Council to hold confirmation hearing for two Planning Commission candidates
William Wilson, Johnathon Davis, and Robin Michler in a January Planning Commission meeting. Source: LexTV
This Thursday, Council will hold a Public Hearing to vote to confirm or reject two nominees to serve on the Planning Commission.
What is the Planning Commission?
It is a body that hears and takes action on development plans, zone changes, and zoning ordinance text amendments (ZOTAs) in Lexington.
Like most boards and commissions, the Mayor sends nominations to fill a seat to Council, who then votes to approve or reject the nominations.
Who is up for renomination?
The two nominees are Robin Michler and Judy Worth, who have both served one term on the Planning Commission and are being renominated by Mayor Linda Gorton to serve a second term.
Michler is the owner of Michler’s Florist and Kentucky Native Cafe.
Worth is a retired business consultant, having been a partner in Verber, Worth, & Verber and Lean Transformations Group.
Both nominees have consistently supported dense, walkable, bikeable, and environmentally sustainable development. They’ve also advocated for expanding Lexington’s urban tree canopy and reducing minimum parking requirements in new developments.
What’s the context?
Recent Planning Commission nominations have sparked some tension between Mayor Gorton and Council:
Last year, Council voted to reject the renomination of Commission member Janice Meyer.
After Meyer was rejected, Mayor Gorton did not nominate anyone else to fill her vacant seat.
After 60 days of vacancy, the Planning Commission itself is authorized to fill the seat — and they selected Frank Penn, a former member.
Earlier this year, Mayor Gorton nominated Molly Davis to serve on the Commission just eight days before the deadline for Council to approve a new nominee.
Council approved Davis’s nomination, but several Councilmembers voiced concern about the rushed timeline for vetting nominees.
The Planning Commission Confirmation Public Hearing will be held on June 12th at 5:30pm in Council Chambers. You can attend in-person or watch live on LexTV.
