Council discusses school, OKs short-term economic developer, hears fire department has its first ladder truck

Northside Elementary School is scheduled to welcome students Aug, 26. (File photo by Megan Parsons, 2019)

This story has been updated.

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The Midway City Council and Mayor Grayson Vandegrift spent much of their meeting Monday sharing their thoughts on re-opening schools amid the covid-19 pandemic.

The council also approved a short-term contract for an economic developer, passed an ordinance easing paperwork rules for volunteer work on city property, made one block of Johnson Street one-way, and heard that Vandegrift bought a used ladder truck for the fire department.

The Woodford County Board of Education is planning to resume classes Aug. 26 with a dual option, in which parents can send children to school or have them do virtual learning, online at home. The board will have a special meeting Tuesday, Aug. 11.

“We want kids to go back to school at some point,” Vandegrift said. “My main concern, though, is if you go back in and we’re not ready to control the spread, if there are four to five kids a week testing positive for coronavirus and we can’t truly test for it the spread is going to continue.”

Vandegrift’s estimate was based on research that uses county infection rates to estimate the number of infected people likely to arrive at a school of 500 in the first week.

The mayor called for delaying the in-person start date, saying said more testing is needed first, to allow tracing the contacts of infected people and asking them to quarantine.

“I think the board should seriously consider delaying an open that allows students to enter the school until we can guarantee more testing,” he said. “I’m not putting that on Woodford County; the health department has done an unbelievable job, but everywhere this thing spreads, you can’t tell where it’s coming or going, and that’s because of testing.”

Council Member Sara Hicks raised concerns about parents who have health risks but face losing their jobs if their children do not go back to school: “If you say you can your kids or not send your kids, it sounds like that’s just a free decision, but I don’t think that’s really a free decision for people who don’t have the financial wherewithal to put their jobs in jeopardy.”

Council Member Stacy Thurman didn't opine about opening but said the school board should get support no matter what decision it makes: “We need unity, we need a united front and we need solidarity with the board and the county.”

“There’s no good solution,” said Thurman, mother of a fourth grader and an eighth grader. “Both solutions are bad and inconvenient and hard.”

Council Member Logan Nance agreed, saying “The bigger risk than covid to our community is the divisiveness and the language we’re using to talk to one another.” He also didn’t give the school board any advice, and no other council members spoke on the topic.

The City Council usually does not involve itself in school matters, “but this is an unprecedented situation,” Vandegrift said, and the final call will be “the most important decision that board has made in a long time, if not ever.” 

The mayor said at the start of the discussion, “We don’t in any way ever want to step on another board or jurisdiction’s toes,” adding later, “I think it well help them to have an idea how our city, our constituency, our end of the county feels about this.” At the end of the discussion, he said Midway-area school-board member Ambrose Wilson posted his thanks on the Facebook page that carried the meeting.

Other business: The council unanimously approved a six-month contract with Fortune Solutions LLC and point person Lucas Whitt to staff the Woodford County Economic Development Authority for six months, filling the role played by retired EDA chair John Soper.

Whitt worked with Midway on the location of Lakeshore Learning Materials when he worked with the state Economic Development Cabinet, Vandegrift said: "He's well aware of what is going on in Midway Station." The city will pay him $1,050 a month; Soper was paid $1,333.

Most of the pay will come from Versailles and the county government; Vandegrift said he, Mayor Brian Traugott and Judge-Executive James Kay agreed on the temporary hire to give them time to develop “a more concrete, more comprehensive” request for proposals from potential long-term hires.

The council defeated, with lack of a motion, Council Member John Holloway's proposal to rename and replace “Sparks in the Park,” normally held on July 3 or 4, with a celebration on June 19 to honor Juneteenth, a now official city holiday, to honor the end of slavery.

Vandegrift said he had discussed with Holloway “what could be done,” and asked for a motion, but none came. He said Sparks in the Park would continue but “We are going to have a Juneteenth celebration next year on June 19, which happens to fall on a Saturday.”

Interviews after the meeting, via email, indicated that the opposition stemmed from the idea of doing away with Sparks in the Park.

"I'm really excited to work with members of the black community here in Midway to honor and celebrate Juneteenth as they see fit. I also didn't want to do away with Sparks in the Park," Nance said. "It's a fun event for families and members of the community to come together and socialize and celebrate Independence Day. I know John's heart was in the right place when he wrote the resolution, but instead of repurposing Sparks in the Park I would rather keep that tradition and create a new, special tradition to honor Juneteenth."

