Changes

In 1978, Ackerson persuaded his seven Senate Republican colleagues to hire a young Louisville attorney, [[Bob Heleringer]] as their administrative assistant. Heleringer, the son of a Louisville furniture dealer and the grandson of a horse trainer, subsequently served in the Kentucky House from suburban Louisville from 1980 to 1991. Ackerson himself left the Senate after the Democratic majority in 1982 moved his district to rural southeastern Kentucky, including Clinton and McCreary counties near the Tennessee state line. Ackerson objected to the [[redistricting]] on grounds that 96,000 suburban constituents would no longer have local represention.<ref>''Park City Daily News,'' Barren County, Kentucky, January 13, 1982.</ref>

In 1978, Ackerson persuaded his seven Senate Republican colleagues to hire a young Louisville attorney, [[Bob Heleringer]] as their administrative assistant. Heleringer, the son of a Louisville furniture dealer and the grandson of a horse trainer, subsequently served in the Kentucky House from suburban Louisville from 1980 to 1991. Ackerson himself left the Senate after the Democratic majority in 1982 moved his district to rural southeastern Kentucky, including Clinton and McCreary counties near the Tennessee state line. Ackerson objected to the [[redistricting]] on grounds that 96,000 suburban constituents would no longer have local represention.<ref>''Park City Daily News,'' Barren County, Kentucky, January 13, 1982.</ref>

He instead returned to the Kentucky House.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article44150823.html#!|title=Kathy Stein isn't the first Kentucky state senator whose district was moved|publisher='The Lexington Herald-Leader''|date=January 20, 2012|author=John Cheves|accessdate=February 7, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article44150823.html#!|title=Kathy Stein isn't the first Kentucky state senator whose district was moved to Clinton and McCreary counties in southwestern Kentucjk|publisher=''The Lexington Herald-Leader''|date=January 20, 2012|author=John Cheves|accessdate=February 7, 2016}}</ref> From 1999 to 2002, Ackerson served on the Jeffersontown City Council in Jefferson County but relinquished the position to run unsuccessfully in the nonpartisan election for [[mayor]] held on November 5, 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kref.ky.gov/Advertising/2002_003_Request.pdf|title=Jon Ackerson for Mayor of Jeffersontown|publisher=kref.ky.gov|date=April 10, 2002|accessdate=February 7, 2016}}</ref>

He instead returned to the Kentucky House.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article44150823.html#!|title=Kathy Stein isn't the first Kentucky state senator whose district was moved|publisher='The Lexington Herald-Leader''|date=January 20, 2012|author=John Cheves|accessdate=February 7, 2016; under pay wall}}</ref>From 1999 to 2002, Ackerson served on the Jeffersontown City Council in Jefferson County but relinquished the position to run unsuccessfully in the nonpartisan election for [[mayor]] held on November 5, 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kref.ky.gov/Advertising/2002_003_Request.pdf|title=Jon Ackerson for Mayor of Jeffersontown|publisher=kref.ky.gov|date=April 10, 2002|accessdate=February 7, 2016}}</ref>

In 2008, Ackerson came out of political retirement to win the District 18 seat on the Louisville Metro Council. He defeated Ellen L. Reitmeyer, a figure in the local Republican Party, for the right to succeed the retiring council member Julie Raque Adams. Reitmeyer had been a legislative aide to Adams. The Democratic candidate for the seat, Mike Perkins, cited a lack of funding and withdrew to leave Ackerson without opposition. From 2009 to 2012, he served alongside his son, attorney Brent Thomas Ackerson, a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]], who represented District 26 on the Metro Council. Brent and his brother, Marc Alan Ackerson, are sons by Jon Ackerson's former wife from whom he was divorced, the former Patricia Ormerod (1944-2012). She is interred beside her family at Evergreen Cemetery in Louisville.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/louisville/obituary.aspx?pid=155412317|title=Patricia Ackerson obituary|publisher=''The Louisville Courier-Journal]]''|date=January 10, 2012|accessdate=February 7, 2016}}</ref>

In 2008, Ackerson came out of political retirement to win the District 18 seat on the Louisville Metro Council. He defeated Ellen L. Reitmeyer, a figure in the local Republican Party, for the right to succeed the retiring council member Julie Raque Adams. Reitmeyer had been a legislative aide to Adams. The Democratic candidate for the seat, Mike Perkins, cited a lack of funding and withdrew to leave Ackerson without opposition. From 2009 to 2012, he served alongside his son, attorney Brent Thomas Ackerson, a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]], who represented District 26 on the Metro Council. Brent and his brother, Marc Alan Ackerson, are sons by Jon Ackerson's former wife from whom he was divorced, the former Patricia Ormerod (1944-2012). She is interred beside her family at Evergreen Cemetery in Louisville.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/louisville/obituary.aspx?pid=155412317|title=Patricia Ackerson obituary|publisher=''The Louisville Courier-Journal]]''|date=January 10, 2012|accessdate=February 7, 2016}}</ref>