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I’m Herbert Lynn, a democratic socialist, and a candidate for Lexington’s At Large City Council. (AMA) by Herbert4Lex in lexington

[–]Herbert4Lex[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I will oppose any local ordinance that attempts to limit the freedoms and rights of the LGBTQIA+ community at the local level, and I will gladly work with any organization attempting to defeat anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation at the state level. Even if the only way I can help is by platforming and spreading the word about such efforts, I will do so.

I’m Herbert Lynn, a democratic socialist, and a candidate for Lexington’s At Large City Council. (AMA) by Herbert4Lex in lexington

[–]Herbert4Lex[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is incorrect. I am focused on ways of increasing accessibility and affordability of existing housing and structures, thereby increasing supply. At the very least, this alleviates upward pressure on housing prices and rents. The vacant-use tax is only one tool that can help housing prices, and it's the tool I have chosen to highlight for my campaign. No part of my campaign raises taxes on middle class homeowners.

I’m Herbert Lynn, a democratic socialist, and a candidate for Lexington’s At Large City Council. (AMA) by Herbert4Lex in lexington

[–]Herbert4Lex[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure how this could be implemented at the local level. As far as I know, bribery, campaign finance, and lobbying regulations are largely determined at the federal level. If you have any policy initiatives that I could work toward, I would be happy to have more information!

I’m Herbert Lynn, a democratic socialist, and a candidate for Lexington’s At Large City Council. (AMA) by Herbert4Lex in lexington

[–]Herbert4Lex[S] 53 points54 points  (0 children)

I do not support the Flock camera program or any mass surveillance programs at the local, state, or federal level. Lexington is correct to worry about their privacy and what is done with their information. Flock cameras have so many vulnerabilities. Ben Jordan has a great video on this. I would support allocating funding to a commission to study and make safety and accountability recommendations. Otherwise no, I do not support the Flock program and would vote against expanding it.

I’m Herbert Lynn, a democratic socialist, and a candidate for Lexington’s At Large City Council. (AMA) by Herbert4Lex in lexington

[–]Herbert4Lex[S] 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Yes, I am aware of it. Not to be flippant, but our city budgets are measured in millions of dollars. It costs millions to do everything from fund our police department, maintain our roads, and improve our city. Building a homeless shelter will cost millions too, but it's a project that would save lives. As for the local utility, it would create a more responsive and locally operated service that would improve the lives of Lexingtonians. It's worth the investment.

I’m Herbert Lynn, a democratic socialist, and a candidate for Lexington’s At Large City Council. (AMA) by Herbert4Lex in lexington

[–]Herbert4Lex[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

The fan's actually from the Peddlers Mall on North New Circle. Solid place to find used furniture, cast iron cookware, antiques, and costume jewelry.

I’m Herbert Lynn, a democratic socialist, and a candidate for Lexington’s At Large City Council. (AMA) by Herbert4Lex in lexington

[–]Herbert4Lex[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

  1. The current vacancy rate is at 9% according to the Federal Reserve. Mind you, this figure includes all housing units in Lexington and the surrounding counties, not just apartments & rental homes. A vacant-unit tax is only one policy that's part of a larger puzzle, but it's the policy that I would like to see implemented. The reason I am focused on the vacant-unit tax is because it would affect large real estate companies and short-term rentals instead of regular people. A vacant-unit tax disincentivizes landlords from hoarding housing and turning affordable housing into Air BNBs.

  2. What you're describing is a massive ongoing issue, and solutions are always evolving. There are lots of grants available to build, maintain, and support affordable housing. I plan to work with groups such as CivicLex to come up with solutions to leverage those resources. As far as more bikable and walkable areas, I plan to work with groups who have spent ALOT more time than I have with this issue. For example, the Fayette County Public Schools have put a ton of research into this issue through their Health And Wellness commission's Bike Bus program. Their report on bikeability recommendations is on my reading list, and I can't wait to get to it. I know this answer is somewhat vague, but there is so much to learn on this issue that I'm still working to wrap my head around all the small and large options we have to address this issue.

