What's good and bad about Fayette County in my opi
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12/19/2009
Lexington is surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. The schools are of good quality, there is a diverse population, and most people are non-discriminatory, regardless of socio-economic status. That having been said, the city/county government seems to operate on the principle that money talks. The city council turns a deaf ear to any public opposition to a project if they believe the project will bring money either to their campaigns, the city itself, or those that are already wealthy. They also seem to be unable to wisely spend the revenue the city does bring in. Even in wealthy neighborhoods, roads are in an atrocious state of patchwork or disrepair. To illustrate these points, one only need look downtown at the cite of the Webb Brother's CentrePoint, a hideous skyscraper that had already been rejected by the city of Atlanta. While the entire city protested the demolition of the oldest remaining block of historic businesses that remained, the city council pushed the project through and quickly employed the wrecking ball to insure that nothing the protesters did could delay the building's completion. No effort was made to come up with a design that fit the flavor of the rest of Main Street, and at least one successful Music Bar, The Dame, went out of business after being forced to move to the other end of Main. This isn't the first time the Webb brothers have been allowed to alter the face of Lexington with disastrous economic and aesthetic consequences. After being implicated in a viatical scheme that defrauded desperate HIV patients out of their life insurance, Kentucky Central, the Webb Brothers' insurance company, went under. This cheated many people who had invested in the Company out of their life savings. In addition, Festival Market was a Mall the Webb Brothers built downtown, where there is virtually no convenient parking. Although initially filled with restaurants and various shops like any mall, it today is home to one restaurant, a Starbucks, an Art Shop, and two floors of offices, most of them empty. The World Equestrian Games will be here next year, and in anticipation, many condominiums, restaurants and bars have renovated, been built, or expanded. Now they have to compete with a block that is fenced off and has only patchy grass covering it. I must stress that the city council knew before they approved the project that it wouldn't be finished before the games began, and that it is in city of the old Courthouse and the new Judicial complex (which another historic block was razed to make way for).
Finally, the disparity between what the richest and poorest citizens of Lexington make is enormous. If you live north of Main Street you tend to be poorer; south of Main Street you tend to be middle or upper class. Finally, Lexington's largest employer, the University of Kentucky, seems very determined not to give its graduates jobs. If you don't have connections or don't already work there, you might as well forget applying. I have two Master's degrees and while out of work last year filled out over 90 applications for jobs that I am qualified to do. I was even working with a government agency whose employment counselor helped me determine which jobs my skills would cover the responsibilities of. I didn't receive a single interview. While this might sound like personal bitterness, I assure you that isn't the case. If it was, I would have long since left the city and the Commonwealth. I simply wish that the government, both local and state, seemed more interested in the welfare of the people of Kentucky and less interested in what they can get out of a job with the state. During every legislative session, the first order of business for both the house and Senate is to give themselves a hefty raise, usually far above the rate at which the cost of living has increased. U.K. recently hired a new basketball coach and his contract guarantees him the highest salary any person in that position has ever been paid. All this at a time when the state budget is in such bad shape that the Governor used the first part of the Economic Stimilus Package to balance the state budget--when it was supposed to be used to create new jobs for one of the poorest states in the Union. We are also near the bottom of all 50 in level of education of our citizens, per cent of the population that is college educated, and near the top in obesity, alcoholism, smoking rates, and other unhealthy life-style factors. So if you are in good financial shape and can find a job here that will enable that state to continue, you want a good place to raise children, or you enjoy political activism or breathtaking scenery, Kentucky is the place for you. If you're poor, don't have much education, or refuse to be hypocritical to important people, but want to come to Kentucky, I'd suggest Louisville or Berea.
Scott | Lexington-Fayette, KY