A steady hand on the wheel: We endorse Bill Farmer for the 5th District council seat

Over the next two years, Lexington will face some of the biggest challenges in its history: An unprecedented budget crisis caused by coronavirus at a time when more people need government services than ever, a huge and troubled renovation of the downtown convention center, the scheduled completion of the EPA consent decree to fix its stormwater problems. The need for steady and experienced hands on deck to help Mayor Linda Gorton is why we are endorsing Bill Farmer in his last run as the 5th District council member.

Challenger Liz Sheehan has done a superlative job at educating herself about the 5th District and many other issues that face Lexington, and we look forward to her continued career in public service. But Farmer deserves a chance to finish his last term as a senior member who deeply understands the city’s budget and its governance.

Farmer has supported important city projects, like his decade-long push for a city fund for public art, but he is more than a cheerleader. He made an important statement earlier this year when he stood up to the Lexington Center board, which needed more more money for the $275 million expansion, saying it was a “great disservice” to the city that officials had not been told earlier that the LCC needed to refinance some bonds on the project. The city could be on the hook for any defaults on that project.

In addition, as chair of the Environmental and Public Works Committee, Farmer has a deep understanding of the $590 million in sewer and storm water upgrades required under an EPA consent decree to improve water quality. This project is now implementing a costly sewer pipe phase that will require close attention from the city.

Farmer could use more nuance and understanding of the Black Lives Matter movement and the need for police reform, despite his support for it. We hope he will continue to listen on these issues and support the recommendations of the Mayor’s Commission for Racial Justice and Equality.

But he also supports more infill in the 5th District, and a closer relationship with the University of Kentucky, which propels many of the development decisions in that area. Most of all, his deep understanding of how Lexington’s budget works will help Lexington manage some tough times ahead, making Farmer the right choice for the 5th.

This story was originally published October 15, 2020 at 9:39 AM.