Thurman said, "I appreciate the thought process behind this resolution and feel that Midway should definitely commemorate Juneteenth next year. I didn't make a motion to accept this resolution simply because I think both of these events provide great opportunities to bring our community together and I don't think we have to substitute one for the other."

Hicks said, “I believe Sparks is a loved tradition that should not be eliminated. I am also happy to add another celebration of Juneteenth. There are many reasons to celebrate in Midway.”

Holloway said, "Maybe I'm a purist, but it seems like a Fourth of July celebration should be on the Fourth of July. Juneteenth is 15 days before Sparks in the Park, and it seems strange to have two events that close together.  I was afraid that even if we actually have a Juneteenth celebration (which frankly seems unlikely), the tendency would be for it to become a lesser stepchild – which to me smacks of separate but equal, and I'm totally opposed to that, as we all should be."

The council also:

●    Heard the mayor announce the purchase of a used ladder truck from Stewart County, Tennessee, for $13,500, using state fire aid money and a city appropriation that was going to be used for an antenna but is no longer needed. Vandegrift said the city needs a ladder truck more than ever, with major facilities in Midway Station. He said Stewart County bought the truck used from Beverly Hills, Calif., but “The truck’s in great condition” and has been driven less than 50,000 miles.
●    Unanimously approved an ordinance simplifying volunteer work on city property. Volunteers will no longer be required to sign in and out each time, and won't be required to be under city supervision at all times, since they would sign a waiver of liability. The change confirms current practice.

●    Unanimously made the 200 block of Johnson Street a one-way street, from Gratz Street to Brand Street, effective Sept. 1. Nance said he interviewed all but one resident of the block, and all but one were in favor of the change.

●    Heard Vandegrift report that more than 700 people watched Wednesday’s online forum about traffic issues, and almost 80 made comments. One suggested traffic cameras to catch and ticket speeders, but the mayor said he had learned such cameras are illegal in Kentucky.

Before the moment of reflection at the start of the meeting, Vandegrift asked members and the online audience to remember the late Joyce Logan and the late Pat Wilson and their families.

Diverse crowd of 50 people march across town to raise awareness of a sad event and celebrate Black resilience

Marchers, wearing masks, gathered at the Sons and Daughters of Relief Cemetery. (Photo by Aaron Gershon; to enlarge, click on it)

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

On an overcast day when rain threatened but temperatures were cooler than usual, 50 people marched through Midway to honor those affected by the July 31, 1868 attack on the Second Christian Church.

Friday's event was organized by Honoring Black Stories in Midway, a group dedicated to African American history in the city.

“In Midway, much work has been done regarding researching our Black history, but many people are unaware,” event organizer Milan Bush told the Messenger. She said the march was for awareness and to celebrate the resilience of African Americans since slavery.

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said, “I think this was a very important event for our city to remember when we’re talking about our history. We have to talk about it from many perspectives.”

Second Christian Church faces Smith Street. (Photo by Aaron Gershon)

Three years after the Civil War, the church served a vital role in the local Black community, and housed a school. Whites who were determined to uphold the racial status quo in Kentucky attacked and burned the wood structure.

“We have to acknowledge the good and the bad,” Vandegrift said. “And the more I talk to Black citizens around town, the more I realize many simply want their story to be told too, and it’s most important they be the ones to tell it. And we listen.”

The march began at City Hall, went to Second Christian Church at Smith and Stephens streets, and then 0.6 miles across town to the Sons and Daughters of Relief Cemetery at the west end of Bruen Street, where many African Americans are buried.

Vandegrift walked and was pleased with the turnout. “I thought it turned out great, even better than I expected,” he said. “Over 50 people, more than 90 percent Midway residents, both white and black.”

Midway writer Bob Rouse posted on his blog, "Of a Midway Mind," to share his experience in the march.

“In my 62 years, I have walked for miles on Midway’s streets and sidewalks: on Halloween nights with my family, during growing-up days with my friends, and on moonlit evenings with a sweetheart,” Rouse wrote. “But today I walked with purpose in my heart. I walked in the spirit of peace—as John Lewis implored—with my sisters and brothers.”

