Mayor Craig Greenberg has selected the person who will lead his reelection campaign: his press secretary, Kevin Trager.
In an emailed statement, Trager said he will begin his new role as Greenberg’s campaign manager Sept. 16.
“I have accepted the role of Campaign Manager with Mayor Greenberg’s reelection campaign, beginning tomorrow,” Trager wrote Sept. 15. “Serving as Press Secretary these past few years has been a wonderful experience and I’m grateful for all you do to keep our community informed and updated on the latest news and information impacting Louisvillians every day.”
The announcement comes weeks after Louisville Public Media published a story detailing a tense phone interaction Trager had with a reporting intern. According to the story, the intern approached Greenberg after a press event to ask about public restrooms and biohazardous waste downtown. Hours later, LPM reported, Trager called the intern to reproach him for not asking him to coordinate the interview.
“You didn’t email me and ask for an interview with the mayor. You ambushed him,” Trager said, according to LPM. “You stuck a microphone in his face.”
LPM quoted several media experts who took issue with press secretaries censoring reporters’ access to public officials.
In a text message, Trager said “this transition has been in the works for a while” and was not related to the LPM story.
Trager has served as Greenberg’s press secretary since the mayor assumed office in January 2023. Matt Mudd, who previously worked for the Metro Air Pollution Control District, will take over the role Trager is vacating.
Trager’s new position comes with expanded responsibilities compared to the one he held during Greenberg’s first campaign. For that campaign, he served as communications director starting in 2021, Trager said in a text message.
Prior to working for Greenberg, he was a local news reporter for eight years. His most recent job in journalism was at Louisville’s WLKY News in 2018.
The Courier Journal reported on Greenberg’s plans to run for reelection in September 2024 after his campaign website and election filings indicated he would make another run for the job. Greenberg’s current term expires in January 2027.
The 2026 election, when Greenberg is due back on the ballot, will mark Louisville’s first nonpartisan elections.
This story may update.
Contact reporter Killian Baarlaer at [email protected] or @bkillian72 on X.
