it ensures a consistently high-performing and credible organization.
As in any other organization grounded by governing bylaws, no member is exempt from compliance. That would be inequitable, inconsistent, and undermine the integrity of the board. All member’s primary responsibility is to abide by the organization’s bylaws and rules. The inaccurate assertion of privilege by any board member not only is inconsistent with board policy, but diverts the Board’s attention from the Partnership’s mission. If not addressed, it will establish a privileged subset of Board members, undermining the original intent of a peer-based Board structure outlined in the statute. This, if established as a precedent, compromises the Partnership’s credibility and effectiveness. If unaddressed, it leaves the Board vulnerable to the influence of a few members, thereby compromising its peer-based integrity.
We appreciate the confidence the General Assembly has placed in West Louisville and the West End Opportunity Partnership Board by voting to codify this board-approved policy. We encourage the House and Senate to affirm their vote for SB 259.
About The West End Opportunity Partnership:
The West End Opportunity Partnership is a nonprofit, public entity established in 2021 by the Kentucky General Assembly to operate with 21 voting members who will manage financial resources for a newly created West Louisville Tax Increment Financing district.
https://westendpartner.wpenginepowered.com
Press Contacts:
Laura Douglas
President and CEO, West End Opportunity Partnership
[email protected]
LOUISVILLE, KY – July 7, 2022 – Laura M. Douglas has been named as the West End Opportunity Partnership (WEOP) Interim President/CEO beginning June 27, 2022. Ms. Douglas will oversee the day-to-day management of the organization and assist the board with a national search to identify a permanent President/CEO.
Ms. Douglas is a highly respected leader within the corporate, legal, and nonprofit communities. As a resident of the West End for more than 35 years, she brings leadership, tacit knowledge, and an understanding of the issues plaguing the community that she is personally invested in.
Since July 2021, Louisville Metro Council President David James has been serving as the interim board chair. “I’m so thankful to everyone that helped us get to this fundraising goal. This was truly a team effort from everybody working together”, said David James. “Now with our new Interim President/CEO Laura Douglas, the West End Opportunity Partnership will move forward improving the lives of west Louisville residents.”
“I’m pleased to have this opportunity to serve our community,” said Ms. Douglas. “With the funding in place for the West End, we are positioned to start making some progress on the promises that have been made to residents and businesses that need our support. There are exciting days ahead.”
Ms. Douglas received a J.D. from the University of Louisville’s Brandeis School of Law and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Louisville. Early in her career, she served as in-house counsel at Standard Oil Company and held posts at the University of Iowa and Ohio
University. After returning to Louisville in 1985, Ms. Douglas was employed as an attorney at the Legal Aid Society and served as General Counsel both at the Metropolitan Sewer District and the Louisville Water Company. In 2017 she retired as Vice President, Corporate Responsibility and Community Affairs for LG&E and KU Energy.
About The West End Opportunity Partnership:
The West End Opportunity Partnership is a public corporation established in 2021 by the Kentucky General Assembly to operate with 21 voting members who will manage financial resources for a newly-created West Louisville Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) district.
westendpartners.org
Contact:
Rita Phillips | [email protected] | 502-303-5251
December 3, 2021 LOUISVILLE, KY – The West End Opportunity Partnership recently adopted a plan to use “Neighborhood Nominators” to help select the final nine members of its board of directors.
The Neighborhood Nominators will include West Louisville business representatives, faith leaders, civically-engaged residents and representatives from established neighborhood organizations to help identify the final members of the West End Opportunity Partnership board.
“It is important that we include vested residents of West Louisville neighborhoods in the process to select the final nine members of this West End Opportunity Partnership board,” said DeVone Holt, who is a current board member leading the process to select the final appointees. “Giving the community control of the front end of this selection process will help ensure we have people on the board who are credible representatives of each of the nine West Louisville neighborhoods.”
The West End Opportunity Partnership is a public corporation established earlier this year by the Kentucky General Assembly to operate with 21 voting members who will manage financial resources for a newly-created West Louisville Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) district. The initial 12 members of the board were appointed by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, Simmons College of Kentucky, the NAACP and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
State legislation requires that the remaining board members come from one of each of the nine West Louisville neighborhoods, which include Algonquin, California, Chickasaw, Park Duvalle, Park Hill, Parkland, Portland, Russell and Shawnee.
At their November meeting, the current West End Opportunity Partnership interim board agreed to invite three people in each of the nine West Louisville neighborhoods (27 in total) to serve as separate working groups of Neighborhood Nominators.
The role of the Neighborhood Nominator groups will be to review applications submitted from residents in their respective neighborhoods who desire to serve on the West End Opportunity Partnership board.
The nine Neighborhood Nominator groups are scheduled to be established the week of December 20th. They will be tasked with working together to submit their top three nominees to the West End Opportunity Partnership board by January 31st.
