Chris Thieneman, a long-time political activist in the city’s South End, will run for the open 37th District Senate seat in the 2012 Primary.
Thieneman, a Republican, most recently ran in the 2010 Mayoral primary. He finished second in that race, despite winning a majority of precincts in the newly-redrawn 37th Senate district, which stretches from the Ohio River toward the airport. The seat is currently held by Perry Clark, a Democrat who no longer lives in the District after the Senate’s re-drawing of boundary lines.
“I’ve always fought for improving the lives of people in the South End, and now I have an opportunity to make a difference in Frankfort,” said Thieneman, who grew up in Valley Station. “I know what it takes to get legislation passed and how to fight for what’s best for the people in the District.”
Thieneman led the opposition in 2007 that defeated a tax increase to fund libraries. In 2011, he championed an ethics bill in Frankfort that kept city employees from engaging in campaign activities while on the job. He led opposition to Metro Louisville’s giveaways to favored developers, including the incentives provided to the Cordish Company for a bar at Fourth Street Live.
“I’ve been successful in getting good legislation passed and making a difference as a private citizen,” he said. “I’m looking forward to accomplishing more as a member of the Senate.”
Thieneman, a former All-American football player at the University of Louisville, is a real estate developer. His company, Thieneman Real Estate, recently broke ground on a new Cracker Barrel in Valley Station.
