ISSUES

Basic Services & Infrastructure are the foundation of good government.

The most basic reason governments are formed is to provide adequate public safety (for example: police, fire, emergency management), good basic services (garbage collection, street lights, street cleaning, parks, etc) and infrastructure (e.g., roads, sewers, etc). For that reason, the needs of public safety, streets & roads, sewers, emergency management, parks, and other basics should be considered in the top tier for funding during every budget cycle.

High Priority for Storm Water & Flooding

For several years prior to 2009 I was the only council member to propose stormwater funding from unanticipated revenues. As the result of a lawsuit by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Commonwealth of Kentucky for violating the Federal Clean Water Act, Lexington had to fix our stormwater problems.

I accepted the challenge to chair the Stormwater Fee Task Force, created by the Council to address the stormwater problems. During the work of that task force, from Dec. 2008 – April 2009, I worked with representatives from the civic, business, and neighborhood communities to craft a funding solution to our massive water pollution and flooding problems. The Water Quality Management Fee, approved by the Council in May 2009 & implemented in January 2010, will be dedicated to fixing our water quality/flooding problems. Currently identified projects total more than $117 million and require a commitment of regular funding.

I support planned growth.

In 1958, Lexington became the first community in the United States to establish an Urban Service Boundary (USB), designating the land inside that boundary for future development. Since then, various other tools have been put into place to help define our planning process. Some of these tools are the Comprehensive Plan for Land Use (reviewed every five years by the Planning Commission), the Rural Land Management Plan (adopted in 1999), the Purchase of Development Rights Program (adopted in 2000), and the Infill & Redevelopment Program. The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG) has also adopted Engineering Manuals, defining standards for building construction.

With all this in mind, the Urban County Council’s role in reviewing the Comprehensive Plan is to review and adopt the Goals & Objectives, which drive the Comprehensive Plan. The Planning Commission has the sole decision-making role in whether to expand the USB during its every-five-year review.

During the Urban County Council’s review of the Goals & Objectives in 2006, I was part of the unanimous decision to reject a new Comprehensive Plan Goal of expanding the Urban Service Boundary. City planners have indicated that undeveloped acreage (perhaps as much as 9000 acres) remains within the current boundary, including Infill & Redevelopment opportunities. Part of the discussion must continue to be how to ensure that there is adequate infrastructure (sewers, roads, etc) to support increased Infill & Redevelopment. Our Division of Water Quality has undertaken a Capacity Assurance Study to determine which of our sanitary sewers can accommodate increased sewer capacity for added density through Infill.

Most importantly, I believe we need to continue community-wide discussion regarding growth in Fayette County. Neighborhoods, business owners, developers, citizens, Commerce Lexington, Bluegrass Tomorrow and other representatives of growth interests need to sit at the table to have meaningful conversations about what we want Fayette County to be like in 50-100 years. A vision for the future of our land will promote continued planned growth, to enable Fayette Countians to preserve what makes our county unique.

HOW WE FIGHT THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC HEAD-ON

Lexington has been engaged in a fight with an opioid and illicit drug epidemic that has impacted every aspect of our city. While we’ve added more police officers on the street, violent crime has increased and the costs of addiction, crime, treatment and incarceration have gone up as well. This issue shows no bias for economic, social or racial identity. As your mayor, I will focus on three key components to meet this challenge head on.

1. I intend to ensure law enforcement has every tool necessary to go after the dealers, traffickers, violent offenders and anyone else who has helped perpetuate this plague. This includes strengthening penalties for those with weapons violations and anyone preying on our youth. But we must recognize that we cannot put the burden on our law enforcement to address this alone.

2. We have to be more invested in treating addiction by supporting programs in community organizations, leveraging our healthcare and insurance providers, building social support systems, and boosting drug court, job reentry programs and rehabilitation centers that responsibly bring our fellow citizens back into productive society. I will lead efforts to unite leaders across all of these areas to build innovative and evidence- based solutions that work for our community and continue to build on the experiences and incredible work currently being done by those on the front lines.

3. The many layers required to fight this problem cannot succeed, though, if we do not work just as hard at prevention. Communities and neighborhoods will be encouraged to hold open and honest conversations about how this epidemic has impacted lives. I will work to make sure every effort is made to empower our neighborhoods to become centers of interaction once again and to remove the barriers of isolation that allow addiction to grow.

This will be the greatest challenge of all, but I believe the tragedy of the opioid epidemic and the violence that has come with it can serve as the wakeup call we have long needed to rebuild our communities and the support they provide us all.

