The Courier-Journal (Louisville)
ENABLING PEOPLE TO LIVE
Stucky went from addiction to helping Southern Indiana heal
Phil Stucky has been there. ● Addicted to heroin. Squatting in his foreclosed home in Indiana. Then, under a bridge in Louisville, all his earthly possessions able to fit in a plastic Kroger bag. ● Allowed back into his ex-wife’s home one Christmas, he stole his children’s presents — Nintendo DS systems and iPads — from under the tree and pawned them for drug money. ● “I could not feed my addiction,” he said. “I could not get enough.”
Three overdoses, three revivals. Nobody else the former New Albany cop knows from his days on the street made it. Nearly a decade into recovery, things are different.
Stucky, now 41, is the head of Thrive, an addiction recovery organization active in 10 Southern Indiana counties, as well as five jails.
A lot of what Thrive does involves harm reduction: making drug use safer for those who are going to use by providing people with things like the overdose-reversing medication Narcan (naloxone) or strips to test for the presence of dangerous fentanyl.
“Of course, I’m going to enable people to breathe, I’m going to enable people to live,” Stucky said. “If I wasn’t enabled to live three different times, I wouldn’t be sitting here with you today.”
Thrive has Narcan vending machines at hospitals in Scott and Clark counties, as well as 17 Narcan distribution boxes spread across Southern Indiana that can hold 15 or so doses each. Every week, the vending machines and boxes go through between 300400 units, according to Stucky.
A good deal of Thrive’s mission is more intangible: starting conversations, connecting people with what they need, and sometimes, just listening.
“When someone calls in and says ‘hey, I think I have a problem, I need some help,’ the first thing we do is we don’t do an intake, we don’t do paperwork. We say ‘what can we help you with? What do you need?’ and they tell us their story,” Stucky said.
Back when he would get arrested when he was still in the throes of addiction, Stucky would go back to using immediately when he got out. Now, Thrive has staff inside jails who help prepare incarcerated people for release, as well as people to meet them upon their release, in the hopes of aiding recovery and reducing recidivism.
“You’re no longer walking out at midnight by yourself,” Stucky said. “You’re meeting with a peer coach and a peer coach is walking out with you taking you to your first appointment, taking you to your new recovery residence, wherever you need to go. Because that’s where we’re losing people.”
Thrive was born in 2016 in Scott County, which, at the time, was in the grips of an HIV epidemic spurred by intravenous drug users sharing syringes. At the peak of the crisis, tiny Austin, Indiana, had an HIV incidence rate higher than “any country in subSaharan Africa” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director at the time.
In the last few years, Thrive has grown, establishing its new headquarters in downtown New Albany and an office in Jeffersonville.
Stucky’s 21-year-old daughter, Katie, works as Thrive’s social media coordinator and a recovery coach.
While many of Thrive’s 35 employees are in recovery from substance abuse, she is not. She worried about being a recovery coach without that background, but realized she had the experience of witnessing her father’s addiction firsthand.
“Even though it feels like they’re harming just themselves, it’s their whole family, friends, everything. When they’re in it, they don’t see it until they come out and start talking to their families,” she said.
Those seeking help from Thrive can call 502-576-9000 or email gethelp@thriverco.org. You don’t have to be from Southern Indiana to reach out to Thrive for help.
Reach reporter Josh Wood at jwood@courier-journal.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @JWoodJourno.
Louisville Metro Council’s 26 members are tasked with representing their district’s interests — from proposing new ordinances to making decisions on the city budget.
● All 13 even-numbered districts will be on the ballot in November, but before that can happen, Republican and Democratic candidates will run in the primary election to vie for their party’s representation on the ballot.
● Early voting has ended; Election Day is
Tuesday.
● Here are the most contested primary races — and the least.
Which districts might have its seats decided in the primary?
The primary has higher repercussions for some Louisville districts. Six districts have just one party represented in the primary — meaning the winner will either be the lone candidate on the November ballot or face independents. The winners of those primaries have a high likelihood of being their district’s council representative.
District 4, which represents parts of Louisville’s downtown and surrounding neighborhoods — including Smoketown, California, Clifton Heights and Portland — will see a whopping 10 candidates competing for the Democratic nomination, though no Republicans. While 11 candidates will appear on the ballot, Bobbie James withdrew from the race in March.
Other candidates on the ballot:
● Ken Herndon
● Dennisha Rivers
● Stan Moore
● Mary K. Hall
● Demetrius McDowell Sr.