U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, who was the last living civil-rights leader who spoke at the 1963 March on Washington, died July 17 and was buried Thursday in Atlanta.

Perhaps the lone concern about holding the event was having a gathering of more than 10 people in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic, contrary to an order from Gov. Andy Beshear. Every marcher was wearing a mask and generally kept distance from each other.

“We live in a special community, which we knew, ” Vandegrift said. “But today showed another loving face of our city.”

Honoring Black Stories in Midway group will march Friday, anniversary of 1868 attack on Second Christian

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Honoring Black Stories in Midway, a group dedicated to honoring African American history in the city, will hold a march at midday Friday to honor those affected by the July 31, 1868, attack on the Second Christian Church.

"We are in a day in age where it's open to talk about race, but it makes people uncomfortable," event organizer Milan Bush told the Messenger. "In Midway, much work has been done regarding researching our Black history, but many people are unaware.”

Brenda Jackson, left, and Barbara Holcomb of We're Digging It Metal
Detectors found evidence in 2017 of the original log building of Second
Christian Church. They found foundation stones and handmade nails.
(Lexington Herald-Leader photo by Tom Eblen)

Three years after the Civil War, the church served a vital role in the local Black community, and housed a school. Whites who were determined to uphold the racial status quo attacked and burned the wood structure.

"Being a teacher, I begin researching school information for Blacks. The initial finding was a brief sentence of a colored school being attacked on July 31, 1868," Bush said. "The incident is really disturbing. While no one is alive from that time, I believe it served as a major turning point for Black-white relations in Midway. Nevertheless, the Black community rebuilt and thrived, something many of us didn't know. So we march for awareness and to celebrate their resilience.”

Wednesday the City Council approved a parade permit for the event. Council Member John Holloway, who said he will be marching, told his colleagues that marchers plan to use sidewalks, won't block any streets, and have agreed to break into groups of 10 or less to adhere to the state’s latest social-distancing rules.

"I want people to realize we have been communicating with them (Honoring Black Stories group) about covid restrictions," Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said during the special council meeting called to issue the permit. "They're completely compliant, everyone will have masks on. . . . They will also be socially distanced, making it virtually impossible for an asymptomatic carrier to spread."

Vandegrift added that he will take part in the march and is confident in the social distancing measures in place.

The march will begin at noon at City Hall and will go down East Main Street to Gratz Street, then out East Stephens Street to its intersection with Smith Street, where the church was located on what is now Midway University's campus. From there, the march will go back down Stephens Street, then up Turner Street and on Bruen Street to the Sons and Daughters of Relief Cemetery facing Wausau Place, then back to City Hall at 2 p.m.

"Many of the graves at Sons and Daughters cemetery say 'Gone, but not forgotten'," Bush said. "Honoring Black Stories wants to change that narrative and bring to life those people we have indeed forgotten."

A 2017 Lexington Herald-Leader story about the attack is here.

Mayor makes Friday, June 19, a city holiday to honor fight for racial justice; says more vouchers in mid-July

Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift is making Friday, June 19, a city holiday to honor those who have fought for racial justice, he announced in his regular update today.

Many African Americans observe June 19 as "Juneteenth," the day that a Union general who had just occupied Texas announced that in accordance with Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, "All slaves are free."

Vandegrift said, "We have to keep finding ways to remind each other of the racial inequities that still exist. Slavery ended, but oppression and systematic racism did not," even after passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. "We're getting better, but we are still so far away, and to honor all those who have struggled in the fight . . . we have to do more.

Vandegrift said the holiday means that city offices will be closed and city employees won't be working but will be paid. He told the Messenger that when June 19 falls on a weekend, the holiday will be the day closest to June 19.

"While this is not an earth-shattering step," he said in the update, "it's important that we remember that just one hundred fifty-five years ago, black Americans were literally held in chains for nothing more than the color of their skin."

Other topics: Vandegrift said the next round of Midway Bucks vouchers that can be spent at local, non-franchised businesses to help them get through the pandemic will probably go out in mid-July. "We need to make sure that the current vouchers get out of circulation, so to speak," he said. "You've got to spend them by June 30."

The mayor asked that residents consider going to a shop, perhaps one they have not visited before, to spend vouchers. "Some shops really haven't had a cut of the pie at all yet, and that's what we were hoping to avoid," he said. "We've had two shops close already during this pandemic. I'm afraid more will follow if we can't help them. Any bit helps, so please spread your money around as best you can."

