New Subcommittee Formed to Enhance Diversity in Lexington Governance

Lexington, KY, August 13, 2025

News Summary

The Lexington Fayette Urban County Council has formed a subcommittee aimed at improving diversity and transparency in the city’s boards and commissions. Co-chaired by Vice Mayor Dan Wu and Councilwoman Shayla Lynch, the subcommittee will begin meetings on August 28. This initiative comes in response to community concerns about representation, and it follows recommendations from CivicLex, which highlighted the need for better training and public access. The council’s ongoing tensions with Mayor Linda Gorton over appointments add to the urgency of this initiative.

Lexington – The Lexington Fayette Urban County Council has initiated a subcommittee aimed at enhancing diversity and transparency within the city’s 67 boards and commissions. This step was announced by Vice Mayor Dan Wu during a news conference at city hall and aims to ensure that the composition of these boards reflects the diversity of Fayette County residents while improving their effectiveness and accessibility.

The formation of the subcommittee follows concerns raised by Councilwoman Shayla Lynch, who met with renters in early 2023. The tenants voiced the need for better representation on city boards, prompting her to extend the focus beyond renters to include all city boards and commissions. The subcommittee is set to start its meetings on August 28 and will be co-chaired by Lynch and Wu.

A crucial element leading to this initiative was a report conducted by CivicLex, a local nonprofit organization. In March, CivicLex analyzed the city’s boards and commissions, revealing gaps in diversity, training, and public accessibility. They provided over 14 recommendations to enhance these areas, which will serve as a foundation for the subcommittee’s future discussions and actions.

Lynch expressed her enthusiasm in creating policies that would ensure better access to boards and commissions, noting the long-term benefits these changes could have for the Lexington community. Residents interested in serving on boards or commissions can apply through the city’s official website, lexingtonky.gov.

The establishment of this subcommittee comes at a time of ongoing tensions between the council and Mayor Linda Gorton concerning appointments to essential planning boards, such as the Urban County Planning Commission and the Board of Adjustment. The mayor holds the discretionary power to appoint members to these boards, while the council is responsible for confirming these appointments.

In a notable departure from convention, the council has declined to confirm two of Gorton’s appointments over the past two years. Specifically, last year, the council did not confirm Janice Meyer to the Planning Commission, a move that led to Gorton’s failure to make a new appointment within the prescribed 60 days, resulting in Frank Penn eventually being appointed to fill the position by the Planning Commission. Furthermore, the council recently rejected the confirmation of Anissa Martinez for the Board of Adjustment.

Mayor Gorton has since appointed Ross Boggess to fill a vacancy on the Board of Adjustment, with a confirmation hearing set for Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Boggess, noted for his work as a podcaster and with an Atlanta-based developer, awaits the council’s decision. While the council conducts deliberations and votes on appointments behind closed doors, the reasons for non-confirmations are typically kept confidential, leading to previous criticisms directed at the mayor for delays in filling critical board positions.

This initiative by the Lexington Fayette Urban County Council represents a concerted effort to address representation and transparency in city governance while simultaneously confronting existing tensions related to board appointments.

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Additional Resources

• Kentucky.com: Fayette County News
• Wikipedia: Lexington, Kentucky
• Kentucky.com: Local News Article
• Google Search: Lexington Kentucky News
• WBALTV: Lexington Market Renovations
• Encyclopedia Britannica: Lexington Kentucky

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