Louisville Metro Council chambers.Seven newly elected members of Louisville Metro Council took the oath of office Thursday afternoon.The bulk of the new representatives come from the South End, where Republicans have dominated the last two Metro Council election cycles. In 2022, Republicans unseated two Democratic incumbents in the Fairdale and Valley Station areas. And they flipped two more seats in the most recent election, with Crystal Bast in District 14 and Jonathan Joseph in District 12 defeating Democrats who had been on the council for more than a decade. Republican Ginny Mulvey-Woolridge also won her election in District 22, a seat formerly held by a Democrat.Thursday’s swearing-in ceremony marked a dramatic shift for Louisville’s governing body.Republicans have significantly diminished the council’s Democratic majority. Democrats now hold a bare majority with just 14 of 26 seats. Five years ago, Republicans had just seven seats.The November election was also the last time council members will appear on the ballot as Democrats or Republicans. A change in state law made all future races for Metro Council and the Mayor’s Office nonpartisan. It’s unclear how that will impact the council’s legislative process, since party caucuses will remain and representatives can still identify as a member of one party or the other.District 1 Metro Council Member Tammy Hawkins was elected the Democratic Caucus chair by her colleagues. Council Member Jennifer Chappell will serve as the vice chair. On the Republican side, Council Member Anthony Piagentini of District 19 will be the caucus chair for 2025. Council Member Khalil Batshon will serve as his vice chair. Metro Council members also elected Democrat Brent Ackerson to serve as the council president. He was eventually chosen after several rounds of voting in which no one candidate received the needed 14 votes. Ackerson will take over from District 17 Democrat Markus Winkler.Here’s a rundown of all the new Metro Council members:Ken Herndon, District 4Democrat Ken Herndon ran unopposed in the General Election after winning a crowded primary race in May.Herndon was the director of operations for the Louisville Downtown Partnership for nearly 20 years and now plans to be a full-time Metro Council representative. District 4 covers a diverse set of neighborhoods, including the downtown business district, the Russell and California neighborhoods to the west and Phoenix Hill and Butchertown to the East.In an interview with LPM News, Herndon said he’s spent the past seven months meeting one-on-one with hundreds of residents and nonprofit leaders. One of his top priorities is reinvigorating a downtown facing high office vacancy rates after the COVID-19 pandemic.Herndon said he supports Mayor Craig Greenberg’s initiative to help fund the conversion of office high rises into housing.“We really have to get those properties filled back in again,” he said. “It’s going to take some heavy lifting and probably some public subsidy to make it happen … The central business district’s health is essential to the entire community.”Herndon said he also plans to focus on neighborhood improvements to let his constituents know that change is afoot and get them involved in local government.“We will go out and we will be attending [neighborhood association] meetings, not just sitting here waiting for them to call us,” he said. “I can’t walk in there and say, ‘Here’s what you need to do,’ without talking to them first.”Herndon is taking over the reins of District 4 from outgoing Council Member Jecorey Arthur. The progressive Democrat-turned-Independent chose not to run again after serving one term.J.P. Lyninger, District 6Metro Council is getting its first Democratic Socialist in J.P. Lyninger.In May, Lyninger defeated incumbent Phillip Baker to earn the Democratic nomination for District 6. He was unopposed in November.Lyninger is a former auctioneer who plans to treat his role as a Metro Council representative like a full-time job. He joined the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America in 2019 and highlighted his affiliation during the race.He plans to advocate for more funding for social services, public transportation and affordable housing, he said.“We talk a lot in Louisville about addressing root causes of crime and violence, and I think we need to do a much better job of walking that walk,” Lyninger said in an interview with LPM News last month.The longtime activist and organizer also wants to expand civic participation in District 6. He said he plans to create neighborhood-level advisory boards to help him draft policy and “people’s assemblies” that can inform Metro Council’s priorities during the annual budget process.Josie Raymond, District 10Former Democratic state legislator Josie Raymond announced in Nov. 2023 that she was leaving the Kentucky General Assembly to run for Louisville Metro Council. She was unopposed in the primary and the General Election.Raymond served in the state House of Representatives for five years, advocating for abortion rights, public education and racial justice.In announcing her campaign for Metro Council, Raymond told LPM News she felt she could be a more effective policymaker at the local level, as opposed to the state house where Democrats were in a “superminority.”“I'd like to join the majority that's working to better people's lives,” Raymond said. “And I've really seen the most impact in the last several years happen at the local level.”District 10 includes the Poplar Level and Watterson Park neighborhoods, as well as parts of Newburg and Bashford Manor. The district was previously represented by Pat Mulvihill, who retired after eight years in office.Jonathan Joseph, District 12Republican Jonathan Joseph pulled out an upset win in the November election, unseating Democrat Rick Blackwell, who had served on Metro Council since the 2003 city-county merger.Joseph is a civics teacher at his alma mater Butler Traditional High School. During his campaign, Joseph said one of his greatest joys was leading a young adult group at Southeast Christian Church.Joseph pitched himself as pro-small business and pro-public safety, saying he’s watched as businesses have left the Dixie Highway Corridor in recent years.“Crime in our area of town is causing individuals to relocate, raise families elsewhere, and lessening the value of an area that means so much to so many,” Joseph wrote on his campaign website. “We will not let the actions of a few decimate the good and honest work of the many.”District 12 covers most of the Pleasure Ridge Park area.Crystal Bast, District 14Republican Crystal Bast also unseated a longtime Democratic incumbent in the South End. The Valley Downs resident defeated Cindi Fowler in November.Bast, a medical billings specialist, had never run for public office before. She told LPM News that residents in her district were ready for a change and they were looking for a representative that was going to fight alongside them.“If they’re out there doing it, I’m going to be out there with them,” Bast said. “That’s what we need because no one person can do this on their own.”Bast said she plans to focus on public safety, roadway infrastructure and attracting new businesses to the South End. District 14 includes parts of Valley Station and Pleasure Ridge Park.Kevin Bratcher, District 22Navy veteran Kevin Bratcher served as a state representative for the past 28 years. He was the first Republican in Kentucky to serve as House Majority Whip.Like Josie Raymond, Bratcher announced he’d be leaving the General Assembly to run for Metro Council in late 2023, after Council Member Robin Engel announced he wouldn’t seek reelection.Bratcher said he wants to make District 22, and Louisville, a “a better place to live, work and raise a family.”While in the state legislature, Bratcher primarily focused on legislation related to public safety, homelessness and juvenile justice. In his final year, he successfully pushed through a bill to reopen Louisville's Youth Detention Center.District 22 covers Fern Creek.Ginny Mulvey-Woolridge, District 24Republican Ginny Mulvey-Woolridge is a Tennessee native who’s lived in Louisville for more than 40 years. Her husband is a retired LMPD officer and together they volunteer with the Louisville Metro Police Foundation.Mulvey-Woolridge said she spends as much of her time as possible giving back to the community. In addition to the Police Foundation, she’s volunteered with the Special Olympics and Wayside Christian Mission.“It’s just any organization that needs us, and we have the ability to, then we are more than happy, willing and able to give back,” she said.Mulvey-Woolridge won a contested primary and General Election to represent District 24, which covers parts of Okolona and Highview. She ran on a platform focused on fiscal responsibility, empowering small businesses and support for law enforcement.She’s replacing Democrat Madonna Flood, who retired from Metro Council after more than 20 years on the body.