By Heather Chapman
Lexington, KY – Lexington's new mayor says he wants the city council to know he's proud of them. At Thursday night's city council meeting, the first of the new year, Mayor Jim Gray began with a comment on the recent shooting in Arizona, and cited President Obama's call for people to treat each other with kindness.
"I also have heard people say that this council does reflect that level of civility and generosity to each other," says Gray. "And that's something that, at the local level, right here in our city, that I know that we can all feel good about."
Other new faces included First District Council member Chris Ford, At-large council member Steve Kay, and 5th District council member Bill Farmer Jr., who won back the seat he held from 1996 to 2006.
In addition to more routine business at the meeting, the council voted to accept a grant for $300,000 for the construction of the Tiffany and Co. facility, and also accepted a $3,569,321.10 bid from Woodall Construction Company for a portion of the Clays Mill Road Improvement Project. They also agreed to provide matching funds for a $37,387 federal grant for bulletproof jackets for local police and sheriff's deputies.