Election day is in just a couple of weeks— Nov. 6, to be exact— and many registered voters in Fayette County will vote for mayor. Mayor Jim Gray is not running for re-election, so the choice is between Linda Gorton and Ronnie Bastin. Linda Gorton is the best choice for Lexington and UK.

Gorton’s website, for starters, is much more expansive than Bastin’s website. Gorton’s website contains an incredibly detailed, 16-page plan for Lexington, which includes transforming Lexington’s workplaces, expanding business, tackling crime and gun safety, creating more support for education as well as enhancing the city’s art and nature programs.

Her business initiatives tackle major problems and aspects of Lexington because she plans to work on getting more reliable internet, making Lexington a high-tech area in animal sciences and promoting Lexington’s “brand.”

That last goal of Gorton’s is exceptionally important, because Lexington has a lot to offer, but is not widely considered a tourism city. Branding Lexington, which is already known for UK’s basketball team, is a crucial task which will bring much needed business and tourism in the area. If successfully branded, it will attract a lot more students to UK, and will make the school more well-known, too.

Gorton’s plan for gun safety is much better than Bastin’s, because she does not call for armed guards in schools. Both she and Bastin want to incorporate gun safety curriculum in schools, but I am glad Gorton does not want to make schools more like prison. Having armed guards at school will not make school a comforting place for children to spend eight hours, five days a week.

Gorton supports education and has plans to help lower income students, to reduce disparities among schools and to provide students with better training for the workforce. She also supports public education employees, including at UK, and will fight for them at the state level.

Lastly, she understands the value of art and preserving nature, something Bastin (and the previous candidates for mayor) have not even touched on. She plans on making art an important part of all public buildings and wants to sponsor neighborhood specific art projects, which is a great step toward preventing gentrification.

Gorton herself attended UK and has lived here for many, many years, serving in numerous public positions, including vice mayor. Gorton has Lexington’s, and UK’s, best interests at heart because she knows this city well, and knows that to meet tomorrow’s challenges, you have to try something new.