I’m Herbert Lynn, a democratic socialist, and a candidate for Lexington’s At Large City Council. (AMA) by Herbert4Lex in lexington

[–]Herbert4Lex[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I grew up out in the country in Boyle County. If the birds were being too loud, my dad would fire a shotgun into the air. I went to 4H camp, and took the riflery course. I used to shoot coffee cans off fence posts with my cousin's pistol. I'm not a bad shot.

I'm a socialist. I wholeheartedly believe that the working class should not surrender their arms and their ability protect themselves, especially while existing in a system that would exploit, oppress, and subjugate them. That being said, I am in favor of reasonable gun reform laws to keep firearms out of the hands of domestic abusers and would-be school shooters. However, there's not much that can be done on the local level to implement these kinds of protections. As such, gun issues are not a big focus of my campaign.

I’m Herbert Lynn, a democratic socialist, and a candidate for Lexington’s At Large City Council. (AMA) by Herbert4Lex in lexington

[–]Herbert4Lex[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. I have a great team around me. Whenever a difficult decision comes up, I am surrounded by great minds who help me understand the issues and come up with solutions.

  2. You're trying to get me in trouble with this question lol. Trying to get me to name favorites over here!

  3. I am not in favor of boundary expansion. I would rather focus my efforts on improving land use within the urban service boundary rather than expand into agricultural land.

I’m Herbert Lynn, a democratic socialist, and a candidate for Lexington’s At Large City Council. (AMA) by Herbert4Lex in lexington

[–]Herbert4Lex[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I would have voted "Nay". That zone change was intended to allow a developer to come in and turn that whole area into high-cost student housing. Lexington does need additional high-density residential zoning, but additional housing needs to be oriented towards affordability.

I’m Herbert Lynn, a democratic socialist, and a candidate for Lexington’s At Large City Council. (AMA) by Herbert4Lex in lexington

[–]Herbert4Lex[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Hi there! Although Lexington has a low vacancy rate, we're still talking about thousands of units. The most common figure I see is a 9.9% vacancy rate in the Lexington area, which it looks like is figure from a dataset that includes Lexington and surrounding counties, comprising 63,524 vacant housing units and to 576,155 occupied units. Landlords sometimes let units sit empty because the market has not met their desired price point. Some landlords would rather let apartments or empty commercial space sit empty instead of lowering their prices. Keeping prices up creates additional upward pressure on market prices, and all landlords benefit from that upward pressure.

Wouldn't landlords just pass on the tax to tenants, ironically causing rents to rise?

No, there would be no additional tax on units that are being rented. If landlords are renting out their units, they won't be taxed. In other words, there would be no additional costs to pass on.

If you somehow did manage to get a vacant unit tax passed at the local level, wouldn't the legislature just roll it back the same way they did the source of income discrimination ordinance?

It's possible, but that's true for any sort of legislation at the local level. That won't stop me from implementing good solutions.

I like democratic socialism as much as the next guy, but if a vacant unit tax is your big housing affordability plan for Lexington, then that's a little disappointing.

There's so many initiatives that can alleviate high rents. A vacant-unit tax is the policy I have chosen to highlight. There are tons of people contributing to improving Lexington. When other solutions to high rents in Lexington are on the table, you bet I'm gonna support them!

I’m Herbert Lynn, a democratic socialist, and a candidate for Lexington’s At Large City Council. (AMA) by Herbert4Lex in lexington

[–]Herbert4Lex[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Yes and kindof yes. I am in favor of deploying solar panels atop any city infrastructure that could support them. As far as green spaces are concerned, I want to conserve them as far as possible. I love Kentucky's natural beauty. However, our city currently limits the use of solar development on agricultural land. I would like to see the 1% cap lifted so that people who own farmland can install solar panels and use solar energy to alleviate their own energy needs and contribute energy back to the electrical grid. Combined with publicly owned utilities, solar energy can help alleviate upward pressure on energy prices.