After receiving recommendations from the Neighborhood Nominators, the Board Development committee will rank the nominees according to the board selection criteria and submit its slate of candidates to the board for a final vote at the Partnership’s February 12th meeting.
Residents can submit applications to the Neighborhood Nominators from December 6th through January 14th. The application is accessible online at westendpartners.org or in hard copy form at the Louisville Urban League located at 1535 W. Broadway.
“We designed this process to maximize community input,” said Jeana Dunlap, vice-chair of the West End Opportunity Partnership. “Involving the community will help us properly vet the candidates who apply to serve on the board. We also believe it will also help us solicit a well-rounded group of residents who take interest in helping shape the future of their neighborhoods by becoming decision makers on this board.”
The application process recently approved by the West End Opportunity Partnership utilizes a weighted evaluation system to examine candidates based on their professional experience, ethnicity, generational status, digital literacy and the length and type of residency they’ve held in West Louisville.
Long-term renters will be weighted more favorably than owners in this process to ensure the disproportionately high number of renters in West Louisville have an increased opportunity to be represented on the board.
Members of the West End Opportunity Partnership interim board will be on hand to explain the application process at online community meetings hosted by the Louisville Central Community Centers (LCCC) on Thursday, December 2 and Thursday, December 9 and online meetings hosted by state senator Gerald Neal and state representative Pamela Stevenson on Saturday, December 4 and Saturday, December 11.
Zoom link for the Thursday sessions at 6:30pm: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5960723563?pwd%3DYlg1MnA 3WHJNZ2RTdUxWWFlxMFB2UT09&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1629158201959721&usg
Zoom link for the Saturday sessions at 9:00 am: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83398284843?pwd%3DejdiUDFuRGh EQjBiK3VFUExMcmFxZz09&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1628731475872097&usg=AOvVaw2 kTg64bq8aoAObPWwvCK06
Google Forms link for Online application for West End Opportunity Partnership Board accepting applications December 6th through January 15th:
CDI also announced a pledge of $1 million to the West End Opportunity Partnership (the “Partnership”), a collaborative community-led initiative that will finance projects to kick start economic development and quality of life improvements in a district comprised of nine West End neighborhoods: Shawnee, Portland, Russell, Chickasaw, Parkland, California, Park Hill, Park Duvalle and Algonquin. The new tax increment financing (“TIF”) district was established by legislation championed and passed by State Senators Robert Stivers, Julie Raque Adams, Morgan McGarvey and Gerald Neal, and State Representatives Ken Fleming and Pamela Stevenson. The TIF guarantees that for the next 20 years, 80% of new tax revenue generated in those neighborhoods will be returned to the Partnership to reinvest in economic development projects and homeowner stabilization in the West End. The seed money and proceeds will be managed by a Partnership board comprised of neighborhood residents and appointees from community organizations.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The West End Opportunity Partnership is receiving a $2.5 million grant from the James Graham Brown Foundation, the nonprofit announced this week.
The West End Opportunity Partnership represents nine neighborhoods in west Louisville, focusing on reinvesting new tax money into the community.
According to a news release, the leadership grant provided by the James Graham Brown Foundation is intended to encourage additional private donations, which will increase allocated funding by Louisville Metro and the state of Kentucky.
(Read more from WDRB)
Every Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.:
Kevin Fields & Louisville Central Community Center (LCCC) is pleased to partner with Sen. Gerald Neal and Rep. Pamela Stevenson to convene organizational leaders, community leaders, and individuals to discuss the development of the West End Opportunity Partnership (The Partnership)…. with emphasis on west Louisville neighborhoods (Algonquin, California, Chickasaw, Parkland, Park DuValle, Park Hill, Portland, Russell, & Shawnee).
Come learn about efforts to improve economic conditions in our West End neighborhoods!
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5960723563?pwd=Ylg1MnA3WHJNZ2RTdUxWWFlxMFB2UT09
Meeting ID: 596 072 3563 Passcode: Tn0yT8
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Meeting ID: 596 072 3563 Passcode: 419854
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/knM99ecfY
Every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.:
Please join Sen. Gerald Neal & Rep. Pamela Stevenson to learn more about this significant initiative passed by the Kentucky General Assembly that became effective on July 1, 2021.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83398284843?pwd=ejdiUDFuRGhEQjBiK3VFUExMcmFxZz09
Meeting ID: 833 9828 4843 Passcode: 941352
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Meeting ID: 833 9828 4843
Passcode: 941352
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcyPl5g47D
Click here for an information flier on the West End Opportunity Partnership
State Senator Gerald Neal and State Representative Pamela Stevenson joined Terry Meiners on 84-WHAS radio to discuss the West End Opportunity Partnership and its goal to invest in the economic development and home stabilization in the West End, the money allocated in the Metro Budget to seed their efforts, and how revenue will be raised to continue their efforts in the future.
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