Vandegrift began weekly updates on the pandemic March 18, and is shifting to every other week, but he said the coronavirus is "a reality that we live with and will be living with for some time."

"We definitely need to disabuse ourselves of the motions of having a normal summer, but that doesn't mean we have to have a bad summer," he said, noting that more relaxations of restrictions are planned for June 29.

He said social distancing and masks are the best way to keep the virus from spreading, and called for special attention to protecting people with underlying medical conditions and over 60. "There are even signs that people in their 40s need to be worried," he said.

Vandegrift opened his update by expressing condolences to the family of U.S. Rep Andy Barr, whose wife Carol died suddenly at their Lexington home Tuesday night. "It reminds us of how precious life truly is, and how important it is that we love one another."

Council prefers two more rounds of Midway Bucks to business-grant program mayor proposed; budget OKd

Leslie Penn of the Midway Museum Gift Store watched as Elisha Holt (facing camera) and Morgan Castle of the Midway Business Association recorded a promotional video for Facebook last month as stores prepared to reopen. (Photo by Al Cross)

By Aaron Gershon and Al Cross
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The Midway City Council voted 3-2 Monday for a second and third round of vouchers for residents to spend at local businesses, rather than give money directly to the businesses for covid-19 relief.

The council also unanimously approved the city budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

The budget, which the council worked out last month, calls for almost $1.8 million in spending. “It really well serves the city of Midway while preserving the surplus, but it’s not skimpy either,” Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said.

Business aid: When Vandegrift learned last week that the city qualified for $129,000 in coronavirus relief funds from the federal government, he proposed that the city apply for $80,000 to give grants of up to $2,000 to as many as 40 businesses to help make up revenue lost to the pandemic.

He told the council that it could issue $80,000 more in vouchers to citizens, on top of the $40,000 that it issued in May, but that would “roll the dice” because there's no assurance that it will be reimbursed. He said the grant program is clearly authorized by the relief law but the voucher program is not.

“We may not know for months,” Vandegrift said. But he added, “I’m confident it would be reimbursed.”

As for the grant program, he said, “Maybe $2,000 isn’t gonna save everybody, but I’ve talked to these shops and restaurants a lot lately, and there are quite a few that are close to having to pack it in.” He said grants would help shops more than vouchers, which he said are being spent mainly at restaurants and the grocery.

Vandegrift said a vote for the grant program would be “a preference vote” that wouldn’t commit the council to it, just start a process in which a council committee would work out details. “The clock is ticking for these businesses,” he said, “and if we’re gonna do a grant project we need to move on it for it to matter.”

Council Member Stacy Thurman said, “I feel we have to be responsible, and I have a hard time trying to make the decision when I don’t know for sure.”

The vouchers come in $10 denominations; no change is given.

Council Member Bruce Southworth said he preferred the vouchers. He said the city could afford to risk not getting reimbursed because it has a big surplus, and “It’s the people’s money to begin with. If we get reimbursed, it’s somebody else’s money. If we use our money, it’s the tax dollars they pay anyway.”

Council Member John Holloway disagreed. “I just don’t think it’s fiscally responsible to give away a bunch of money . . .when we don’t know if we’re gonna get reimbursed for it,” he said.

Council Member Sara Hicks, who had made the motion for the grant program, said the council needs to “prevent a lot of empty storefronts downtown … it can be a snowball reaction; we’ve had that happen before in Midway; if the town doesn’t have enough going on you start to lose more business.”

But no other members favored the grants. Thurman wasn’t present for the 3-2 vote because she had to leave the meeting for a work obligation, Vandegrift said.

Voting with Southworth were Kaye Nita Gallagher, who said earlier, “We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from citizens about the vouchers,” and Logan Nance, who said he didn’t think $2,000 would make a difference to a business at risk of closing.

After the vote, Vandegrift said, “This is what I hoped would happen, but I didn’t want to cloud it or make it difficult to have free discussion.”

He said the next round will be conducted exactly like the current one, except that the “Midway Bucks” would be a different color and he might delay before starting again. The current vouchers must be spent by June 30.

“I’m not saying we won’t do them again until August 1,” he said. “I think we’ll probably try to do it in the middle of July.”