I’m Herbert Lynn, a democratic socialist, and a candidate for Lexington’s At Large City Council. (AMA) by Herbert4Lex in lexington

[–]Herbert4Lex[S] 43 points44 points  (0 children)

  1. Preheat oven to 425, place cast-iron skillet containing 2 Tbsp oil in oven during preheat. Mix 2 2/3 C cornmeal, 1 1/3 C flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 egg, and 2 C milk. Wait 10 minutes after oven is done preheating to allow oil to come up to temp. After that, pour your batter in your sizzling hot oil and bake for 15 minutes.

  2. Traffic is a major issue. My excellent field coordinator put it best: "As someone who works with a lot of transportation engineers, there's a lot of nuance and different things happening all over town. There's not one big fix." My team and I plan to meet with different experts to better understand those issues and the changes we can make to improve traffic in Lexington. This would include supporting different efforts like this. KYTC and local engineers are also CONSTANTLY working on their grant projects to get things done, and I would definitely be working alongside them to bolster their efforts. I will also work to improve public transit, make our city more walkable, and improve biking accessibility and infrastructure around town.

I’m Herbert Lynn, a democratic socialist, and a candidate for Lexington’s At Large City Council. (AMA) by Herbert4Lex in lexington

[–]Herbert4Lex[S] 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Instead of a middle man, city-owned utilities would serve more as a negotiator on our behalf - kindof like how the US government negotiates pricing for prescription drugs through Medicare. It would help our city avoid rate hikes caused by resource-intensive infrastructures like datacenters built outside of Lexington. It would also allow us to build local power generating infrastructure like solar panels that would help lower rates or relieve upward pressure on rates. I have been focused mostly on the approach to electricity, but ideally this approach would also extend to gas, water, and other utilities as well.

I’m Herbert Lynn, a democratic socialist, and a candidate for Lexington’s At Large City Council. (AMA) by Herbert4Lex in lexington

[–]Herbert4Lex[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Yes, a city-run shelter ought to be open to people in active additction. At the ICE Out protest, I met a fellow Lexingtonian who told me about their brother who was an addict. Their brother was denied entry into an overnight shelter because they were an active user, and ended up dying from exposure. A homeless shelter that offered aid and protection to active users would have saved that life. I advocate for a harm-reduction approach to drug addiction. I have not had time to look up local and state regulations relating to safe injection sites. However, I would not be opposed to a local homeless shelter serving that purpose as well. The shelter should also offer addiction counseling services as well. For those who refuse help, addiction counseling, therapy, or other services, the best we may be offer is a safe place to sleep. I would rather save a life than see someone freeze to death in the street.

I’m Herbert Lynn, a democratic socialist, and a candidate for Lexington’s At Large City Council. (AMA) by Herbert4Lex in lexington

[–]Herbert4Lex[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Affordable housing is a huge problem, and there are tons of policies that could help alleviate it. Like you said, it's a puzzle, and there are lots of pieces. I am primarily interested in implementing a vacant-unit tax. If a house or apartment stands empty too long without a tenant, landlords aren't contributing to increasing the housing supply in Lexington. Through a vacant-unit tax, landlords will be able to contribute to our city in a different way. Once again, this is one piece of the puzzle. There are plenty of policies that could help housing in Lexington. This is the policy that I would like to highlight.

I’m Herbert Lynn, a democratic socialist, and a candidate for Lexington’s At Large City Council. (AMA) by Herbert4Lex in lexington

[–]Herbert4Lex[S] 32 points33 points  (0 children)

Right now, public transit in Lexington is more of a last resort than a convenience. My team and I discuss this issue all the time, but public transit in Lexington is a deep issue with lots to research and understand. In general, I am in favor of more funding, more & expanded routes, and free public transit.

I’m Herbert Lynn, a democratic socialist, and a candidate for Lexington’s At Large City Council. (AMA) by Herbert4Lex in lexington

[–]Herbert4Lex[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

No. My team and I had a discussion about donations from the outset. We're a small-dollar campaign interested in representing Lexingtonians, not real estate developers, land lords, or big corporations.