● Dino Johnson
● Joseph “Jody” Dahmer
● Bridgett Smith
● Joshua Alexander Crowder
● Carol Clark
While an independent could run against the Democrat nominee, only Democrats have been elected to the District 4 seat since the city-county merger. Councilman Jecorey Arthur, the current District 4 representative, ran as a Democrat but switched to Independent in the fall of 2023 after expressing frustrations with partisan politics. He does not intend to run again.
Moore and Herndon have the highest dollar campaigns — with Moore coming in at nearly $69,000 — including a $20,000 contribution from himself — and Herndon raising close to $43,000. Both have been affiliated with the Louisville Downtown Partnership and have received donations from downtown developers. Herndon has also received endorsements from three current council members — Brent Ackerson, Andrew Owen and Tammy Hawkins — and former Rep. John Yarmuth.
Joshua Alexander Crowder, a Teamster and Democratic socialist, is also in the race for District 4. He is backed by Teamsters 89 and has been canvassing alongside state Senate candidate Attica Scott.
Recently, District 4 candidates Moore and Hall had a heated exchange over campaign posters. Hall said she saw someone cut down one of her signs near the Kroger on Broadway. Moore denies he instructed anyone to cut down another candidate’s signs, but said the man is affiliated with his campaign. Moore also apologized to Hall publicly in a video by livestreamer Maxwell Mitchell.
“Never in a million years would I say, ‘Take down an opponent’s sign,’” Moore said. “But, at the end of the day, I have to own it. He worked on my campaign, he’s representing my campaign, and I’ll take the consequences.”
Hall did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tensions have risen in the District 8 primary, too.
Incumbent Ben Reno-Weber, who was appointed to fill the position vacated by state Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong and ran to keep it last November, is facing Taylor McGovern-U’Sellis who also threw her hat in the ring to be Chambers Armstrong’s replacement in 2023.
Reno-Weber is a self-described “social entrepreneur” campaigning on issues including safer and vibrant streets, LGBTQ+ inclusion and public health. McGovern-U’Sellis has focused her campaign on equity, sustainability and housing affordability.
McGovern-U’Sellis has raised a little more than $29,000 compared with Reno-Weber’s whopping $127,000 — the most raised by any Louisville Metro Council candidate in this primary. Of his cash, Reno-Weber transferred about $50,000 from his past campaign along with contributions from wellknown donors including Emily Bingham, Teamsters 89 and Jack Harlow — Reno-Weber’s first cousin once removed.
On social media, McGovern-U’Sellis called herself the “actual Democrat” on the ballot, criticizing Reno-Weber for voting in favor of the new police contract and not finding Councilman Anthony Piagentini guilty on all eight of his ethics charges. Reno-Weber voted that Piageninit was guilty of four.
Reno-Weber said he decided to vote in favor of the police contract by trusting committee chair and fellow Democrat Tammy Hawkins’ recommendation. Reno-Weber added he voted in favor of charging Piagentini with the violations he had evidence for and his votes were not based on differences in politics.
“If you want to talk about how you want to do this differently than I’m going about it, that makes total sense to me,” Reno-Weber said. “Let’s have that conversation, but it all seems to be, ‘Oh, these Republicans are less scared of you than they are of me, and that’s bad.’”
Reno-Weber emphasized the importance of being able to work with those who have differing political beliefs. McGovern-U’Sellis said, if elected, she would also be willing to work across the aisle.
“I’m happy to work with people on policy that’ll help our city, on policy that will move things forward and will not harm citizens of the district or the city of Louisville,” she said.
Grow Together Louisville, a nonpartisan development-centered “unauthorized campaign committee,” spent money on some council candidates — including Reno-Weber — and purchased ads for them through a marketing firm called Majority Strategies, which touts its ability to get Republicans elected. McGovern-U’Sellis said she also met with people from Grow Together Louisville but did not fully understand what they stood for at the time. She added the group does not represent her values.
Reno-Weber said he was invited to the initial meeting by someone in the affordable housing space, did not realize it was a “PAC” meeting and their support was not “a thing I could control.” Grow Louisville Together does not have the official designation of “PAC” but it functions similarly to one. It can make independent expenditures only, like paying for advertising, but is not authorized by candidates.
District 6 Democrat incumbent Phillip Baker also had ads paid for by Grow Louisville Together and produced by Majority Strategies.
“These are calculated investments because they know who will represent their interests faithfully — and who will stand up to them to represent you instead. I don’t take their contributions because I don’t work for them,” wrote one of Baker’s opponents, Democratic socialist JP Lyninger. “They don’t offer them because they believe me when I say that.”
