ON THE ISSUES

Lexington is facing a growing housing shortage and, as one of the only renters to serve on Council, I feel the impacts of this crisis personally on a daily basis.

But we are never going to solve this crisis if our local government continues to allow for predatory out-of-state corporations to exploit Lexingtonians in need and destroy our existing stock of affordable housing.

As your Councilmember, I have stood up to those corporations while also voting to approve the creation of thousands of new housing units in Lexington. I’ve pushed to create more emergency housing for those experiencing homelessness, increase funding for our Affordable Housing Fund, invest in high-density housing development to meet our growth needs without destroying neighborhoods, and fought to hold absentee landlords accountable.

In my second term, I will keep fighting to create a Lexington where renters and homeowners alike have access to homes that we can thrive in at prices that we can afford.

I am an unapologetically pro-worker and pro-union Councilmember. Lexington was, and continues to be, built by union workers. I will always have their backs.

Whether it’s advocating for Project Labor Agreements, fighting to ensure South Lexington wins economic development projects that will ensure our middle class can thrive, or working with our union teachers and school board to ensure that they have the resources they need to give our kids a world-class education—I will always stand with working people fighting for a fair shake.

I have been proud to stand vocally in solidarity with UCW-UKY against the egregious disregard that the University of Kentucky has shown for their students, workers, and for our city.

In my second term, I’ll continue to put the interests of Lexington’s workers over the interests of the wealthy few intent on exploiting them for profit.

In Washington and in Frankfort, our elected officials have chosen to waste time and taxpayer money attacking the civil rights of marginalized communities. It’s hateful, it’s wrong, and it’s just plain cruel.

In Lexington, we have proudly stood for the rights of all people. We must continue to protect our Fairness Ordinance and support people of color, women, immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, and everybody whose freedoms are at risk.

When funding was cut for programs like the Teen Pride Prom or non-profits that support marginalized communities, I successfully fought to restore that funding at the local level.

In my second term, I’ll continue working to prove that Lexington is a city where we love our neighbors—even if the President of the United States tells us not to.

Every Lexingtonian deserves to know they are safe in our city. Achieving that goal requires a wholistic approach to public safety that is focused on tangible action, community inclusion, and transparent communication—not on political rhetoric or fear-mongering.

The workers who make up our Public Safety Department work tirelessly and they deserve to have access to the resources they need to keep us safe. That’s why I’ve continuously voted to provide additional mental and physical health supports for our first responders, equipment upgrades for our firefighters, and taken the time to personally speak with our public safety workers—from our E911 operators to our police officers.

At the same time, I share community members’ concerns about the increasing use of surveillance and AI in policing. I oppose the city’s usage of Flock cameras, voted against installing new Flock cameras, and worked to prevent new surveillance initiatives that would pose similar risks.

In my second term, I will continue to support our public safety workers and the programs that keep us safe while also pushing for transparency, accountability, and earned public trust.

Gun violence is a public health crisis and it should be treated as such. The best way we can address this public health crisis at the Council level is to address its underlying causes: poverty, lack of mental health care, and lack of access to economic opportunity.

I agree with Devine Carama, the Director of One Lexington, when he said that “true prosperity will never be reached until we transition from continuum of care/services to a continuum of opportunity.”

In my first term, I’ve worked to ensure that we make that transition by engaging community partners to remove barriers and create economic opportunities for our young people, offer trauma support to all who are directly impacted, and provide the resources that our communities need to break the cycle of gun violence.

In my second term, I’ll continue working to support One Lexington, partner with community organizations like the Tates Creek Coalition to provide resources to impacted neighborhoods, and expand access to resources for responsible storage of firearms.

LexTran needs to be fast, reliable, and affordable—and we have made significant progress on that front during my first term.

I am proud to have supported the launch of the LexRide program, the funding of our microtransit pilot project, and improvements to bus stops across the city. But this work still has a long way to go.

We need to increase bus frequency, add routes, and invest wisely to ensure that LexTran gets everyone where they need to go at a reasonable pace. Doing so will not only increase access to transportation–it will improve air quality, reduce traffic, and make our roads safer.

In my second term, I will keep pushing to improve services so that public transit can become a practical and desirable means of transportation for my neighbors in District 4.

I support local businesses and entrepreneurs. Lexington has become the economic engine of central Kentucky because we have attracted large employers and great jobs with union benefits.

Investments in infrastructure to make our roads safer, improve our water quality and waste management systems, and make District 4 more walkable and bikeable won’t just improve our quality of life. They will bring new, good-paying jobs to South Lexington.

I’ve worked to stop economic investments that would harm Lexingtonians by pushing hard to enact our data center moratorium and prevent the construction of hyperscale data centers in Fayette County.

In my second term, I will continue working to create jobs at competitive wages and oppose handouts to predatory corporations that don’t benefit our communities.

I support abortion rights. Plain and simple.

No government—whether in Washington or in Frankfort—should stand in the way of the decision whether and when to have children. I will always fight to prevent our LFUCG resources from ever being used to enforce the State Legislature’s efforts to control our bodies.

In my second term, I’ll continue working towards making Lexington a better place to start a family and to ensure our residents get to decide if, when, and how to do so.

The cornerstone of a strong community is safe and well-maintained public spaces that people want to use.

Whether it’s the construction of new dual-use tennis and pickleball courts at Belleau Woods Park, repairs to existing infrastructure at Kirklevington Park, or the reconstruction of the crumbling parking lot at Meadowbrook Park—I’ve spent my first term continually working to improve the amenities at all six parks across District 4.

Right now, so many of us feel isolated and struggle with what some folks have termed “loneliness epidemic.” I am a steadfast believer that we won’t solve those problems online. We’ll solve them by going out and connecting with our neighbors.

In my second term, I’ll continue to work with our Parks and Recreation department to ensure that all of my neighbors have access to these vital and necessary community spaces.

Our climate is changing, our local government has failed to prepare adequately, and Lexingtonians are suffering as a result.

Whether advocating for increased investment in renewable energy to lower electric costs for Lexingtonians or holding the Mayor’s administration accountable for our winter weather response’s failure to account for the increasing frequency and severity of storms, I have made local response to the climate crisis a cornerstone of my first term.

I also grew up on my family’s farm and understand firsthand how vital it is to protect the natural resources we’ve been blessed with. That’s why I’ve fought to prevent any development of any hyperscale data centers in Fayette County and implement policy safeguards to prevent any potential large scale rural solar developments from encroaching on productive farmland or polluting our soil.

In my second term, I will continue working towards enacting policies and making investments that mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis in Fayette County while protecting our natural resources.