Candidates for Lexington mayor, council at large share stage at Kentucky Theatre
By Beth Musgrave, Lexington Herald-Leader | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
The forum at the
Gray, the incumbent, was the top vote-getter in the nonpartisan May mayoral primary. Beatty came in second, besting English professor
The top vote getter in the at-large race will become vice mayor on
Also making the cut was
The May primary included 13 at-large candidates, one of the largest fields in recent years.
Thursday's forum focused mainly on planning, development and land-use issues. But the biggest difference between the candidates was revealed in their views of how to address this summer's spike in murders and non-fatal stabbings
Gray said that the city has generated savings through changes to its health insurance policy and tweaks to other key programs when the city's revenues were declining in recent years.
"We translated those savings into investments in public safety," Gray said. Those investments include hiring additional police officers and updating equipment for police and firefighters.
The city has also spurred redevelopment of abandoned apartments -- such as
Beatty, who was police chief for eight years and spent more than 30 years at the
"We also need partners," Beatty said.
Moloney, who served on the
Stinnett, who has been on the council for a decade, said that all of those units have recently been restored. Stinnett said he also supports giving police more resources to deter crime, but he said that was only part of the solution. Education is also key, he said.
"We also need to invest in better jobs for people," Stinnett said. Stinnett said he has also recently proposed hiring a substance abuse coordinator, a position the city once had. That position could help address
Larson, a criminal defense attorney, said he would also like to see more attention given to jail and prison reform.
Logan said that he was thankful that city police officers were able to use their vehicles for personal errands, a recent change. The increased visibility of police could deter crime, he said.
Cegelka said he, too, would support more community policing. Cegelka served on the council from 2002 to 2006, representing the Wood-hill area. Residents there had an officer's cellphone number to call if they had problems. That built a lot of trust between the community and the police, he said.
Many of the candidates had similar ideas about how to grow
Agricultural tourism and ecotourism should also be pursued, many said.
But Kay cautioned that agricultural and ecotourism have to be done correctly and can't be done haphazardly.
"We have to protect our rural land," Kay said. All the stakeholders have to come together and develop a comprehensive plan that everyone can agree to, Kay said. Kay said he would appoint a task force to develop policies regarding agriculture tourism
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