Owen Wins Council Presidency

Louisville Metro Councilman Tom Owen won the council presidency Thursday. Owen is calling for civil debate in what could be a contentious year in the council.Three council members are running for mayor of Louisville, and two of them will face each other in the May primary. And with the possibility of campaign issues seeping into council debate, Owen says he will encourage all council members to avoid what he calls "gotcha politics" and fighting through the press."It's always an issue. I think people tend to think that we spend a fair amount of energy hunkered down behind partisan walls and lobbing things across the…maybe I'm too close to it, but that's the way I think we're perceived."Owen won the presidency over Republican opponent Ken Fleming. The vote was split along party lines. Owen follows outgoing president David Tandy and is the fourth consecutive Democrat to lead the council.