LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Urban County Council on Thursday approved a slate of spending measures and heard Mayor Linda Gorton outline a multi-pronged push to increase downtown safety following a recent assault.
Gorton said the incident — in which a woman was attacked and the suspect arrested — underscored the need for more visible security and coordination. “As a compassionate city, we prove that every day through the programs we provide for people in our community who need help,” she said. “And we must also be a safe city and we cannot tolerate criminal activity.”
Steps include more police patrols, expanding private security at the Robert F. Stephens Courthouse Plaza and soon-to-reopen Phoenix Park to 24/7 coverage, hiring overnight guards for Tandy Park, and shifting the city’s street outreach team to focus on the downtown core alongside police. The city will also seek proposals for a second outreach team and study adding more security cameras.
The safety measures were announced hours before council members sped through a packed agenda, giving second reading to contracts for park renovations, police equipment and homeless services. Among them was $60,000 in emergency repairs to GreenHouse17’s domestic violence shelter sprinkler system and nearly $200,000 in added work for the Valley Park building project.
Honoring health champions
The meeting opened with presentations of the 2025 Dr. Rice C. Leach Public Health Hero Awards. This year’s recipients, Dr. Abene El-Amin, president of Project Ricochet, and Dr. Lindsay Jasinski, chief administrative officer at Eastern State Hospital, were recognized for work ranging from chronic disease prevention to launching Kentucky’s first “emPATH” psychiatric crisis unit.
“You women are an inspiration,” Councilmember Jennifer Reynolds told the honorees. “The work that you do is changing lives … and inspires women all over Lexington.”
Farewell to a fixture behind the camera
Council also surprised Chris Edwards, who is retiring after 27 years as LexTV’s video production supervisor. Edwards, who has covered five mayoral administrations, 14 councils, and thousands of public meetings, was lauded for innovations like drone footage and keeping government broadcasts running during the pandemic.
“Every day for me has been Christopher Edwards Day since 1998,” Edwards said, adding that he planned to spend more time with his wife, Mary, and on his fishing boat, cheekily named Broadcasting.
Police discipline
Police Chief Lawrence Weathers briefed the council on the demotion of Sgt. Brian Misick to officer for “unsatisfactory performance” as a supervisor. Misick, with the department since 2007, had been promoted less than a year ago. “Not everybody’s suited for that position,” Weathers said, adding that Misick will receive retraining.
Community voices
During public comment, Brittany Christina Price, who has experienced homelessness, urged the city to create more outreach teams to check on unhoused residents. “We need to be aware of the issues about homelessness,” Price said. “Just check in and see if they’re doing okay.”
The council adjourned with several members plugging weekend events, including the Woodland Art Fair and the East End Family Reunion.
