‘Too close to call’ Results of most Lexington city council races still not final
With at least 7,200 absentee ballots left to be counted in Fayette County, the winners of four contested Lexington council races will likely not be known until Friday or possibly Nov. 10.
Fayette County Clerk Don Blevins Jr. said Wednesday he estimated that there were at least 7,200 absentee and other ballots still to be counted, and more were still arriving. County clerks are scheduled to give updated vote totals on Friday, the date the last absentee ballot should arrive. Absentee ballots had to be postmarked by Tuesday. Unofficial results will be released Nov. 10.
Whitney Elliott Baxter, a real estate agent and first-time candidate, appears to be the winner in the race for the open 9th Council District seat, according to Tuesday’s unofficial results.
Baxter, 37, received 55 percent of the vote compared to Willy Fogle’s 44 percent. After Tuesday night, she had a 1,431-vote lead over Fogle and is the likely winner of that race.
Fogle received the most votes in the four-way May primary. Baxter was second. Fogle, 59, an insurance agent, served as the 7th District councilman from 1994 to 2002. He was also an aide to late Councilman Julian Beard.
Although this was Baxter’s first race, her family is no stranger to local politics. Her grandfather, the late Bill Rice, served as the 9th District councilman from 1978 to 1983. Baxter has said traffic — particularly around schools in the 9th District — will be one of her top priorities.
Baxter thanked her supporters on social media Tuesday while Fogle sent his congratulations to Baxter late Tuesday night.
“Congratulations to Whitney Elliott Baxter. Best wishes on your service to the 9th District,” Fogle said in a Facebook post.
Longtime Councilwoman Jennifer Mossotti announced late last year that she would not seek re-election in the district that includes many neighborhoods in the Reynolds Road area
3rd Council District
In the 3rd Council District, which includes much of downtown and neighborhoods around the University of Kentucky, political newcomers Hannah LeGris and Jessica Mohler are in a tight race for the seat once occupied by late Councilman Jake Gibbs. Gibbs, who had previously said he wouldn’t seek re-election, died unexpectedly in early March.
Mohler, 38, received the most votes in the May primary, edging out LeGris, 34, by only 26 votes.
On Tuesday, LeGris had 52 percent of the votes, according to unofficial results. Mohler had 48 percent. LeGris’ lead over Mohler as of Tuesday night was 182 votes.
Mohler and LeGris thanked their supporters on social media and cautioned that a winner may not be declared for several days.
“Based on previous election turnout numbers for our district, we feel it’s too close to call — it could be tonight, or it could be next week before we know with certainty,” Mohler said in a Facebook post.
LeGris agreed in a Facebook post.
“As we expected, we are going to have to wait a bit longer for the rest of the results,” LeGris said. “In the meantime, I want to thank everyone that has turned out and voted over the past month. I am humbled by the outpouring (of) support.”
LeGris, a career counselor at the University of Kentucky, said she wanted to run for office to make Lexington a more inclusive and economically resilient city. Mohler, director of marketing and communications for the Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning, said she felt that her background and life experiences made her the better candidate.
5th Council District
Liz Sheehan, a senior lecturer at the University of Kentucky, and incumbent Lexington Councilman Bill Farmer, who has held the 5th District seat since 2010, are only separated by 16 votes in a tight race to represent the district that includes Chevy Chase and many neighborhoods close to downtown and UK.
Sheehan, 40, received 6,091 votes compared to Farmer’s 6,075, according to Tuesday night’s unofficial results.
The 2020 general election was a rematch of the 2018 race, where Farmer beat Sheehan with 53 percent of the vote compared to Sheehan’s 46 percent. Farmer, 61, a small business owner and a jeweler, served on the council from 1993 to 2004 before returning in 2010.
In a Facebook message on Wednesday, Sheehan thanked voters and promised to update people when vote tallies are finalized.
“While we may not know the results of this contest today, we do know that thousands of 5th District voters have cast their ballot in support of creating a Lexington where everyone can thrive, regardless of their zip code or identity,” Sheehan wrote. “Whatever the outcome, I look forward to continuing to work on the issues facing our community in or out of office.”
Farmer also remained upbeat in a message to supporters.
“All of us should be proud of and excited by our historic voter turnout,” Farmer wrote. “I truly appreciate your ideas, conversations, hard work and inspiration! Please know this election is not over yet as ALL ballots have NOT been counted,” Farmer wrote on his campaign Facebook page.
8th Council District
Incumbent Lexington Councilman Fred Brown received 53 percent of the vote, Christian Motley, who works for a nonprofit, received 47 percent, according to unofficial results.
In raw numbers, Brown received 4,735 votes. Motley received 4,240 votes, with Brown leading by 495 votes. Brown, a retired accountant, served on the council from 1994 to 2004. He was elected to council again in 2015.
Brown successfully challenged the number of voter signatures on Motley’s 2018 candidacy papers, knocking Motley out of the race two years ago. Motley, a former staffer in Gov. Steve Beshear and President Barack Obama’s administrations, said in a social media post that he is still waiting for all votes to be counted and has not conceded the race for the district that includes neighborhoods surrounding the Tates Creek Golf Course south of New Circle Road.
“We still have some time before we know the final tally in our race, but I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported this campaign,” Motley wrote on Facebook. “Our team will keep an eye on the ballot count and share more once we see the official results.”
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 9:30 PM.
