Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton. Photo by Mick Jeffries
A month after her inauguration, new Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton has quickly become a familiar figure, having made it a priority in her early days as mayor to hit the pavement around town and meet as many of her constituents and fellow city officials as possible. Gorton was resoundingly elected in November, with 63 percent of the votes, and her nearly two decades of experience in the local government – she served 16 years on the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council, with four of those as vice mayor – have prepared her to meet the city’s top job head on.
Service has become family tradition for the Gortons – her husband, Charlie, served in the military (eventually retiring as a major general), the Gortons’ son serves in the U.S. Army and their daughter did a stint in the Peace Corps. The couple has five grandchildren, with the newest addition born a month ago. Gorton said she expects they too will grow up with a passion for helping others.
Having spent her early career as an army wife and registered nurse, Gorton often applies the leadership skills gleaned from those realms to her work in local government. People who have worked with her say she is a unifier, a relationship builder and has a steady hand on the wheel.
“She’s respected across the community,” says P.G. Peeples, president and CEO of the Urban League of Lexington. “I have observed her passion about fairness and equity… There will be tough times and hard decisions, but she will bring people together and get things done.”
Fresh out of the gate, Gorton has already been tested, with a tight city budget due to lower than expected revenues, as well as growing concerns about crime, public safety, drug abuse and economic development – all the things that cities of Lexington’s size face every day. On a more positive note – but no less challenging – Lexington is in the process of becoming the nation’s largest gigabit city, with a multi-million dollar, fiber-optic network being installed throughout the city. The project, which will allow for higher internet speeds and connectivity than ever experienced in Lexington, is expected to have a major impact on the city’s growth on Gorton’s watch, bringing new hurdles that might intimidate some civic leaders. With her campaign slogan “Dream Big” still fresh in mind, Gorton said she relishes the opportunity to see Lexington become a technological hub.
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton. Photo by Mick Jeffries
We sat down with Gorton recently to chat about the challenges and ambitions that will undoubtedly imbue her coming years in office.
After all your years of experience serving on City Council and as vice mayor, this role must feel somewhat familiar – has anything about being mayor surprised you so far?
A lot of it is familiar and I think that’s important. It would be difficult to be an effective mayor without a solid understanding of government, but the thing that is a little bit of a surprise is the pace! My days move fast. And the variety – there is something different every half an hour. So, the pace has been surprising but I love it. I am well suited for this work.
What has been a top priority in your first 30 days in office?
In the beginning of my term, I have felt it was important to meet city employees – from the solid waste collectors to the streets and roads people who are paving our roads and repairing storm drains and all the other hardworking people who keep Lexington going. Some of my first weeks in office I have made a concerted effort to meet the boots-on-the-ground folks, to talk to them and learn more about all they do. I also believe it is important to establish good strong bonds with leaders throughout the city and the surrounding counties even state legislators. I have been meeting with a lot of those folks one-on-one. Relationships are how we will do the hard work together.
What do you see as Lexington’s biggest challenges right now? Long term?
The opioid epidemic is a huge concern. It is affecting all parts of our city, all demographics. This epidemic is detrimental to our labor force; it undermines our economy, diverts funding from much needed initiatives and steals the future from many talented Lexingtonians.
In addition, we are focused on jobs, jobs, jobs. Lexington will soon be one of the biggest gigabit cities in the country. We need to be ready to take advantage of this leap into tomorrow’s economy – to become a technological hub. We are working on an aggressive economic development campaign to attract new high-tech companies and help Lexington companies as they grow and expand. Through a partnership with UK [University of Kentucky], we recently acquired 250 acres for economic development, and we’re working on a strong development plan for this property.
Another immediate challenge is our budget. We are looking at a very tight budget next fiscal year, with many fiscal challenges especially rising pension costs. Over the next few weeks, we will be making some tough decisions about our budget. It’s not just us; a lot of cities are dealing with revenue downturns. I’m an optimist. I think we can work through it.
Long term, I see our city’s growth as something to manage carefully and thoughtfully. Lexington is a beautiful city with a high quality of life. A lot of people want to live here so we are growing. We must manage that growth and be sure we preserve the things we love about Lexington and the things that make it special.
Where do you go to power down and recharge?
I love spending time with my family. I have a great love of music and the arts, so we go to hear music or take in an exhibit at a gallery. I also love taking some quiet time to read a good book, and I am learning more about the health benefits of meditation.
What is something from your nursing career you bring with you in your role as mayor?
I really like being Lexington’s mayor, and I suspect it is for the same reason I like being a registered nurse: There’s something different happening every day, sometimes every minute!
What inspired you to go from a career in health care to politics and government?
I got into government for purely naïve reasons. I love people and I really like problem solving. I knew nothing about politics! It turned out to be a great fit. I like finding solutions and that is a way being mayor is similar to my career in nursing. In medicine you are looking at symptoms and gathering information and trying to find answers. I really like the work of public service. I believe when elected officials keep their eye on serving people, that’s when you find solutions.
What book have you read recently you’d recommend?
I’m a big fan of mysteries, but recently I read a great non-fiction book, David McCullough’s “John Adams.” McCullough is such a great author. He really takes history and makes it alive! I loved this book. It was about the turmoil the Founding Fathers went through to break away from England. It went through the time before Adams was in office and through the crafting of the Declaration of Independence, his relationship with Thomas Jefferson…all the good stuff! McCullough has other great books. It’s hard to decide which I want to read next.
What is something that always makes you laugh?
My grandchildren!
I know you are a writer. Can you share with us a little about your interest in writing and how that creativity fits in your life now?
When I was a sophomore in high school a teacher I had encouraged us to keep a journal and I loved it! From then on, my whole life, I have kept that up. It is great fun looking back over all I have written. I have less time for it now, but I also love to read and write poetry, and I keep a list of ideas for a future book.
Just after the election, Bloomberg named you a mayor to watch. How did that feel? Does that add pressure?
It was a great honor, but I have to say I haven’t paid too much attention to it. My focus is on doing my job, but it certainly is something to live up to.
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Photo by Mick Jeffries
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Photo by Mick Jeffries