Denise Gray, left, and Charlie Rowland are running for the Urban County Council District 6 seat. The election takes places Nov. 8, 2022.
Photos courtesy of candidates
As the Nov. 8 election approaches, candidates for the Urban County Council 6th District seat agree that public safety is the top issue in their area.
Two candidates are on the ballot for District 6: Denise Gray and Charlie Rowland. David Kloiber, current councilmember for the 6th District, is running for mayor, leaving the seat without an incumbent.
District 6 includes the west side of Lexington between New Circle Road and I-75, including Hamburg and Bryan Station.
Who are the candidates?
Rowland is an attorney and former adviser in the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development. He is also a former assistant attorney general.
“This is really the best way for me to impact Lexington in a positive way, and use my background and experience to help Lexington,” Rowland said. “I think that city council really is where the rubber hits the road.”
Gray unsuccessfully ran for state senate in 2018, and said she was not considering another office before voters asked her to enter the 6th District race. Gray is a former Fayette County Public Schools employee and Bryan Station High School graduate.
“The 6th District was where I grew up,” Gray said. “Throughout time, I’ve noticed the lack of attention the 6th District has received and I’ve also watched many of the issues that have been happening in the 6th District that have not been paid attention to. I will always stand up for my community.”
Public safety is the top issue for District 6, Lexington
Gray and Rowland said public safety is the top issue in District 6. The first two homicides in Lexington this year took place in the 6th District, and several victims in the district have been under the age of 18.
Rowland cited staff shortages among police and the need for more access to addiction and mental health counseling as two solutions for addressing public safety.
“I think so many of the issues that we face involving public safety relate to or have underlying causes with addiction or mental health, and we’re not doing a good job of providing the resources,” Rowland said.
Similarly, Gray said she would like to provide more community resources, and would like to see more activities for youth in District 6, including sports at parks and mentorship to keep young people out of crime.
“Safety is much more than policing,” Gray said. “It’s a community, collaborative issue. ... This is about making sure we keep talking about it, and we start acting.”
The Urban Service Boundary
Gray said she would only support expanding the Urban Service Boundary if there was a strategic plan in place for how land would be used, and said she has concerns about current housing issues in Lexington.
“I’m not ever in favor of doing anything without a strategic plan,” Gray said. “There must be a strategic plan in place so that we don’t repeat what we’re going through right now.”
Rowland said he does not support the expansion of the boundary, but instead would like to see investment in existing Lexington neighborhoods. Rowland said he also has concerns about taxes potentially increasing if the boundary moves.
“We already have neighborhood that need help, neighborhoods that need investment right now,” Rowland said.
Economic Development
Lexington should become the go-to place for headquarters of companies and for research and development, Rowland said.
Rowland and Gray said they want to work on workforce development, including programs that would work with high schools and colleges to assist with job training for students. Both said they would like to see the University of Kentucky and Bluegrass Community and Technical College play a role in preparing the next generation of the workforce.
“How are we going to train people?” Rowland said. “People might want to work, but we’re going to make sure that they’re capable of working.”
The city should also work to make sure that there are jobs available for the young people of Lexington, so that they will want to stay here and work.
“We need to make sure that we’re in enticing positions and industries that are building for the future,” Gray said.
Denise Gray is running for the Urban County Council District 6 seat. The election takes place on Nov. 8, 2022. Photo courtesy of Denise Gray
Denise Gray
Age: 43
Work Experience: Fayette County Public Schools: various roles, including substitute teacher, paraeducator, coach; Governor’s Office of Early Childhood, Director of Communications.
Offices Held: None
Family: Parents, Ralph and Audrey Gray; Siblings Kimberly and Brian Gray; Niece Kennedy.
Charlie Rowland is running for the Urban County Council District 6 seat. The election takes place on Nov. 8, 2022. Photo courtesy of Charlie Rowland
Charlie Rowland
Age: 34 years old
Work Experience: Attorney at Regard Law Group; Executive Advisor at the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development; Assistant Attorney General, Kentucky Office of the Attorney General, Office of Consumer Protection; Specialist, Kentucky Army National Guard, 201st Engineer Battalion.
Offices held: Board of Directors member for Lexington Art League, 2016-Present; President of Lexington Art League board, 2019-2021; Board of Directors for Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Bluegrass, 2018-present; currently President-Elect of Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Bluegrass board.
Monica Kast covers higher education for the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com. Previously, she covered higher education in Tennessee for the Knoxville News Sentinel. She is originally from Louisville, Kentucky, and is a graduate of Western Kentucky University.Support my work with a digital subscription
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.png "Denise Gray, left, and Charlie Rowland are running for the Urban County Council District 6 seat. The election takes places Nov. 8, 2022.")
