Here’s where the candidates for 1st District council seat stand on top Lexington issues

As the May 17 primary approaches, the candidates running for the Urban County Council 1st District seat agree that more needs to be done to address crime and public safety in their district.

With incumbent James Brown running in the at-large race, four candidates have emerged in the primary for the council seat. One candidate, Michael Wilson, previously held the seat from 1985-1993.

Political newcomers Rahsaan Berry, Tayna Fogle and Doyle Warren also are running.

The first district includes parts of downtown Lexington north of Main Street, the east end neighborhood, parts of the west end, and extends to Interstate 75. It includes Newtown Pike, N. Limestone and N. Broadway.

Who are the candidates?

Berry spent 25 years working for the Lexington Police Department, and said he will “commit myself for the next two or three, or however many years you allow me to be your voice and serve you.”

“I’m dependable, I’m reliable and I’m credible,” Berry said. “I’ve served you already for the last 25 years of my life as a public servant. I’ve dedicated my life to trying to protect and serve, number one, but also always coming up with solutions on how to improve our neighborhoods.”

Fogle is a community organizer with Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, which has been active in restoration of civil rights for convicted felons. Fogle said she would approach a seat on the council “as an organizer, not a politician.”

“I’m familiar with the first district,” Fogle said. “I love the first district. I am the first district. I’m their neighbor.”

Warren has been a minister for 43 years, and said he would bring that experience of working with the community to the council seat.

“I’ve told the community, I’ve told the faith leaders in the community: You will be able to contact me directly,” Warren said. “I want to hear about your issues.”

Wilson previously held the council seat for eight years, and has been a minister for 51 years. He decided to run for the seat because “I wasn’t finished.”

“After 36 years, I am back to do what I can,” Wilson said.

What is the top issues in the 1st district?

All of the candidates said crime is among their top issues in the first district.

Berry said he plans to address public safety and crime by offering more programming through parks and community centers, tailored to address the needs of children and parents in the community. Affordable housing also needs to be addressed in order for people to continue living in the area.

“I just think we need to come together as a community to decide some programs that we need that will help us offset some of these problems,” Berry said.

Fogle said there are multiple top issues in the first district, among them rebuilding relationships within the district and connecting with those who live there.

Similarly, Warren said the top two issues are crime and affordable housing.

Crime could be addressed by implementing programs that allow citizens to work with the police to solve crimes, Warren said. Some programs, like one that uses artificial intelligence to alert police when a gunshot is fired, could be used to start building that relationship.

Wilson said he wants to see more effective policing and investigations. The community and police could work together to address crime in the area, like a neighborhood watch program.

“What goes on at 4th Street and Chestnut seeps into other areas of our community,” Wilson said. “It affects the entire community.”

The urban service boundary

Berry and Fogle both said they need to understand more about the urban service boundary before coming to a decision on if it should be expanded. They both said they want to meet with community stakeholders to gain more insight into what is best for the community.

Warren and Wilson are both in favor of expanding the boundary. Warren said he supports expansion, as long as it is expanded equally in all areas.

Wilson said he supports expanding the boundary because it is the only way to have “sufficient and controlled development in this community.” The expansion should not mean there are fewer jobs created within the current boundary, but more opportunities throughout, he said.

Affordable housing in Lexington

All candidates said affordable housing needs to be addressed in the first district, and could be done by coming together with stakeholders to discuss the issue.

Non-profits in Lexington that assist with affordable housing need to be given more resources, Berry said. Stakeholders have to come together to address affordable housing issues.

“I want people to live in our area, that feel comfortable, and give them a better opportunity to know that they can afford it and live there as well,” Berry said.

Fogle said affordability must be addressed, and the cost of rent in Lexington must be decreased.

“We’ve got to get to that core and figure out how we can make this economically successful for citizens,” Fogle said. “Who needs to stand at the gas pump and say ‘Am I going to get gas? Am I going to get my medicine? Do I have this money to send my kids on a field trip?’ Life decisions should not be made in Lexington, Kentucky.”

Wilson said he believes there needs to be more collaboration between the city and existing organizations that assist with housing, as well as a city-wide definition of what is considered affordable.

“The city needs to be more innovative about what it can do,” Wilson said.

Rahsaan Berry

Age: 48

Previous work experience: 25 years with the Lexington Police

Any offices currently or previously held: None

Family: Father Ulysses Berry, Mother Marian Berry

Tayna Fogle

Age: 62

Previous work experience: Community work as an employment specialist; helped create the Child Support Enforcement Court; developed and implemented the Re-Entry Program at the Bluegrass Area Development District; volunteer at the Catholic Action Center, Salvation Army and a community partner with OneLex; volunteer with voter registration.

Any offices currently or previously held: None

Family: Mother of two, grandmother of 11 and great-grandmother of four

Doyle Warren

Age: 67

Previous work experience: Worked at IBM for 12 years and in retail and sales for 20 years, while also working as a minister for 43 years.

Any offices currently or previously held: Democratic precinct judge at Northside Library Precinct for 12 years

Family: Wife Tina, two sons and two grandchildren

Michael Wilson

Age: 72

Previous work experience: Minister for 43 years; managed apartments in Lexington; taught Headstart programs; business owner for five years

Any offices currently or previously held: Previously 1st district council member for 8 years

Family: Mother and father, both from Lexington-area; four siblings

This story was originally published May 5, 2022 at 12:45 PM.

Monica Kast

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-334-0595

Monica Kast covers higher education for the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com. Previously, she covered higher education in Tennessee for the Knoxville News Sentinel. She is originally from Louisville, Kentucky, and is a graduate of Western Kentucky University. Support my work with a digital subscription