Lexington council denies mayor’s appointee for local planning board. What happens now?
Lexington Fayette Urban County Council denied the approval of Mayor Linda Gorton’s appointment to fill an upcoming vacancy on the Board of Adjustment.
As part of the city’s planning division, the Board of Adjustment mainly handles zoning issues, like approving or denying construction variances or conditional use permits. Members of the board are appointed by public officials, not elected by voters.
Board of Adjustment Chair Raquel Carter is approaching the end of her second term July 1. She announced earlier this year she will run for mayor in the 2026 election.
Filling vacancies on the Board of Adjustment is a joint effort between the mayor’s office and city council. The mayor has 60 days from the start of the vacancy to recommend an appointee, who then has to be confirmed by the city council.
The city received eight applications to fill the upcoming vacancy, according to spokeswoman Susan Straub.
Gorton recommended Anissa Martinez to fill the spot, but council did not confirm that pick at a public hearing June 26. Martinez works as a security specialist for Bechtel, an engineering company in Richmond.
The mayor has until Aug. 30 to submit another appointee, which the council may choose to approve or deny.
If the vacancy is not filled within 60 days, the authority falls to the Planning Commission to appoint someone.
That’s what happened last summer, when the council denied the mayor’s reappointment of Janice Meyer to the city’s Planning Commission. Gorton didn’t submit another name during the 60-day window, and the Planning Commission filled the vacancy themselves.
Multiple council members have previously criticized Gorton’s slow movement in the appointment process.
Earlier this year, she submitted an appointee for the Planning Commission just eight working days before the approval deadline.
Councilmember Denise Gray at the time called the last-minute submission “extremely disrespectful” to residents.
Councilmember James Brown told the Herald-Leader Friday he appreciates everyone who volunteers to serve on a city board or commission, and offered his assurance that council is “committed to promptly addressing any current vacancies.”
It’s important elected officials are in charge of staffing the city’s board and commissions, Councilmember Tyler Morton said, instead of letting that responsibility fall to the Planning Commission, who are not elected officials.
“It’s crucial that we follow the confirmation process currently in place. The mayor appoints, and the council confirms. This system reflects a necessary balance of power and maintains the integrity of our government structure,” Morton said in a statement to the Herald-Leader.
“If council does not have time to act and the responsibility defaults to the Planning Commission, it undermines that balance and sets a concerning precedent. In no form or fashion should the planning commission be the body deciding who sits on the board of adjustment or on the commission itself. That authority belongs to elected representatives, and we must uphold that process.”