Home » Lexington Vice Mayor to step down from council at the end of 2014

Lexington Vice Mayor to step down from council at the end of 2014

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 14, 2013) — Vice Mayor Linda Gorton today announced she will not run for re-election in 2014, her 16th year on the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council and the year she will become the longest-serving council member since merger.

Lexington Vice Mayor Linda Gorton will step down at the end of 2014.
Lexington Vice Mayor Linda Gorton will step down at the end of 2014.

“I love my job and I love this city. It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to be elected by the people of Lexington,” Gorton said. “I have been thinking about this for a long time. This is the right time for me to step down and focus on family.”

Gorton is a new grandmother and she said she wants to retire with her husband, Charlie, travel and write.

Known for her fairness and for listening to citizens’ concerns, Gorton has championed some of the most important legislative initiatives of recent years, including sweeping environmental reforms like clean indoor air and water quality ordinances, a land preservation program and the fairness ordinance, to name just a few. She has consistently fought for fiscally responsible budgets. And she is a co-founder of the Friends of the Dog Park. The organization supports popular fenced acreage, where dog owners can allow their pets to run without a leash.

“Our city is making tremendous progress and I’ve been honored to have a ringside seat and the opportunity to contribute,” Gorton said.

Gorton has served with four Lexington mayors: Pam Miller, Teresa Isaac, Jim Newberry and, now, Jim Gray. She spent her first eight years on council representing the fourth district, and will complete her second eight next year as an at-large member. In the 2010 election, she was the top vote-getter among at-large candidates, making her vice mayor, a post she has held since 2011.

“While it may be time for me to move on to pursue opportunities in my life outside of government, I will leave with a great feeling of optimism,” Gorton said. “We have worked hard to strengthen Lexington’s solid foundation for the future.”