Hoelscher, Wolter will face off in November for downtown Lexington council seat
Two political newcomers will face each other in the November general election for a key downtown Lexington council seat.
Stephenie Hoelscher emerged on top of the primary Tuesday with 49% of the vote. Second was Nick Wolter with 28%. The third place finisher, who was eliminated in the nonpartisan race, was Michael McLaughlin with 23% of the vote.
“I have so loved knocking doors, meeting voters, and seeing our 5th District neighborhoods on foot,” Hoelscher said. “I can’t wait to get back out there, building our punch list for a strong and vibrant Lexington.”
Wolter said he was grateful for the support he received.
“This campaign was built person by person, conversation by conversation, and I’m proud of the effort our volunteers, supporters, friends, and family put in over the last five months,” he said. “We have a general election ahead of us, but tonight it’s encouraging to see that our message about safe streets, infrastructure accountability, housing affordability, and practical leadership resonated with voters. I’m thankful for everyone who believed in us, and I look forward to the work ahead,” said Wolter.
McLaughlin, who won’t be advancing to the general election, said, “I believe we had the right message. We just didn’t get there tonight.”
McLaughlin said the race “was a tough five months.”
The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council 5th District includes Chevy Chase, Idle Hour, Fairway and other downtown-adjacent neighborhoods. The seat was the only council race to attract three candidates, prompting a primary. Councilwoman Liz Sheehan, who has held the seat since 2020, announced in 2025 she would not seek reelection.
Traffic, pedestrian safety, snow removal and a fight over a mental health clinic on Duke Road were top issues in the May primary.
Hoelscher, 44, a policy consultant and former newspaper reporter, pledged to continue the council’s work to promote safe streets by exploring engineering and design options to make Lexington streets safer.
Wolter, 36, who owns a building and remodeling business, had said before the election he would like to see stepped up traffic enforcement by the Lexington Police Department to catch speeders, red light-runners and traffic scofflaws. Wolter also said a new pedestrian crossing on busy Richmond Road would address a key pedestrian safety issue in the district.
McLaughlin, 56, an information technology professional, also thought Lexington police should increase traffic enforcement. He also said before the election he believes the city should use more technology to determine where high-speeding areas are located.
All three agreed the city needs to do a better job with its snow and ice removal plan. Hoelscher said more neighborhood streets needed to be added to the city-wide snow removal plan, which is currently being reworked after complaints about shoddy snow removal after a late January storm.
Wolter and McLaughlin said the city needed to look at other cities and jurisdictions to figure out best practices. McLaughlin said talking to the University of Kentucky, which was able to clear snow and ice quickly, was a key first step.
One of the more contentious topics in the 5th District this spring was a proposal by Roaring Brook to put a mental health treatment center on Duke Road.
McLaughlin spoke against it during an April 13 Board of Adjustment meeting. The board ultimately voted to approve a conditional use permit for the treatment center. Wolter said he understood the concerns from neighbors but said he would support Roaring Brook now that it had been approved. Hoelscher, who has worked on criminal justice reform measures at the state and federal level, said she did not believe Roaring Brook would pose a threat to the neighborhood.
Neighbors have since filed lawsuits over the Board of Adjustment’s approval of Roaring Brook’s conditional use permit for the mental health facility.
This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 9:23 PM.