Baker, who was appointed after David James joined Mayor Craig Greenberg’s administration as deputy mayor and ran to keep his seat last November, is facing Lyninger and Kate Dittmeier Holm, an attorney, for the nomination.
“While my opponent wants to talk about campaign structure and who is donating to who, I am talking with voters about the issues that matter to them — continuing to make our neighborhoods safe, clean and vibrant,” Baker said. “I also want to note that everyone has a seat at my table — including developers and businesses. When we work together we get better results.”
Lyninger said he is fighting for those people, too.
“My only priorities are the working class people of District 6 and the rest of Louisville,” Lyninger wrote to The Courier Journal.
“The status quo is that the developers and other big donors will have their needs taken care of while the rest of the city sees critical social services and public interests criminally underfunded. I will not be a party to that, and like the people I meet on the doors when I’m canvassing they believe me when I say that.”
In District 2, longtime councilmember Barbara Shanklin is facing newcomer Latosha Harrison, who started the Louisville Parent Teacher Organization, according to her website.
Harrison is campaigning on unity, economic development and community, among other values. Shanklin has been on the council since the citycounty merger and chairs the Equity, Community Affairs, Housing, Health and Education Committee.
Shanklin has received donations from several notable people in Louisville Metro Government including Mayor Craig Greenberg, Mayor’s Office Chief of Staff David Kaplan, James and Councilwoman Tammy Hawkins.
Other districts with only one party running are District 10 and District 26 though those races have just one person running. Current state Rep. Josie Raymond is the sole candidate for District 10 and incumbent Brent Ackerson is the only candidate for District 26, but both could face independent challengers in November.
Which districts will set the stage for a typical general election?
Seven districts — 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24 — have at least one Democrat and one Republican running.
District 12 will see the most competitive Louisville Metro Council Republican primary for 2024, with three people running for the nomination: Jonathan “JJ” Joseph, Ryan Thompson and Jennifer Fox Brown. The winner will face incumbent Democrat Rick Blackwell, who has been a member of the Metro Council since the city-county merger and previously served as council president.
In District 18, which includes parts of Douglass Hills, Hurstbourne, Jeffersontown, Lyndon and Anchorage, incumbent Marilyn Parker is being challenged by Bonnie Jung, mayor of Douglass Hills. Parker and Jung’s campaign donations are neck-in-neck, at almost $20,000 and $17,000, respectively.
The Republican primary winner will face Democrat Mera Kathryn Corlett in November.
District 20’s Stuart Benson, a Republican who has been on council since the city-county merger, is also facing a strong primary challenger. Brian Abrams, who has served on the Jeffersontown City Council for two terms, is looking to win the Republican nomination. The winner will face Democrat Marita Willis in November.
District 14 sees two Republicans — Crystal Bast and Crystal Ann Barajas — and three Democrats, including incumbent Cindi Fowler, in the primary. District 16 has just one candidate in each party: Republican Scott Reed and Democrat Matthew Golden.
There will be at least four new faces on the Metro Council following the 2024 election cycle. Incumbents Madonna Flood, Robin Engel, Pat Mulvihill and Jecorey Arthur are not running, meaning Districts 4, 10, 22 and 24 will have a new representative in January 2025.
What might the new council look like?
There will be at least four new faces on the Metro Council following the 2024 election cycle. Incumbents Madonna Flood, Robin Engel, Pat Mulvihill and Arthur are not running, meaning Districts 4, 10, 22 and 24 will have a new representative in January 2025.
Two of those districts — 10 and 22 — have current state representatives vying for the seat. Raymond is the only person running in the District 10 primary. In District 22, Republican Rep. Kevin Bratcher is facing Robert Zoeller.
Zoeller ran for the seat in 2012, but lost to Engel. Zoeller was inspired to run against Bratcher because, unlike Bratcher, he is not a “career politician.” He has spent nothing on his campaign, according to the Kentucky Registry of Campaign Finance.
Bratcher feels confident in his primary, though, he told The Courier Journal.
District 24, currently held by Flood, a Democrat, will see two Democrats up against each other: Ryan Vittitow and Tyra Thomas-Walker. Both are on the KREF’s candidate delinquency list, which lists people who did not properly submit campaign finance reports. That winner will face Republican Ginny Mulvey-Woolridge in November.
Reach reporter Eleanor McCrary at EMcCrary@ courier-journal.com or at @ellie_mccrary on X, formerly known as Twitter.