Lexington mayoral candidate Ronnie Bastin is very familiar with the legislative body he would oversee if voters choose him in Tuesdays election. The former law enforcement officer, who also became police chief, had to work with the city council on what is the biggest portion of the yearly budget. Bastin faces former Vice Mayor Linda Gorton in the mayoral race.
The man who spent four decades in Lexington law enforcement now wants to head the government.
It’s not at all surprising that a person who spent most of his professional life in public safety has ideas about dealing with the ongoing problem of violent crime. Ronnie Bastin says the responsibility of police is to respond to acts of crime, but that should not be the only strategy. “We will always treat symptoms unless we start working on the root causes of crime. That’s how we’re going to get to a better place at the end of the day. So, I recognize that and have some plans to do that,” said Bastin.
Bastin cites the current ‘One Lexington’ wrap around program with dozens of groups working in a neighborhood on violence prevention. Years ago, he says, police officers participated in a program called - ‘we care’ - when residents off Georgetown Street faced heightened violence. “We developed a program and went in and invested in the neighborhood and cleaned up and painted porches and repaired siding that had been damaged by drive by shootings and people came out and they were really appreciative of that.”
As far as police protection, Bastin proposes to increase the division by at least 40 officers the next four years.
One of the most talked about items at city hall for years, that hasn’t been decided, is the need for a new city hall. Although he doesn’t have a favorite spot, Bastin, like Linda Gorton, believes it’s time for a new home for Lexington government. He says too much money has been spent on keeping up the current high rise structure on Main Street. “We just need to make sure that we don’t kick the can down the road, and we, as government, pay our bills and maintain our properties and do what we need to do. It’s troubling that we have accumulated 22 million dollars of deferred maintenance on a property. That doesn’t happen overnight,” argued Bastin.
Lexington’s effort to address homelessness has come in various forms. In addition to a number of agencies offering emergency housing and services, city leaders have also place substantial dollars in an affordable housing fund. The Office of Homelessness Prevention and Intervention coordinates a variety of services. Still, Bastin says more needs to be done. “It’s better than it was, but we still have to continue to work on it. I’ll work with the stakeholders and I’ll continue to look around the country to see if others have found things that could maybe be implemented here that could be successful.”
Lexington’s sanitation workers recently brought concerns about pay to city leaders. Bastin says the request deserves attention. He says being valued is also important. “You know, if people believe you care about them as a person and an employee and they know that you understand what they do and how important that is to the community or organization, that buys a lot of good will and a lot of loyalty,” said Bastin
One of the points Bastin has made throughout the fall campaign is his experience in heading up an agency and dealing with budget cuts during difficult economic times. Plus, he says there are daily demands in lots of areas. “I’m not sure people often stop and think about that, but that is one of the biggest responsibilities of our mayor is to lead the daily operations of government. And it’s a big, living, breathing complicated machine.”
Bastin says he believes in - QUOTE “building people” adding, when that happens, city agencies have capacity to do better over time.
In just five days, Lexington area voters will make their decision about who they feel should take the reins of urban county government for the next four years.?
