The Urban County Council helps craft the city's budget and has taken several consequential votes this year, from safer streets to data centers. Your vote shapes those decisions.
Lexington voters will find races for Mayor, city council, school board, three charter questions, and many other offices on their ballots this fall. Here's how to make a plan to vote.
Council candidate guide: Who's on your ballot this fall?
The Urban County Council helps craft the city's budget and has taken several consequential votes this year, from safer streets to data centers. Your vote shapes those decisions.
Gun violence prevention. Affordable housing. Traffic. Those are among the issues local candidates are running on as they seek to represent residents on Lexington's Urban County Council.
The Urban County Council is Lexington's legislative body. It can create and enact ordinances (local laws), resolutions, shape city spending, and levy taxes. Council has taken votes on several major issues this year, including approving a city budget, adopting new Complete Streets design standards, and pausing data center development. Local voters will have a chance to help shape those decisions when they go to the polls or fill out their mail-in ballots this fall.
On November 3rd, voters will see two types of Council races on their ballots, including:
At-Large: Six candidates are competing for three seats that represent Lexington as a whole. The top vote-getter in this race will become the city's next Vice Mayor, who leads the Council.
District: 12 Council district seats represent various parts of Fayette County on the Council. In these races, you can vote only in the district where you live. This year, six district candidates are running unopposed, while contested races in districts 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 and 11 will be decided in November. Find your Council district at this link.
Additionally, because Council races are non-partisan, you won't see a political party next to the candidate's name as it appears on your ballot.
This guide highlights candidates' backgrounds and their top issues based on their responses to CivicLex's Vote Local Lexington questionnaire. For full candidate responses, check out the local voter guide at this link.
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How can you get involved? Check your registration status and find out where you vote at this link. You can also review this guide for a run-down of various ways to vote and other local offices on your ballot November 3rd.
At-Large Candidates
James Brown
Background: Current At-Large Councilmember. Previously served District 1 as its Councilmember. Brown has a background in manufacturing, real estate and neighborhood and parent advocacy.
Top issues: Infrastructure, responsible growth, public safety and economic development.
Background: Lynn is running for his first Council At-Large term. He is a skilled trades dispatcher and service coordinator in the HVAC field. He has experience in several other jobs, including road construction.
Top issues: Housing affordability, energy affordability, and the homelessness crisis.
Background: Spires is running for her first Council At-Large term. Her background is in child and family advocacy. She is the CEO of Spires Strategies, and has served on several boards and commissions for the city and nonprofits.
Top issues: Affordable housing, public safety, preserving local history and farmland.
Background: Larson is running for his first term as the District 3 Councilmember. He's previously held office as Fayette County's Judge Executive. He has a professional background as an attorney.
Top issues: Being a watchdog for taxpayer money, preserving neighborhoods, and protecting greenspace/horse farms.
Background: Curtis serves as the current District 4 Councilmember. She was elected in 2024. Her professional experience includes work as an independent film maker and as a community organizer.
Top issues: Streets and roads, housing and homelessness, providing competent city services to all Lexington residents.
Background. Monarrez is the former District 4 Councilmember, previously serving from 2022-2024. She has held a variety of positions in different sized companies and previously owned a business.
Top issues: Public safety, infrastructure and economic development.
Background: Bryson is running for this office for the first time. She currently works in nonprofit communications and has a background in community engagement.
Top issues: Responsible growth and protecting neighborhoods, infrastructure, public safety, environmental stewardship.
Background: Pyles is running for this office for the first time. He's a sales associate for a manufacturers' representative agency. Pyles also has a background in community engagement.
Top issues: Addressing homelessness, investing in local trades and infrastructure, improved coordination of state road projects, fully staffing local emergency services.
Background: Beasley currently represents District 8 as its Councilmember. She was elected in 2024. She works as a pharmacy tech at Kroger and has a background in labor organizing.
Top issues: Food insecurity, gun violence and jobs.
Background: Tray Hughes is running for his first term as District 8's Councilmember. He owns Hughes & Company, which is involved in e-commerce, logistics and distribution. He has a background in community engagement.
Background: Baxter currently serves as District 9's Councilmember, a seat that she was originally elected to in 2020. She currently serves on the Council's Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee and its General Government and Planning Committee. Baxter is vice chair of Council's Social Services and Public Safety. Baxter also serves on the city's Affordable Housing Governing Board and the Corridors Commission.
Background: Miniard is running for his first term as District 9's Councilmember. He was elected to the Soil and Water Conservation District Board in 2018, a post he was later removed from by an internal vote in 2023. His professional background is as a real estate appraiser.
Background: Maloney is running for his eighth (non-consecutive) term as District 11's Councilmember. He previously served as the district's representative for seven terms, and as a Council At-Large representative for two terms. Professionally, he's worked in housing and as the chief administrative officer and commissioner of public works for the city.
Top issues: Public safety, strong neighborhoods, responsible growth and economic development.
Background: Vogl is running for her first term as Council District 11's Councilmember. She has a professional background in community health and social work outreach. She's also involved in community engagement.
Aaron covers the Lexington Fayette Urban County Council as a City Hall Reporter for CivicLex. His background is in Service Journalism, and he’s passionate about helping Lexington residents stay informed about happenings in local government.
Lexington voters will find races for Mayor, city council, school board, three charter questions, and many other offices on their ballots this fall. Here's how to make a plan to vote.
