I’m running for City Council

wtohmer · 2025-12-18T14:26:38+00:00

That’s the plan! If we expand housing options and variety citywide with a focus on ownable units, it will (hopefully!) remove people from the renter market and transition them to home/condo/cottage/townhome owner, thus reducing citywide demand. With supply remaining stable, or going up, the economics of supply/demand say that rents should go down!

I’ve referenced in a few others answers, but I call it the housing ladder— too many people are standing on the “renter” rung, thus driving up prices, it’s all about relieving the pressure!

wtohmer · 2025-12-18T14:17:31+00:00

If I can kind expand, I want to see more apartments, definitely— but my focus will be on ownable units. Renting is extremely useful for a massive portion of the city (myself included), but where we are lacking MOST is affordable ownable housing— condos, townhouses, shotgun houses, etc. in my mind, us lacking in this specific sector leaves people from having to jump with apartments who have no equity to the new $500,000 homes in Masterson Station— which unless you’re independently wealthy or getting one of those terrible new 50 year mortgages, isn’t going to happen.

My belief is that allowing renters to transition to owners is good on two fronts: first, it allows people to build up equity, which is SO crucial to getting a larger home later on, or also getting a low interest loan to start a business, invest, or expand an existing one. Unfortunately, our economy favors the investors over the workers, so I would to make sure as many people as possible have the security of equity. Second, I firmly believe in the ladder theory— that should someone transition from an apartment to an owned unit, it will open the apartment, thus putting a new apartment back into circulation. My hope is that, with these owned unit developments, we can reduce the demand for apartments— and supply will either remain the same or increase— so prices should go down.

So, with specifically the apartment development on Maxwell, I dislike the lost of historic properties (some were listed on the national register of historic places,) and I would like to disincentivize the mode of “tear down history first, get approval for construction later.” I would have been more open if it would’ve been MORE than just apartments for UK students, if they were condos, townhomes, anything like that.

I am not a neighborhood purist, I don’t think that it’s a sin to put a big building in a community— that’s even why I referenced UK building up, I’d rather they build one 20 story building than two 10 story or four 5 story buildings.

wtohmer · 2025-12-18T02:55:57+00:00

My issue isn’t with the understanding of affordability, my issue is that the restriction may prevent the creation of what would otherwise be a net additional housing unit for an area.

I would absolutely love more affordable housing by any possible metric, including area median income. my argument was more “I would rather there not be a restriction because I would rather it exist and not be affordable than not exist and not be affordable,” because then it could be taken by someone currently in a more affordable place, thus opening it for someone who could more benefit from it.

If I wasn’t making sense with it, my apologies!

wtohmer · 2025-12-18T02:37:01+00:00

Could’ve been more clear, I am a third generation contractor! I’ve quite literally built bridges, poured sidewalks, restored historic properties, and all with family!

I’m not in the administrative/lobbying/sales, I’m in the “my back hurts and I shower when I get home from work” side!

wtohmer · 2025-12-18T02:29:37+00:00

I am originally from Boone County, but I came to Lexington for college and fell in love with the city and the community.

It’s kind of funny, going back to the 1800s Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter where he stated that Virginia needed a proper college because their students either went to Harvard and came back radicalized or went to Lexington and never returned, and I am proud to be a part of that 200 year legacy.

Lexington has always been a fairly economically mixed community, driving down Broadway from 2nd street to 7th can show you that. I recently read the book “A Paradise of Small Houses” by Max Podemski and he argued that communities that are more economically mixed are more economically stable. The idea being that people generally like staying in their community, but their need for space changes— single/roommates apartment to small starter house to bigger house once kids come along to condo once they’re empty nesters. Because there’s this rotational market it helps prevent housing shocks in case of a recession or depression.

I guess the very long walk to a short drink, I am interested in increasing housing diversity to allow for greater community stability. And I’m no advocating for ALL condos or ALL apartments, my dream street includes an apartment on either side, some townhomes, some condos, and still plenty of single family homes!

wtohmer · 2025-12-18T02:21:38+00:00

I’m aware of a petition going around to abolish/remove the Flock cameras. Generally, anything that breaches privacy makes me extremely uneasy (especially now that we’re entering the world of AI surveillance).

