Mayor Linda Gorton and Raquel Carter, side by side on housing, license plate cameras, snow and jobs, from their own campaign sites and city records. Vote Tuesday.
Fayette County voters choose Lexington’s mayor Tuesday, Nov. 3. The choice is between Mayor Linda Gorton, who is seeking a third four-year term, and Raquel E. Carter, a small business owner and former chair of the city’s Board of Adjustment.
The two disagree most plainly on housing costs, the city’s license plate reader cameras and how the city handled last winter’s snow and ice. This page sets out what each candidate says, in their own campaigns’ words, alongside the city’s own records. Lexington Now does not endorse candidates.
The race is nonpartisan, and it is on every ballot in Fayette County, according to the Fayette County Clerk’s list of general election candidates (PDF).
How they got here
Gorton and Carter were the top two of seven candidates in the May 19 primary. The clerk’s official cumulative report (PDF) shows 55,251 votes cast:
| Candidate | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Linda Gorton | 25,298 | 45.8% |
| Raquel E. Carter | 15,615 | 28.3% |
| Greg O’Neal | 5,073 | 9.2% |
| C. E. Huffman | 3,978 | 7.2% |
| Darnell Tagaloa | 2,095 | 3.8% |
| Skip Horine | 1,647 | 3.0% |
| Ramazani Asmani | 1,545 | 2.8% |
Who they are
Linda Gorton has been mayor since January 2019, according to her campaign’s record of her time in office. Before that she was vice mayor and a council member, as her campaign’s leadership page lists.
Raquel E. Carter is a small business owner and a graduate of Fayette County Public Schools and Eastern Kentucky University, her campaign’s about page says. She formerly chaired the Lexington Board of Adjustment and serves on the Kentucky Real Estate Commission, appointed by Gov. Andy Beshear. Her housing page describes her as a real estate professional.
Housing
Carter makes housing costs the center of her campaign. “Half the people who work in Lexington can’t afford to live here,” her campaign home page says. The page does not give a source for that figure.
Her housing page says that as mayor she would:
- bring down housing costs for families
- reduce red tape for development
- carry out “a plan for building communities, not just units”
- give priority to affordable housing, starter homes and multifamily units
- make plans and goals public, with tools to track them
The page sets no numbers, dollar amounts or deadlines.
Gorton runs on the city’s record. Her campaign home page says:
- more than 4,000 affordable homes and apartments have been created or rehabilitated since 2014
- $60 million in public money leveraged nearly $490 million in private investment
- the city’s annual investment in affordable housing now tops $5 million
She promises to “expand the Affordable Housing Fund and partnerships that create more attainable housing for working families, seniors, and those who need it most.” Those are her campaign’s figures. Lexington Now has not checked them against the fund’s own reports.
On Tuesday, Oct. 27, Gorton proposed $1 million in no-interest Shared Appreciation Mortgage loans for 15 to 20 first-time buyers, the city announced.
License plate cameras
This is where the two campaigns differ most directly.
Carter’s solutions page says: “Gorton brought FLOCK cameras to Lexington, then quadrupled their use and has consistently praised them.” Her site does not say what she would do with the cameras as mayor.
Gorton’s campaign site does not mention the cameras. The city’s own record does:
- The city has 125 license plate readers, leased from Flock Safety, its license plate reader page says.
- On Sept. 4, Gorton said she would appoint an independent, outside panel to review the technology. “I want to take politics out of this discussion and focus on facts,” she said in the city’s release. “No one has accused our police of doing anything wrong.”
- The panel will look at whether the technology meets best practices, whether improvements are needed and whether a new vendor should be considered, the city said.
- On Oct. 6, she named the co-chairs: Allison Connelly, a University of Kentucky law professor emeritus and former chair of the city’s Ethics Commission, and Timothy Johnson, president and CEO of the Greater Clark Foundation, the city said. The city said the mayor expected to appoint the remaining members in October. The city has not said when the panel will report.
The city said the readers take still images of a license plate, a basic description of the vehicle, and the date, time and location. They do not record video or use facial recognition. Since March 2022, the city said, they have helped police find 32 missing people, recover more than $5.5 million in stolen vehicles, seize 166 weapons and charge 821 people.
Snow, ice and roads
Carter’s solutions page says Gorton “was totally unprepared for the winter storms that shut down Lexington for weeks.” It says kids missed school, workers missed paychecks and road damage “caused irreparable harm to working families.” Her home page promises “streets that work.”
Gorton’s campaign points to the city’s new winter plan, which it calls the largest overhaul of the snow and ice plan in 30 years. The city presented that plan Oct. 13. It salts every ranked street within the first four hours of a storm and hands some major roads to a contractor. Our story on Lexington’s new snow plan has the details. A separate Plan B for school bus stops is being worked out with Fayette County Public Schools.
Jobs and the budget
Carter’s jobs page says she would:
- treat the local business community “as a partner, not an adversary”
- cut red tape and redundant processes that deter new business
- launch a coordinated campaign to bring more jobs downtown
- include business and job opportunities in all community development plans
Her investment page promises a balanced budget, an aggressive push for state and federal grants, and a public report of what the city applies for and receives.
Gorton’s campaign says 172,598 people were working in Fayette County in December 2025, up from 163,272 in December 2018, the month before she took office. It says the Legacy Business Park is expected to create 1,400 jobs. Her home page promises two new industrial parks and says “our budget is sound.”
Public safety
Gorton’s home page says violent crime, including homicides, is down, and that spending on public safety has risen 45% since 2018. It promises to “grow investments in police, fire, emergency response, new solutions and proven programs.”
Carter’s home page says: “If you don’t feel safe where you live and work, that’s the real measure.” Her site sets out no separate public safety plan.
What it means for you
- Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls are open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. You can vote at your own precinct or at any of the six Lexington Public Library vote centers.
- Early voting runs until 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, at the same six libraries.
- Bring a photo ID. Our voting guide lists what counts, the library addresses and how to find your precinct.
- The rest of your ballot includes all 12 council districts, the at-large council seats and three charter amendments on council pay, attendance and a regular charter review.
- Questions about voting: the Fayette County Clerk, 859-255-8683.
Lexington Now will report unofficial results from the clerk’s office on election night.
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