Lexington mayor says city didn’t reject snow cleanup help, despite governor’s claim
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said the city never refused help from the state to clear local roadways, despite Gov. Andy Beshear claiming otherwise.
Gorton’s office issued a news release Friday disputing Beshear’s comments.
“I would never instruct any employee to refuse any kind of help from the state, especially help with clearing our roads,” Gorton said in a Friday media statement.
The mayor believes there was a misunderstanding between state and local staff last week, the statement says.
The governor’s office has not yet responded to a request for comment from the Herald-Leader.
In a Thursday press conference, Beshear called Lexington’s response to the winter storm “unacceptable.”
“This is second one in a row that we should have seen better results,” Beshear said, referring also to the city’s issues digging out from Winter Storm Blair. “We helped and have helped, and then were told for a period of time that our help wasn’t needed. We have asked and it has been accepted to help some more.”
Gorton said the state did help on clearing roads last week and have continued to help.
Yesterday, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet told drivers to expect traffic delays as state crews assist the city in clearing roadways inside New Circle Road.
Gorton also countered a claim from Beshear that the city had not pretreated roads as it should have.
“We did extensive pre-treating for this storm,” Gorton said.
“Even though we took several steps and invested in improving our response this year, including new equipment and hiring additional contractors, we were still not prepared to handle the thick coating of ice Lexington received, especially when it was coupled with extended cold,” she continued.
Gorton and other local officials have repeatedly said they will overhaul the city’s winter response plan after ice still is covering local streets throughout Lexington.
Beshear said Thursday the state was ready to help the city as it builds a new plan.
This story was originally published February 6, 2026 at 1:27 PM.
