“You can’t be a 21st Century community with a 19th Century structure of government.”

This was the key takeaway regional leaders learned from Jerry Abramson at a luncheon hosted by Better Together last week.

Mayor Abramson served an unprecedented two decades as Mayor of Louisville and two terms as the first mayor of the consolidated city-county of Louisville Metro from 2003-2011. During his two terms as Mayor of Louisville Metro he was essential to lowering costs, adding police officers, and launching MetroSafe – a $70 million communication network that links more than 4,000 police, fire, EMS, and other emergency responders throughout the region.

Here’s Mayor Abramson describing the ways Louisville reduced costs and improved services through consolidation:

At Better Together, we believe our region can learn from the experience of others and will continue to work with community leaders and like-minded groups throughout St. Louis to enhance these discussions and build consensus as we move forward.

Do you know a group or organization in St. Louis that would benefit from a discussion about our future governing structure?

We look forward to talking with you soon.