About Jim

My name is Jim Mims, and I want to serve as the next Metro Council representative for District 9.  DeDe and I have lived in District 9 since moving to Louisville nearly forty-years ago.  We love the great walkability and diversity of the neighborhoods that make up the district, and this is where we hope to call home for many more years.

Dede and I grew up in South Florida and moved to Louisville after leaving my position as Executive Director of the Hopkinsville and Christian County Planning Commission and joining the land planning and engineering firm of Daugherty, Trautwein and Harris.  I later became a principal member when the firm reorganized in 1984 as Birch, Trautwein and Mims, and I remained with the firm for nearly 20 more years. 

My career as a professional planner and landscape architect has opened up opportunities and partnerships with real estate developers within the region, including Hagan Properties and Elite Homes.  I also served within the Abramson and Fischer Administration as the Director of Codes and Regulations, of which two of those years I was Metro’s Planning Director.  I was also the first Director of Develop Louisville.  During my time with Louisville Metro, I was a member of the Landmarks Commission and the architectural review committees for the seven preservation districts.  I also led new Metro initiatives to reduce vacant properties and streamline the zoning and development processes.

My career path has been formed by an education as a landscape architect and city planner.  I also have a Ph.D. in Urban and Public Affairs.  I am a licensed landscape architect in Kentucky and member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).  My Kentucky real estate broker’s license is currently in escrow. 

I am now retired, but serve as a member of the Planning Commission and the Development Advisory Committee.  I am on the board of the Metropolitan Housing Coalition and I am member of the Building Industry Association of Greater Louisville.  I have been an active member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church for 35-years and have served on the board of the Fuller Center for Housing.  I am a long-time team captain for Old Louisville’s tree canopy workdays.

This coming April, Dede and I will have been married for 43-years.  We have two grown children: Carmen, who is a teacher in Nashville, Tennessee, and Caitlin, who is a social worker in Louisville.  We have three grandchildren with whom we very much enjoy spending time. This will be my first endeavor for public office or organize a political campaign, but I have the time, energy and sincere desire to serve District 9.