An Ear to the Ground
As the President of the Bell Court Neighborhood Association — I have a head start on addressing the issues in the 3rd District.
NEEDS & VISION OF COMMUNITY
A few months ago, an accident involving a motorist and pedestrian took place near us, and our neighborhood association took up the issue.
We envision a neighborhood and a city that accommodates all different modes of transportation. This diversity of traffic makes a city more livable — and if we hold that value, then we must advance real steps to ensure this livability for everyone in our community.
Being a part of this board for two years, we are working to address the concerns of neighbors who share this vision. This board, neighboring associations, and our committees do the long, hard, and at times tedious work to connect with the appropriate City Departments to bring real change.
This nuts-and-bolts experience makes me ready on day one to advance the interests of the 3rd District on Council. I have made the phone calls, facilitated the meetings, and given my advice to residents and City Government Departments to resolve issues.
PASSION OF NEIGHBORS
Enthusiasm for our community plays out in packed, standing-room-only Neighborhood Associations meetings, in part because the agenda items — water runoff, traffic patterns, public safety — have real impacts to our day-to-day lives.
We listen with a different ear, and we watch with a keen eye because decisions are being made that affect our lives.
Residents are invested in their communities, and not just through property values. Any given neighborhood has drawn homeowners and renters alike for similar reasons, and these associations are effective guardians of the these neighborhood characteristics.
Neighbors share their concerns and passion for creating a livable city through my service on our Association and I’m ready to effectively surface those concerns and find solutions on Council.
BRIDGING THE 3rd TO COUNCIL
I will firmly advocate for neighborhood quality of life concerns on Council.
Together with my experience on Neighborhood Association boards, I will leverage my experience working on land boards, human rights boards, and in the non-profit world to take action on our quality of life concerns and serve as a bridge between Council and Neighborhood Associations.
We want to protect cyclists with bike protected intersections, such as corner refuge islands, protected curb extensions, forward stop bars, setback bike crossings, a buffer zone between bikes and car traffic, and bike-friendly signal phasing, special lights to indicate when bikes should cross, and raised bike lanes.
We want protected and expanded tree canopies. Trees in all states of development require care and protection, and the City must be forward thinking in designing the future growth of not only our buildings but also (and especially) or tree coverage.
We want Recycling. Global changes in the “trash market” have suppressed demand for Lexington’s recycled raw material. Aging equipment at our processing center has also constricted our recycling output. We must think creatively to reimagine how to live out our values of environmentally sustainable living.
We want to renters to feel as invited to contribute to our community as homeowners. We can ensure neighborhood resiliency in multiple ways, and I’ve outlined a few recommendations here.
We want clean water. The water systems that supply our District with drinking water must be protected, and Council should support the work of The Hickman Creek Conservancy and other waterway protection efforts.
Conveying the the character of our neighborhoods to Council, and ensuring their resiliencies through diversity of housing and transportation, as well as environmental stewardship will be my highest priority as 3rd District Councilmember.
