Lexington councilmember announces she will not seek reelection in 2026

When I first ran for office in 2018, I had no idea what to expect. I quickly fell in love with public service, my district, and the people of Lexington. The past 7 years have been the absolute highlight of my life. While I’m grateful for the many things I’ve been able to experience during my adult career, nothing has compared with this opportunity to serve others through local government. Government work has become a passion of mine, and I am thankful for the privilege to be an elected official and serve my city in this way.

After much consideration and deliberation, I have decided not to seek reelection for the 11th District council seat for the 2026 election, nor will I be seeking election for another office for this election cycle. I realize this might be a surprise to many and different from what I originally thought. I want to make it clear that I am not ruling out public service, government work, or running for office in the future. I have just decided not to run this cycle to focus on other things. Currently, serving on council in Lexington is considered a part-time position even though I have often dedicated 50 hours a week to it on top of maintaining another 20-hour-a-week job. I have done so joyfully, yet the reality of the current part-time pay for more than full-time work limits who can hold these positions as it is not sustainable for the average Lexingtonian unless you have other financial means to support you. This decision was extremely difficult for me. While I am not sure of my next steps, I hope to continue to serve the people of Lexington in whatever I do.

I am proud of what we have accomplished together over the past 7 years. During Covid we provided masks, helped ensure food distribution, disseminated information in other languages, and assured nearby Covid testing sites and vaccines. In addition, we funded phases of the Versailles Rd Improvement Project, held monthly bilingual council updates on RadioLex, helped revitalize the Gardenside area, and invested funds to improve multiple parks in the district. We partnered with others on countless issues from infrastructure projects, to speed tables, to resolving parking challenges all in order to improve the quality of residents’ lives. We collaborated with Code Enforcement to address issues in many apartment buildings in the district. We initiated a new art bus shelter project with Lextran.

I also helped advocate for and see come to fruition improvements for affordable housing, a new Lexington Public Library on Versailles Rd, money towards the masterplan for Parks and Recreation, and the expansion and renovation of the Jesse Higginbotham Center in Valley Park. I pushed for a complete review of the wastewater treatment plants for odor issues and helped secure funds for High St. and Manchester St. improvements. Together we’ve worked against gun violence, promoted rights for tenants, translated the city’s website into over 100 languages, improved language access, made a maintenance plan for infrastructure projects, banned the sale of cats and dogs, increased outreach workers for the unhoused population, and promoted the expansion of paramedicine. In my past few terms, I have appreciated the chance to chair the Social Services and Public Safety Committee and the Mayor’s International Affairs Advisory Commission. I am pleased to have been the first and only councilmember to implement a completely bilingual Spanish and English office with all communication in both languages.

I am extremely proud of advocating tirelessly for the residents of the 11th District. It is a true honor to be your councilmember, and I want to thank all those with whom I’ve had the pleasure to work: our amazing city staff, Mayor Gorton, and 32 different councilmembers. Most of all, I want to thank the residents of the 11th District who elected me and put their faith in me for so many years, and I look forward to continuing to work together for the betterment of our community.