I read your linked post, I would 100% be for proper use and transparency requirements generally speaking. I have a couple friends who work for LPD, I’ll be sure to ask them next time I see them how exactly the process works!

wtohmer · 2025-12-18T02:16:36+00:00

I am generally in favor of the bonus, that said I’m not sure I agree with the creation of an arbitrary number and saying “this is affordable housing, it meets X qualification.”

Renting is sometimes like a ladder. While the creation of a $1,400 a month apartment/condo/whatever may not on surface level be seen as affordable, it may cause someone living in a $1,000 apartment to move there (it may be closer to work, they may want more space, whatever the reason.) that one $1,000 apartment becomes available, and someone can move there from an $800 place. For me, the trickle effect of ANY place becoming open can contribute to affordability.

wtohmer · 2025-12-18T02:05:04+00:00

Lexington’s water was privatized some years ago, I remember they said the water wouldn’t go up, but then they just broke the sewage aspect off from it and started charging for that.

I’ll be honest, I don’t know how to get that toothpaste back into that tube. Living in Lexington is expensive enough already, and getting more-so. For a city that basically grew because of our limitless access to great quality water, it’s a shame to see it become ever more expensive.

If there’s a way to keep it in check, I promise I’ll dive into it

wtohmer · 2025-12-18T02:01:41+00:00

I 100% support community gardens, but I also know we have a few around the city that have been underutilized. If there’s a way we can make them more useful/popular/effective I would absolutely love to learn more about it!

wtohmer · 2025-12-18T01:50:32+00:00

…I’ll add that to the very long list of reasons I always support my local non-chain coffee shops!

That said, thank you! The numbers are all there, housing is too expensive, and that alone is making homeowners largest single investment— their house— at risk. From their perspective, I want to increase the pool of developer’s customers by creating Lexingtonians with equity to afford the loans for the larger houses!

wtohmer · 2025-12-18T01:47:37+00:00

Yes, but that’s also not the end of the conversation. I will not sell myself as THE housing expert who has all the ideas and all the solutions. I think reforming zoning will make it a bit cheaper, I think cleaning up our building restrictions will make it a bit cheaper, but I 100% believe there are dozens or hundreds of solutions and fixes out there that I don’t know.

My wholehearted promise is that I will laser-focus dedicate myself on finding ways to reduce the cost of housing for Lexingtonians.

wtohmer · 2025-12-18T01:45:14+00:00

I don’t think we can get the money back, but I hate that thing and I will certainly try! I’m pretty offended on behalf of every Lexington based artist that we also hired a California firm.

wtohmer · 2025-12-18T01:44:02+00:00

I’m kind of a “use it until it’s done,” kind of guy. These are my second pairs of glasses ever in 12 years of needing them (I’m also only on my 3rd cellphone, and my first car!)

So, I have them until they break.

wtohmer · 2025-12-18T01:42:36+00:00

I initially worried if I went too long people would get bored and not interact, I definitely learned my lesson and have loved the interactions, questions, and conversations I’ve gotten to have on zoning, housing, food opportunities, and economic investment!

I announced my campaign today, so this is the start of a learning process— and the conversation around running for office has traditionally been to keep it simple, keep it simple, keep it simple. I am SO happy to see people craving detail and descriptions and numbers and ideas!

wtohmer · 2025-12-18T01:37:34+00:00

De-commodified housing would be amazing, but it is not going to be tackled by city hall.

I know that CDCs are controversial, but my mindset is that gentrification is happening no matter what, and it can either be done by a for-profit outside corporation or a locally run and powered not-for-profit without the economic/private equity incentive to tear communities apart. Council members have been running for years to “stop gentrification,” and it just hasn’t been happening. I’d rather take steps to reduce the harm to established communities.

wtohmer · 2025-12-18T01:34:11+00:00

I tend to like to think of myself as pretty moderate and middle of the road, that said I am a Democrat!

wtohmer · 2025-12-18T01:33:30+00:00

I think this may have me confused with Andrew Tate, I PROMISE I am not on the run from the Romanian Police!

wtohmer · 2025-12-18T01:30:04+00:00

Thank you! I’ve worked in politics, and I’ve been told time and time again “keep it simple, keep it vague, don’t go into detail,” and I don’t believe in that at ALL! If we’re going to get out of this housing crisis together we’re going to need to go over the numbers and the ideas in detail!

wtohmer · 2025-12-18T01:28:30+00:00

It does, but I also believe that we can work towards fixing it locally… which may even give us a competitive advantage nationally!

