"The work won't stop:" Mayor Linda Gorton set for historic third term

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — EXINGTON, Ky. — Linda Gorton is set to serve a historic third term as Lexington’s mayor after defeating challenger Raquel Carter.

Gorton, first elected mayor in 2018, thanked supporters at LexLive and pledged to continue work on some of the city’s biggest challenges.

“The work won’t stop,” Gorton said.

Among the issues facing her administration is homelessness. A recently unveiled plan from the city’s homelessness task force recommends creating a centralized intake system and a permanent shelter campus on Versailles Road.

Lexington is also preparing to implement what city officials have described as the most significant overhaul of its snow and ice response plan in three decades.

“It’s been tested on the road. We did a tabletop exercise with it,” Gorton said.

Affordable housing will remain another priority. Gorton pointed to the city’s investment in its affordable housing fund as evidence of that commitment.

“We now in this current budget have more than $5 million dedicated to our affordable housing fund, and that’s a large amount,” Gorton said.

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Data centers are also expected to remain a major issue. Amid a nationwide surge in data center development, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council extended a moratorium on data centers through October 2027 while the city determines what rules should govern smaller facilities.

Gorton said protections for Lexington residents should be part of that discussion.

“I think there need to be some heavy-duty controls, being sure the utilities are paid by the business, not the residents of Lexington,” Gorton said.

If Gorton completes her third term, she will become Lexington’s longest-serving mayor.

“I never focused on making history,” Gorton said. “I just focused on doing my job.”