St. Matthew AME Church is on South Winter Street.
(Photo by Christopher Riley, via Flickr)

Racial matters: Vandegrift said the St. Matthew African Methodist Episcopal Church wanted people in the city to know that it has put up surveillance cameras to catch someone who is “messing with them.”

“There’s just no way that I can’t believe its not racially motivated at this point,” Vandegrift said. “I’m pretty sure we know who it is. That’s not indicative of the people of Midway; it’s just one jackass.” Addressing the unnamed person, he said, “You should move, because you don’t belong in Midway, in my opinion.” Southworth agreed.

Vandegrift added, “I hope they catch him and we can say his name.”

In a related matter, Vandegrift complimented Versailles police, who patrol the whole county, for their participation in a peaceful demonstration June 3 at their headquarters to honor George Floyd, the African American killed by a Minneapolis police officer.

In a similar vein, Holloway said he is mapping the recently renovated St. Rose Tabernacle cemetery with short biographies of those buried there, and would like to put up an informational history sign about the African American burial ground.

He said he would like to do the same for several sites in town, like the Black History Tour in Washington, D.C., and asked people with information to contact him.

Covid-19 response: ” The virus has kicked into gear again a little bit,” with a recent uptick in Woodford County but no second case reported in Midway, Vandegrift said. He said mask wearing and social distancing should be encouraged.

Midway saw its lone confirmed case on May 22. As of Monday, Woodford County had 58 confirmed cases, with 24 of them recovered, according to the county health department’s Facebook page. One person in the county is hospitalized and with covid-19 and 30 are recovering at home.

During the grant-or-voucher debate, Hicks pitched the idea of having a coronavirus testing site in Midway. Vandegrift said he had talked to county Emergency Management Director Drew Chandler about a mobile site in Midway but had “no luck yet.” He said there is much demand for such services “and we’re small.”

There are two testing sites in the county, including a rapid testing site at Bluegrass Community Hospital in Versailles, where results can be received in less than an hour. The mayor said a Midway resident went there Monday and the test came back negative.

In other business, the council approved a quitclaim deed to Scott Bradley, clearing up some property-line discrepancies at the Midway Corner Grocery, so he can sell the real estate to Nik Patel, who bought the business in January; and approved the addition of Todd Pack’s name to the veterans memorial in the cemetery.

The mayor announced that the city would not have its annual Sparks in Park gathering on July 4 but might come up with “some way of helping to do something.”

Graviss says he favors action against systemic racism

State Rep. Joe Graviss, a Democrat from Versailles, began his latest legislative update with a message about current events. It appears below. See note at bottom.

Before we get into the regular interim update, please allow me to say in short what I’ve been telling dozens and dozens of people, emailers and callers about the traumatic events of late surrounding the assault on basic human dignities by some in power, and the systemic racism and injustices that exist and are perpetuated by some in power.

I agree with so many excellent organizations, and individuals that are expressing anger and frustration at the structural, institutional and individual racism that still exists, and has deadly consequences -- in many ways. One of America’s greatest leaders, Martin Luther King, Jr. said in 1967:

“And I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it America has failed to hear? ... It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice and humanity.”

He was right then and he’s right now.

I’m committed to helping reform policies and procedures and cultures that can positively affect this systemic problem hurting our country and state, and neighbors. I answered the call to step strongly into the political arena to help all the people, speak truth to power and work very hard for positive change, and will NOT back down now.

Thank you for all you are doing to make a positive difference in the lives around us, our communities, state and world. It matters. And is appreciated. Deb and I continue to pray that God’s will, and love, will be showered on the hearts and minds of all of us as we strive to live our purpose He has designed for us.

The Messenger publishes material from public officials based on newsworthiness, and has a higher threshold when an official is in a contested race. Graviss is unopposed in the June 23 Democratic primary but will have a Republican opponent in the general election.

Midway Chalk Day for Racial Justice leaves messages of support and hope on sidewalks all over town

The title of Sam Cooke's 1964 civil-rights anthem was one of the many messages written in chalk on Midway sidewalks.
(Unless noted, photos are by Herman Daniel Farrell III, as posted on the Midway Musings page on Facebook)

Dozens of adults and young people chalked anti-racism messages on Midway's sidewalks Saturday, in a project that organizers hoped would make the town part of a national movement and strengthen its race relations.

The project was the idea of MJ Farrell, 18, who told the Messenger that she wanted to give an outlet for expression by people who want to join the national protest movement but don't want to attend events "due to fears of covid or fears of danger."

