Bastin brings party politics to Lexington mayor race. Gorton: ‘It’s disrespectful.’

Lexington’s race for mayor is supposed to be nonpartisan, but the political party affiliations of Ronnie Bastin and Linda Gorton are taking center stage in the final days of a campaign that has heated up over the last two weeks.

Bastin, a former Lexington police chief and public safety commissioner, sent mailers to voters this week that touts him as “the only Democrat running for Mayor!”

The mailer labels opponent Linda Gorton, a former vice mayor of Lexington, a “lifelong registered Republican” and questions whether she voted for Donald Trump, Andy Barr, Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell. “How will Gorton’s GOP roots affect progressive Lexington?” the advertisement asks.

Gorton said she’s disappointed that Bastin has injected party politics into the nonpartisan race.

“It’s very disrespectful of the (city) charter,” Gorton said. “I am disappointed in my opponent. It’s not relevant in this campaign.”

The charter for Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, which voters approved in 1972, stipulates that all city government races are nonpartisan. Candidates for the city’s mayor and council district races rarely advertise their party affiliation.

“During my time in government, over 16 years, I always respected the charter,” said Gorton, who was on the Urban County Council from 1998 to 2014. “I’ve never been involved in partisan politics.”

The last time party affiliation was an issue in a mayoral election was 2002, when Scott Crosbie, who touted his Republican ties and financial backing, battled with Teresa Isaac, a Democrat. Isaac won the race.

In a comment provided to the Herald-Leader after this story was published online, Bastin said he sent the mailer because people were confused about his party affiliation.

“My campaign team is made up of Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians and Independents. That diversity is what makes us so strong,” Bastin said. “However, over and over during the campaign, my party affiliation was questioned or confused. Voters deserve to have their questions answered before casting a vote. With that said, I’m not driven by party affiliation.”

Bastin did not say why he chose to highlight Gorton’s party affiliation.

The mailer also features photos of Bastin with former U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler; former Lexington police chief and mayoral candidate Anthany Beatty; and former Gov. Paul Patton, all Democrats.

Chandler, who now works for the nonprofit advocacy group Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, said he did not give Bastin permission to use his picture in a campaign advertisement.

“I’m not at all happy about it, and neither will my non-partisan board,” Chandler said, referring to the health foundation. “In addition, it violates the spirit of Lexington’s charter. We need more non-partisan elections, not fewer. I’m sorry it’s been done and particularly disappointed that (it has) been used without my permission. They should have known better. “

Beatty also said he did not give permission for his photo to be used on the mailer. Beatty said he has not endorsed either candidate in the mayor’s race. He is now an assistant vice president at the University of Kentucky and said he will work with whomever becomes mayor.

“I didn’t know the party affiliation of Linda or Ronnie,” Beatty said. “I have told people this isn’t about who someone endorses. You need to look at the candidates and determine what they would do for the community.”

Gorton said most of the issues that came before her on the city council were nonpartisan.

On some of the council’s most controversial votes, though, Gorton has sided with her more progressive constituents.

In 1999, Gorton voted in favor of the city’s fairness ordinance, which banned discrimination based on sexual orientation. She was an early supporter of the Affordable Housing Fund, which sets aside city money to build affordable housing, and the Office of Homelessness Prevention and Intervention. In 2013, she successfully pushed an ordinance that would provide insurance and other benefits to the same-sex partners of city employees.

Gorton voted against a 5 percent pay raise for police and fire employees in 2012, which is referenced in a different Bastin mailer that accuses Gorton of not supporting public safety workers.

“I voted against it because we were in the middle of the recession,” Gorton said. “I am well-known during my years on council for being fiscally sound.”

But will touting his Democrat Party affiliation help Bastin in a county where 52 percent of voters are registered Democrats and 37 percent are registered Republicans?

Don Dugi, a professor of political science at Transylvania University and longtime observer of local elections, said it’s possible that Bastin thinks he can ride the coattails of voters who support Democratic congressional candidate Amy McGrath in her tight race against Barr in the Sixth Congressional District.

“Not sure about the efficacy of the strategy — or why he chose it,” Dugi said.

At least one longtime Democrat said Wednesday he was on the fence and couldn’t decide between Bastin and Gorton until the mailer arrived Wednesday. He’s now voting for Gorton, Allen Cornish said in an email to the Lexington Herald-Leader’s editorial board.

This story was originally published November 2, 2018 at 10:14 AM.