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Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton files to run for second term

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Posted at 11:55 AM, Jan 05, 2022
and last updated 2022-01-05 12:00:43-05

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Mayor Linda Gorton has officially filed her paperwork to run for a second term as mayor of Lexington, KY.

Gorton announced her plans to run for re-election in August. She cited her calm and steady leadership during historic challenges, including a global pandemic that slowed economic activity throughout the city.

With the majority of her mayoral term during the pandemic, Gorton and her administration set out to ensure three goals. Keep Lexington safe by following CDC guidelines, provide basic services to citizens, and ensure the Lexington attracts new jobs during the pandemic.

"We have protected our residents from COVID, while re-starting our economy," Gorton said. "Now our economy is back to pre-pandemic levels. We met the challenges head-on. I proceeded calmly and decisively as we cleared many hurdles.”

Gorton said there are still challenges ahead. “We’re off to a good start but there’s more to do in affordable housing, violence prevention, to address homelessness, and to finally get the pandemic behind us,” she said. “I’m ready to continue to meet those challenges.”

Gorton is a registered nurse and has brought hundreds of new jobs to Lexington, including a new Amazon facility on the north side of town and a forthcoming Baptist Health medical campus near Hamburg.

Gorton served 16 years on the Urban County Council, four of them as vice mayor before.

If elected, this would be the mayor’s second term in office after beating out former Lexington Police Chief Ronnie Bastin in 2018.