LEXINGTON, Ky. — Linda Gorton has won the election for Lexington’s mayor, defeating her opponent David Kloiber.
What You Need To Know
- Linda Gorton has won the election for Lexington’s mayor, defeating her opponent David Kloiber
- Gorton spent 16 years serving as a council member and 4 years as Vice Mayor
- Key issues Gorton plans to tackle are affordable housing, homelessness, jobs and public safety
Gorton is the first to point out that experience is her strength. “To be the chief executive of Kentucky’s second-largest city requires someone with exceptional experience and leadership,” said Gorton at a WVLK mayoral forum on Oct. 20.
Before serving as Lexington’s current mayor, Gorton spent 16 years serving as a council member and four years as Vice Mayor.
Gorton explained that her priority as mayor has been to focus on people. These key issues include affordable housing, homelessness, jobs and economic outlook. Public safety is critical too, and within that, crime. Gorton also said her plan in the future is to continue working on improvements in these areas.
“My first priority is always to focus on people. I’ve had that as my priority since day one as mayor, and we have a lot of efforts going on right now that I’ll continue. Of course, every single day, we’re focused on crime. We believe that if you don’t have a safe city, you can’t be a great city,” Gorton told Spectrum News 1.
During her first term as mayor, Gorton’s office faced multiple challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic as well. First was a slowdown in economic activity early on as lockdowns were implemented. Second came the racial protests in the summer of 2020.
Last is a spike in homicides, with the city logging 38 to date in 2022. It’s the highest yearly number ever recorded, and a figure used by Gorton’s political opponents to criticize her handling of public safety.
The mayor defended her record, explaining that a complex mix of problems drives crime rates. These include, domestic violence, homelessness, mental health and substance abuse. In her upcoming term, Gorton said she plans to focus on addressing these issues.
Her opponent, Kloiber, conceded a litte after 8 p.m. Tuesday night.