Kathy Plomin for Lexington council District 12

Kathy Plomin’s knowledge and long record of civic involvement should make her the top choice for voters in Lexington’s 12th Urban County Council District.

The rural 12th District encompasses 70 percent of Lexington-Fayette County’s land mass. It is home to some of the world’s finest agricultural land and Thoroughbred horse farms, old and new suburban neighborhoods, and historic rural hamlets and villages.

In her first term on the council, Plomin has worked to protect the irreplaceable farmland, while also building connections with the many neighborhoods where most of the district’s residents live.

Plomin opposed expansion of the Urban Service Area boundary. She’s initiating regional conversations about land use, in response to concerns raised by Bourbon County officials’ short-lived effort to enlarge the runways at Bluegrass Station at Avon to accommodate large cargo planes. She wants better internet service in rural Fayette County and is an advocate for finding a home for the Lexington History Museum.

We asked Plomin about her remarks regarding the need for more minority members on some city boards, especially the Rural Land Management Board, and were reassured that she’s genuinely committed to diverse representation in city government. During the years she was president/CEO of the United Way of the Bluegrass, she helped start Get On Board, a 14-year-old program that promotes greater diversity on community boards by educating potential members. Get on Board was an outgrowth of the Erasing Racism summit in 2001.

Her opponent, Monteia Mundy Owenby, an attorney, says her top issues are public safety and jobs. She faults Plomin for not doing enough to bring faster internet to rural areas. She said one of the reasons she is running is to give voters a choice.

Plomin, who ran against council member Russ Hensley in 2016, was appointed to the seat before the election after Hensley resigned from the council and withdrew from the race. Hensley had been appointed to the seat by Mayor Jim Gray after the death in 2015 of councilman Ed Lane, who represented the 12th District for 10 years.

Owenby is enthusiastic, her willingness to run is admirable, and she should see seek ways to serve and learn.

Considering the candidates’ experience and knowledge, the better choice on Nov. 6 is Plomin.