Gorton and Bastin tussle over homicides, farmland preservation in final mayoral debate

The two candidates who want Lexington’s top job questioned each other’s records and tussled over endorsements in the final mayoral forum before the Nov. 6 general election.

Linda Gorton questioned opponent Ronnie Bastin on his public safety record and Bastin questioned Gorton’s support of a failed effort to spend $5 million of city money to purchase the development rights for a horse farm owned by an Irish citizen.

Gorton, a former vice mayor and 16-year councilwoman, asked Bastin why homicides increased during the time he was Lexington’s police chief and public safety commissioner. Bastin was police chief from 2008 to 2014 and public safety commissioner from 2014 until he resigned in January to run for mayor. Homicides went went from 13 a year in 2008 to 28 in 2017, Gorton said.

“Why weren’t your plans implemented as chief and commissioner?” Gorton said during the Monday evening forum, which was sponsored by the League of Women Voters, WKYT, Lexington Herald-Leader, WLAP and Transylvania University.

Bastin shot back that he would not “take that criticism” because Lexington’s police work hard, despite not always getting the funding they needed from the Urban County Council. “We had to prioritize,” he said.

The department performed well under his leadership, Bastin said.

The department solved 100 percent of homicides during two of the years he was police chief, which was unprecedented, he said. Lexington Police records only show one year — 2013 — when homicide clearance rates reached 100 percent by the end of the calendar year.

Meanwhile, Bastin asked why Gorton had supported a failed effort to appropriate $5 million in city money to buy the development rights for Castleton Lyons, a farm owned by Shane Ryan, an Irish citizen. The federal government typically picks up half the tab for development rights purchased under Lexington’s farmland preservation program, but the federal program does not allow foreign nationals to receive federal conservation funding.

“This would have been a $5 million giveaway to a foreign national,” Bastin said.

Gorton noted that she was not on the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council at the time the purchase was debated and eventually turned down, but defended the proposal.

“It’s about the land,” Gorton said, noting that the farm contains some of the highest-quality soil in Fayette County. “It has nothing to do with the person who owns the land.”

The two also sparred over endorsements during the forum.

Outgoing Mayor Jim Gray endorsed Gorton Friday, but Bastin said he has the endorsement of every major organization involved in the race, “which is unprecedented.”

After the Gray endorsement Bastin called Gorton a “career politician” who is “beholden to the political insiders at city hall.”

Bastin has received the endorsement of former mayors Jim Newberry and Teresa Isaac and nearly a dozen other groups, including unions for teachers, police, fire fighters.

Gorton said during Monday’s forum that Bastin does not have the endorsement of every organization. In addition to Gray, Gorton has the backing of former mayors Pam Miller and Scotty Baesler.

Meanwhile, Gorton has questioned why the National Association of Realtors Fund sent a mailer urging voters to pick Bastin.

Gorton said during Monday’s debate that an out-of-state PAC spending thousands to influence a Lexington election is disturbing.

Bastin countered by pointing out that Gorton accepted donations from federal political action committees in her successful election for vice mayor in 2010.

“I won’t say one thing and then do another,” Bastin said.

Gorton dismissed the criticism, saying that contributions from two federal PACs for $250 and $500 is very different from a PAC making an independent expenditure on mailers in Fayette County.

Despite their verbal back and forth, the two candidates largely agree on many key issues. Both say attacking the opioid crisis would be a top priority, but have different plans to approach it.

“This will be my very first priority in office,” Gorton said. “We have attacked it mainly from a public safety stand point.”

Gorton said she wants to appoint a mufti-disciplinary task force to develop a comprehensive plan to address the rise in addiction.

Bastin said he has a three-part plan to address opioid abuse in Lexington. “First law enforcement has to be choking off supply,” Bastin said. The city must also create partnerships to bring more long-term treatment beds and engage faith groups and others to mentor those in recovery.

This story was originally published October 29, 2018 at 8:43 PM.