Herald-Leader endorsements: Lexington’s Council needs more work, less drama. Here are our picks.

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council is the guiding force of Lexington, directing hundreds of millions of dollars to services and people, and steering how our city addresses issues like zoning, public safety, homelessness, and housing.

It should be a serious place, where serious work is done on serious issues.

But in the past year, we have seen some extremely non-serious behavior from some members, including allegations of sexual assault and drinking on the job. The council should be free of melodrama and personal spats. With so many pressing issues ahead of us, it’s imperative members should be putting all their energy into making Lexington a better place.

We need adults in the room at all times. Lexington deserves, and residents demand, nothing less.

With that in mind, here are our endorsements:

District 1: Tyler Morton

Incumbent Tayna Fogle is one of our city’s most passionate advocates for our most vulnerable citizens; she keeps people focused on the fact that Lexington is too wealthy a place to see so many people sleeping outdoors. She acts as the city’s conscience, and we hope she always will.

But Fogle seems to have trouble focusing on less-important issues; the myriad mundane detail work of council that keeps the city running.

Tyler Morton also grew up in District 1. One of his cousins died from gun violence, and his work at a local hospital further convinced him of a constant struggle that must be solved in District 1.

He has a coherent vision to make that district a safer, more prosperous place, one that unites more youth programming to less gentrification and more home ownership. He wants to create a more reliable information infrastructure so that residents understand what council is doing — or not doing — to help them.

He pledges to work with Lexington police to create a different kind of policing in the district, one that relies on more on technology, social work, community policing and better relationships, rather than antagonism. He is a political novice, but has worked as a council aid to Fogle and at large member James Brown, and is well versed in the intricacies of city government.

District 2 - Shayla Lynch

Lynch has been an effective leader for District 2 in her first term, and we think she should continue.

Her long career in nonprofits and as a volunteer gives her unique insights into numerous pockets of Lexington, everything from the Urban League to neighborhood schools. She helped secure $6 million to rebuild the pool and concession stand at Douglass Park, one of Lexington’s traditionally underserved areas.

She helped pass her first ordinance shortly after coming into office on banning source of income discrimination — which helps more people find housing — and proved to be a passionate spokeswoman for the issue in Frankfort, where unfortunately her efforts were overruled by GOP legislators.

She also passed a local version of the CROWN Act, which forbids discrimination based on hair style and hair texture. District 2 is the fastest growing in Lexington, and Lynch has pledged to keep up with the many issues of traffic, housing and gentrification that will come along with that growth.

Jacques Wigginton served on the Urban County Council from 2000 -2006, and we thank him for his service, but believe Lynch is the right choice.

District 4 - Emma Curtis

On Oct. 16, Fayette Circuit Judge Traci Brislin ruled the allegations of sexual assault against District 4 Council Member Brenda Monarrez made by District 6 Council Member Denise Gray were serious enough to merit a three-year protection order barring Monarrez from contact with Gray.

The civil order includes City Hall. That means that if Monarrez was reelected, she would have to attend council sessions by video.

Monarrez continues to deny all the allegations. No criminal charges have been filed.

Like many of you, we do not see how Monarrez can do her job while she is banned from city premises. It’s a shame because Monarrez has turned into a detail-oriented official who is clearly working hard on behalf of her constituents.

Emma Curtis is equally passionate about Lexington, a smart and savvy young politician who will dive deep into the many complicated issues facing District 4, like how to make Nicholasville Road a safer, more manageable corridor.

Curtis is also deeply concerned with housing affordability that affects so many people her age in Lexington. As someone who has been an advocate in Frankfort, she understands the tapestry of relationships between local and state officials, which became so prominent in the last legislative session.

But she also wants Lexington to have a better, data-driven policy in place before it commits to any expansion of the Urban Service Boundary. We hope that if elected she will commit to lowering the drama level at City Hall.

District 5 - Liz Sheehan

In two terms, Sheehan has proved herself to be one of council’s smartest and hardest working members.

She is still paying a heavy price for her vote on the most recent expansion of the Urban Service Boundary. Horse interests are heavily backing her opponent, Meredith Price, with a newly formed PAC.

Sheehan tried to get council to wait for a more data-driven process as exemplified by the Goal 4 work group and voted to limit the acreage. But in the end, she told us, Lexington’s deep and extreme housing needs led her to support the expansion.

She has also supported new zoning rules that emphasize density inside the Urban Service Boundary, something that is integral to saving green space. She is also heavily involved in the ongoing discussions over short-term rentals, which continue to grow across the city.

Sheehan has been an important part of Lexington’s Complete Streets policy, which attempts to create safer, more accessible transportation routes for cars, bikes and pedestrians, and in ongoing discussion of accessory dwelling units. In her next term, she wants to focus on helping more residents with mental health concerns, which affect every sector of the city.

Price is an engaging candidate, a real estate agent who clearly loves Lexington, but she has nowhere near the breadth of knowledge about city government that Sheehan does. Losing Sheehan’s energy and her knowledge as developers press for even more expansion would be a huge loss to the 5th District and to the council as a whole.

District 7 —Joseph Hale

The race for District 7 is one of two open seats, and both Joseph Hale and Heather Hadi are well-meaning and energetic candidates. We hope both of them continue to work in public service.

But we are giving the nod to Joseph Hale for his professional and volunteer activities that will be valuable additions to council.

As pastor in his church, he has been helped form a group called Boys to Men, which helps mentor young males into school, sports and success. As the IT coordinator for the Emergency Response and Preparedness Branch of the state’s Department for Public Health, Hale understands both large governmental systems and the minutiae that runs our city.

He will use that expertise for such issues as more affordable housing and better traffic in the 7th District.

District 12 — Chad Walker:

Like District 7, the open seat in District 12 has brought two worthy candidates to the race. Hil Boone, a horse farm owner who started the popular Boonedogs restaurant on Old Richmond Road, deeply understands growth pressures that the district, which makes up nearly all of the rural land in Fayette County.

But the District 12 member also must participate in the whole council dealing with policing, housing, zoning and crime.

Chad Walker lives on a PDR farm in northern Fayette and says land preservation is his top priority. But he has also developed a former industrial neighborhood near downtown and understands the problems facing adaptive reuse and infill development, which could relieve some strains on the Urban Service Boundary and create more much-needed housing.

To further strengthen that resume, Walker is a current member of the Board of Adjustment and served on the Vacant Property Review Commission. He wants to streamline the ways we build more affordable housing without ruining farmland.

Walker also is an advocate of regional planning, an approach we must take more seriously as Central Kentucky continues to grow.

We believe Walker would make a valuable addition to the council.

This story was originally published October 23, 2024 at 10:08 AM.