Fayette County Primary Election 2026 Voter Guide
from Kentuckians For The Commonwealth
Fayette County Primary Election 2026 Voter Guide
from Kentuckians For The Commonwealth
Fayette County Primary Election 2026 Voter Guide
from Kentuckians For The Commonwealth
Question 1:
Fayette County saw a 12% increase in its unhoused population in 2025, from 2024, and the Emergency Homeless Shelter Study projects we will need at least 500 additional beds by 2030. How will you support Lexington’s unhoused population? Do you support the study’s recommendations? What is your position on HB 5, which bans street camping, allows for fines, and incarceration for sleeping outside.
Linda Gorton - Annually I put $850,000 in my budget for the Hope Center & I recommended & LFUCG gave $2M ARPA funds to help build the newest Hope Center transitional housing units. Each year we put 0.33% of previous year revenues into Homelessness services ($1,469,329 current budget). My Mayor’s Homeless Task Force is currently at work to craft new recommendations to address our unhoused population. I have spoken with all KY Legislative leadership requesting state dollars for homeless work in Fayette County. I have funded (almost $3M) & we built a winter warming shelter, have consistently increased financial support for upstream homeless services & will recommend a portion of Opioid Abatement funds where applicable for onsite recovery services in the homeless population
Question 2:
Fayette County, like much of the country, is in a housing crisis. The 2024 Affordable Housing Needs Analysis found Lexington needs 20,000 additional affordable housing units. Lexington is also facing rising home prices and rents that are increasingly out of reach for many residents. How do you define safe and affordable housing? What actions would you take to expand safe and affordable housing? How would you protect neighborhoods like Pralltown, St. Martin’s Village, and Marlboro from encroachments and new development pressures? Name a policy you would support to address rising rental costs.
Linda Gorton - During my entire time in office, I have supported our Affordable Housing Fund, which we formed in 2014 when I was Vice-Mayor of Lexington. Since then we have annually added money to the Fund, currently putting 1% of our previous year’s revenues ($4,897,460 in my current budget). By the end of 2026 we will have funded the construction or rehabilitation of almost 4000 housing units. These safe, affordable units are single family homes & apart- ments that are well-built & have amenities that give good housing to low-in- come people. As Mayor I initiated a new fund to award grants to low income home owners to repair code enforcement violations on their homes. I support Pralltown, St. Martin’s Village & Marlboro when development threatens these historic areas.
Question 3:
Nearly 1 in 5 Lexingtonians experience food insecurity. What kinds of actions would you take, or policies would you support, to strengthen access to food, build sustainable local food systems, and protect households that rely on SNAP from future political threats to funding?
Linda Gorton - As Mayor I have a strong history of strengthening access to food, as well as supporting local food systems, including through ESR grants. I implemented a mobile food market, recommended by my 2020 Mayor’s Commission on Racial Justice & Equality, in partnership with Kroger & God’s Pantry. It has been very successful as it brings a market to many areas far from groceries. My team & I have implemented 7 expungement clinics/job fairs, to help people get low-level crimes expunged & help them get jobs, leading to their ability to provide food & housing for them & their families.
Question 4:
Gun violence continues to impact Lexington, particularly in communities that must also carry its aftermath. What actions would you take to reduce community gun violence, and how would you support grassroots and survivor-led organizations working on prevention and healing, alongside or beyond the work of ONE Lexington?
Linda Gorton - Since day one as Mayor, I have hired & worked with my current ONE Lexington team to address youth violence in the ages 10-29. We have stood up a strong team that now includes a program manager, a survivor advocate, and team members who are “boots on the ground” in neighborhoods working with people impacted by violence. They work with grassroots organizations, public safety & community partners to keep our young people away from gun violence. In 2025 our city invested nearly $200,000 in violence prevention efforts through grants to non-profits & Fayette County Public Schools. Also in 2025 Lexington recorded the fewest total homicides of young people in a decade. Violence involving young people has declined by 60% since 2021.
Question 5:
What do you think about state and federal officials forcing counties and cities to comply with their demands to partner with federal agencies? Do you believe local control and democracy still has a place in Kentucky communities that state and federal officials and agencies should honor?
Linda Gorton - I consistently have supported & advocated for local control of cities by our locally elected officials. Our democracy & civic engagement by our residents are great strengths in our Lexington community. Local people know best what our community needs.
Question 6:
Lexington has seen a troubling rise in pedestrian and cyclist deaths. What steps should the city take to improve safety and encourage alternatives to car travel, such as walking, bicycling, and public transit?
Linda Gorton- My administration is currently helping implement Vision Zero and Complete Streets, both of which directly address safety of pedestrians, cyclists and vehicle drivers. Since I became Mayor our government has prioritized bike & pedestrian lanes, as well as worked with LexTran to get more people on public transit. We are currently helping fund a pilot micro-transit system with LexTran. My budget includes the Neighborhood Sidewalk Fund & we are regularly funding sidewalk connections in the city.
Question 7:
What 3 budget priorities should the city focus on in the coming years? What steps would you support to increase meaningful public input in the budget process, and what is your position on the $152 million City Hall project at 200 West Vine?
Linda Gorton - Beyond regular basic services, street paving, garbage pickup, public safety, maintaining parks, etc, we should continue to focus on Affordable Housing, Homeless solutions and bringing jobs to Fayette County. I hold public input sessions for my budget, as well as post the proposed budget on Lexingtonky.gov so the public can see it and give input. I support the move from 200 E Main to another facility for our government. Our 110 year old government building was purchased in the 1980’s as a temporary government center. Two floors of the garage are condemned, the building leaks, it is not very accessible to those with mobility issues, and there is little public space for neighborhoods or residents to gather, among other issues.
Question 8:
Where do you stand on city workers’ rights to collective bargaining? What specifically would you do to promote a living wage, better workplace conditions, and support for minority-owned businesses?
Linda Gorton - In 2021 through my budget we raised the employee salaries so that no employee made less than $15/hour. I have consistently included pay raises and sometimes extra supplements for our non-bargained employees. I’ve also consistently worked to support minority-owned businesses through ESR grants & city contracts. I respect the process for our collective bargaining units (police, fire & corrections) and am supportive of my staff & employees who are on the bargaining teams. Our goal is always a fair process and fair results.
Question 9:
Rising utility rates are a growing burden on Lexington households, and even now KU seeks to build new energy plants in anticipation of purely hypothetical data center expansion. What actions should the city take to address high energy costs, support energy efficiency for residents earning low incomes, and proactively regulate data center development in Fayette County?
Linda Gorton - The information is clear that data centers are high users of water & electricity and they bring almost no jobs to a community, meanwhile using large amounts of land. They are not a good fit for Fayette County & I would encourage our Urban County Council to oppose them. My administration intervened in both the KU and KAWC rate increase cases in 2024, helping bring down the Public Service Commission approved rate increases by about 50% of the utility requests. In my budget each year I fund solar systems on our fire stations that are exposed to enough sun and we are building our new Senior/Therapeutic center with solar on the roof. We currently are working with a company that has proposed solar on our Haley Pike Landfill, which would benefit Fayette County.
Question 10:
Lexington is a place that considers itself a city to grow and thrive within community, and one that prides itself on local policies and ordinances that ensure equal access and civil protections for all Lexingtonians. When such commitments are put under pressure, what will you do to continue to uphold Lexington ordinances that legislate equal treatment, fair and equal access, and nondiscrimination for all?
Linda Gorton - I was on the Council when I supported the Lexington Fairness Ordinance in 1999. My record is very clear that I consistently have supported equal treatment of all persons, as well as fair and equal access and non-discrimination through all of my work as Mayor.