ISSUES

Basic Services & Infrastructure are the foundation of good government.

The most basic reason governments are formed is to provide adequate public safety (for example: police, fire, emergency management), good basic services (garbage collection, street lights, street cleaning, parks, etc) and infrastructure (e.g., roads, sewers, etc). For that reason, the needs of public safety, streets & roads, sewers, emergency management, parks, and other basics should be considered in the top tier for funding during every budget cycle.

High Priority for Storm Water & Flooding

For several years prior to 2009 I was the only council member to propose stormwater funding from unanticipated revenues. As the result of a lawsuit by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Commonwealth of Kentucky for violating the Federal Clean Water Act, Lexington had to fix our stormwater problems.

I accepted the challenge to chair the Stormwater Fee Task Force, created by the Council to address the stormwater problems. During the work of that task force, from Dec. 2008 – April 2009, I worked with representatives from the civic, business, and neighborhood communities to craft a funding solution to our massive water pollution and flooding problems. The Water Quality Management Fee, approved by the Council in May 2009 & implemented in January 2010, will be dedicated to fixing our water quality/flooding problems. Currently identified projects total more than $117 million and require a commitment of regular funding.

I support planned growth.

In 1958, Lexington became the first community in the United States to establish an Urban Service Boundary (USB), designating the land inside that boundary for future development. Since then, various other tools have been put into place to help define our planning process. Some of these tools are the Comprehensive Plan for Land Use (reviewed every five years by the Planning Commission), the Rural Land Management Plan (adopted in 1999), the Purchase of Development Rights Program (adopted in 2000), and the Infill & Redevelopment Program. The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG) has also adopted Engineering Manuals, defining standards for building construction.

With all this in mind, the Urban County Council’s role in reviewing the Comprehensive Plan is to review and adopt the Goals & Objectives, which drive the Comprehensive Plan. The Planning Commission has the sole decision-making role in whether to expand the USB during its every-five-year review.

During the Urban County Council’s review of the Goals & Objectives in 2006, I was part of the unanimous decision to reject a new Comprehensive Plan Goal of expanding the Urban Service Boundary. City planners have indicated that undeveloped acreage (perhaps as much as 9000 acres) remains within the current boundary, including Infill & Redevelopment opportunities. Part of the discussion must continue to be how to ensure that there is adequate infrastructure (sewers, roads, etc) to support increased Infill & Redevelopment. Our Division of Water Quality has undertaken a Capacity Assurance Study to determine which of our sanitary sewers can accommodate increased sewer capacity for added density through Infill.

Most importantly, I believe we need to continue community-wide discussion regarding growth in Fayette County. Neighborhoods, business owners, developers, citizens, Commerce Lexington, Bluegrass Tomorrow and other representatives of growth interests need to sit at the table to have meaningful conversations about what we want Fayette County to be like in 50-100 years. A vision for the future of our land will promote continued planned growth, to enable Fayette Countians to preserve what makes our county unique.

HOW WE FIGHT THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC HEAD-ON

Lexington has been engaged in a fight with an opioid and illicit drug epidemic that has impacted every aspect of our city. While we’ve added more police officers on the street, violent crime has increased and the costs of addiction, crime, treatment and incarceration have gone up as well. This issue shows no bias for economic, social or racial identity. As your mayor, I will focus on three key components to meet this challenge head on.

1. I intend to ensure law enforcement has every tool necessary to go after the dealers, traffickers, violent offenders and anyone else who has helped perpetuate this plague. This includes strengthening penalties for those with weapons violations and anyone preying on our youth. But we must recognize that we cannot put the burden on our law enforcement to address this alone.

2. We have to be more invested in treating addiction by supporting programs in community organizations, leveraging our healthcare and insurance providers, building social support systems, and boosting drug court, job reentry programs and rehabilitation centers that responsibly bring our fellow citizens back into productive society. I will lead efforts to unite leaders across all of these areas to build innovative and evidence- based solutions that work for our community and continue to build on the experiences and incredible work currently being done by those on the front lines.

3. The many layers required to fight this problem cannot succeed, though, if we do not work just as hard at prevention. Communities and neighborhoods will be encouraged to hold open and honest conversations about how this epidemic has impacted lives. I will work to make sure every effort is made to empower our neighborhoods to become centers of interaction once again and to remove the barriers of isolation that allow addiction to grow.

This will be the greatest challenge of all, but I believe the tragedy of the opioid epidemic and the violence that has come with it can serve as the wakeup call we have long needed to rebuild our communities and the support they provide us all.

Get Involved