Fayette Alliance Blog

Teresa Isaac

As Lexington mayor from Jan., 2003 through Dec., 2006, Teresa Isaac presided over measures that previously had been stalled by controversy: Enactment of an indoor smoking ban; increased pay for police and firefighters; budget cuts to every other area of government, including significant cuts to her own office budget.   Isaac led the city through the 2003 ice storm where more than 90,000 residents were without power.  She received kudos for her compassion, hard work and leadership. During her administration the Purchase of Development Rights Program experienced exponential growth.  There were 4,276 acres on 26 farms when her administration began.  After four years of her leadership, the program had grown to 17,247 acres on 150 farms.  Isaac treated the PDR program as an economic development tool to protect Fayette County’s agriculture, equine and agritourism industries, and as such, the PDR program reported directly to the city’s CAO.  The PDR program’s success led the American Farmland Trust to hold their 2004 national conference in Lexington.  In 2006, with the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association sponsoring, Isaac delivered the good news of her State of the Merged Government Address to a capacity crowd. During Isaac’s administration, Mercer Human Resource rated Lexington  #1, tied with five other “Safest Cities” in the U.S., in 2005.  Forbes Magazine recognized Lexington as the 14th “Most Livable City” in the country in 2003.   In 2006, the Sierra Club designated Lexington a “Cool City,” recognizing steps taken to reduce global warming, and the Green Guide named Lexington the 12^th Greenest City in the US.

Jim Gray

Jim Gray has spent his career working to bring jobs and better government to Lexington.  Jim came to public service after spending 36 years creating jobs and economic growth in the private sector.  Jim is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the family firm, Gray Construction, a nationally ranked engineering, design and construction company. While the company has offices and projects coast to coast, it still remains a family-owned and operated business and is headquartered in Lexington.  In 2006, Jim was elected Vice-Mayor of Lexington.  Throughout his tenure, he has fought to eliminate waste at City Hall and to make government more accessible and accountable to the people. Jim was the leader in 2006 among all candidates for public office in calling for a moratorium on expanding the Urban Services Boundary. As co-chair of the Infill and Redevelopment Task Force, Jim applied his business-based problem-solving abilities to identify more than 100 specific actions to stimulate planning and smart development. His background in design and building, with a special awareness for preserving and adapting urban landscapes and buildings—like the Wolf-Wile building and the Sayre School—gives him the vision and experience to see how the unique character of the Bluegrass represents economic value for today and generations forward. Jim’s leadership in fighting the Centrepointe development reflected the position he has taken consistently: encouraging an active, vigorous and stimulating urban core, with mixed-use development that honors our past and helps shape our future.

Jim Newberry

Jim Newberry became Mayor on January 1, 2007 after the citizens elected him by the largest margin in Lexington’s merged government history. Under his leadership Lexington has made unprecedented progress. He has tackled the tough issues others have ignored for years such as, updating our sewer system and funding our police and firefighters pension. He has worked with the private sector and the University of Kentucky to create over 2,300 new jobs, helping Lexington reach the lowest unemployment rate in the state. He created Lexington’s first Department of Environmental Quality and has built more bike lanes/trails than any other mayor in Lexington’s history. He has made remarkable strides downtown through focusing on urban infill and redevelopment and takes pride in protecting Lexington’s rural landscape.

He has served on numerous volunteer boards and as Deacon Chair at Calvary Baptist Church. Jim and his wife, Cheryl Ann, have two young sons, Drew and Will.

Mac by Sarah Hoskins, featured on Kentucky.com

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The Fayette Alliance supported a scenic byway for Cleveland Road in Eastern Fayette Co. which runs by several of these rural Hamlets–including Pricetown, Jimtown and Athens. The byway was successfully adopted by the state. Visit “North Cleveland Road Scenic Byway Application” to learn more.