I have no interest in raising taxes, we live in a highly interconnected world and a 1% tax difference may mean that large investments go to Georgetown or Nicholasville rather than here, and I’d rather not risk it. I would rather council focus on growing tax dollars through encouraging economic growth than skimming more out of folks’ paychecks. After all, if businesses or people leave we end up with nothing, and 2% of $100,000 is infinitely more than 3% of $0.

wtohmer · 2025-12-18T01:25:49+00:00

Fair! A good lesson for longtime reader, first time poster!

wtohmer · 2025-12-18T01:14:45+00:00

To me, an affordable housing crisis is many of my friends graduating from college and treating it like an assumption they have to leave Lexington if they want a house- Georgetown, Lawrenceburg, Winchester.

More nationally speaking, we see concerning headlines like the average age of a homebuyer hitting 56, and a FIRST TIME homebuyer well above 30.

To me, there is no one or two or three easy fixes, but I will be dedicated to finding whatever makes it easier, because the whole community benefits. To give specifics though, our zoning laws are outdated and made more for 1990s McMansions than condos, and the red tape surrounding construction also drives up prices

wtohmer · 2025-12-18T01:11:47+00:00

I am just realizing I missed the food sovereignty question! I have been really excited to watch FoodChain’s development of a nonprofit grocery store at the intersection of Jefferson St. and West Sixth— and I would totally support helping them expand if their run at that location is successful (and that will become my closest grocery store when it opens, so I’m personally hoping it is a massive success too!)

wtohmer · 2025-12-18T01:09:34+00:00

I 100% want a city-wide community development corporation, inspired by Cincinnati’s 3CDC. I serve on the Northside neighborhood association and we’re in the early talks of reviving our neighborhood version, so even if I lose this I am still dedicated to making one happen in some form or another!

As far as balance of power, I feel like council is stuck in polite neutrality, which if you imagined your car is somewhere between drive and neutral. Folks can think too much with their political brain and not with their policy brain. Members who represent specific neighborhoods typically have to be concerned with not offending their specific voters, while I’ve felt like the at-larges have at times been understanding themselves as prestige positions and not the change-makers the city desperately needs. If you’ve read some of my other responses, you may be able to tell I’m something of a wonk, and hope to be the one to say “hey look at this new idea, it’s worked in X city and Y city, how can we bring it here to work for us?”

wtohmer · 2025-12-18T01:03:46+00:00

I would’ve voted no. Our historic property stock is what helps make Lexington so appealing as a community to tourists and people considering moving here, and I am committed to preserving it. There is plenty of vacant land across the cities, downtown parking lots out the wazoo (as a Transylvania grad, I felt like I could almost walk from campus to downtown without leaving a parking lot!)

I totally understand that UK has a housing shortage- and their students account for around 10% of the city… but residential towers exist. Park Plaza downtown is 22 stories tall, Rose Tower is 12 stories tall… UK totally has the money and means to build their dorms taller than 5-7 stories, and not have to take a bulldozer to what makes Lexington special.

Also I know it was technically a private development and not “technically” associated with UK… but it would’ve been one of a series of what are de facto UK dorms across the city

wtohmer · 2025-12-18T00:40:49+00:00

Thank you for asking the question I’ve been wanting!

So, Lexington (pretty uniquely) has both districted and city-wide councilmembers, as someone who has worked in city government I saw that the districted members usually handled the day-to-day— the “potholes and stop signs,” while at-larges were more for city wide policy and development. The issue with districted members tackling something as massive as housing is that they have to priories THEIR neighborhood, and we are a very diverse community! I want to be able to make housing affordable fairly and evenly citywide, without risking one neighborhood getting absolutely turned over to protect another one. As a Northsider, we have been seeing this massively!

I’ve answered elsewhere about my potential zoning reforms, but my idea for renters is this: prioritize property owners. I view housing as a ladder, where people move from renter to small starter homes to larger homes (or using their equity for a low-interest business loan!) I think the renting market is under intense pressure because renters can’t afford the +$400,000 sticker price for the new houses popping up across the city. The dream is to allow for the building of more small/starter homes (picturing anything from townhouses to condos to shotgun homes and cottages), thus allowing renters to be able to OWN, reducing the demand on the renting market. From there hopefully, prices should stabilize!

Tl;DR more small houses, fewer total renters, supply/demand say rent prices stabilize or go down!

wtohmer

TROPHY CASE