"I knew there was a lot a support throughout Midway and I just didn’t know how to gather that support," she said. Her first idea was "a small, silent protest" downtown, but decided against that because of the pandemic.

She said she thought a chalking project "would be a very covid-friendly means for people to show their support," and one that would last longer than a silent protest. (Rain may come Tuesday.) "It's a way to show each other we’re a very supporting and we're a very strong community." 

She publicized the Midway Chalk Day for Racial Justice on the Midway Musings page on Facebook, and with the help of Jenny Gregory, Jack Rock and Sophie Hill put flyers about it "on almost every doorstep in town."

Farrell said at least 50 people participated in chalking Saturday, led by a group of 15 young adults who did the downtown sidewalks. She said other sidewalks were done primarily by adults and their children.

"A lot of people of color participated in the project, which I was really happy about," said Farrell, who identifies as white; her father, Herman Farrell, identifies as African American, and her grandfather was from Jamaica.

Milan Bush, an African American who lives in Lexington but spent part of her childhood in Midway and still has family here, joined the effort.

"I thought it was an awesome idea," Bush, 36, told the Messenger. She said she brought her sister and her son, 16, and her daughter, 11, who have been involved in protests in Lexington.  

Bush is a teacher. She said that when she saw a piece of chalk art in a hopscotch pattern, reminding her of the children she has worked with, she got emotional, and that's when she encountered Farrell, whom she remembered as a student.

Farrell recalled, "She was sort of in tears and said 'I didn’t think I was going to get so overwhelmed about this.' It showed that were are all making change in people's lives and affecting people."

Bush said the project "evoked some feeling" about a town where she was the only black girl in her kindergarten. "We're making progress," she said. "It goes back to reaching out and relating and knowing your neighbors and that what's Midway has always represented."

Midway's population is 11 percent African American. Farrell said relations between the races in Midway are good, but could be deeper and broader. She said as she rode her bicycle in a predominantly black neighborhood, "I realized I never really come over here very much."

She added, "I really hope people can learn from this and people can come together."

Photo by Marcie Christensen

Photos by Dan Roller, from Midway Musings

Mayor's update: Reaching out at a time of high anxiety, anger and sadness, and remembering to stay safe

By Grayson Vandegrift
Mayor, City of Midway
     I have been reaching out to leaders in our church community in hopes of continuing a conversation we started in our park nearly 3 years ago so that they can help us decide where we should go next. I will keep you updated as to those details.

     Ours is a time of high anxiety, anger, and sadness. Since I have no answers about what the future holds, I always find comfort in looking to the past. Our shared history and my faith teaches me that we are not novel in struggling with racism, division, and pandemic. We continue to have a problem with institutionalized racism in this country, but we can lay the next stepping stone to healing.
     To my black and brown neighbors, I see you, and I’m with you. To those still suffering from the plague of hatred, I hope you find a way to open up your heart.
     We are merely temporary on this stage, so each of us has no choice but to decide whether we will help lay the path forward to peace, or whether we look the other way to more anger and division. Even if all of our efforts only lay one stone on a path of a thousand, we should lay it anyway.
     As we continue this struggle for equality, let’s not forget about the global pandemic we are also dealing with, and while it is a more temporary situation, it is still here. Keep practicing good social distancing; try to keep get-togethers outdoors; wear a mask if you can when you enter a store, pharmacy, or any place with tight quarters; and practice good personal hygiene. Stay well, and God bless.

5 incumbents, 5 others run for City Council; 2 for school board; largest field of council candidates since 2012

The top six vote-getters on Nov. 3 will be elected.

Five incumbents are among 10 candidates for six seats on the Midway City Council, and there's a contested race for the Midway area's seat on the Woodford County Board of Education, following passage of Tuesday's filing deadline for nonpartisan offices.

Two more incumbents and two newcomers completed the council filings, and Ian Horn filed against Amanda Glass for the school-board seat being given up by longtime member Ambrose Wilson. The election is Nov. 3.

Council Members Kaye Nita Gallagher and Bruce Southworth filed for re-election Tuesday. Southworth said he had thought the current two-year term would be his last, but he said he had miscalculated the date of the 20-year review of the city's wastewater system and wanted to be on the council for that. He formerly operated the system.

Candidates who filed earlier were incumbents Sara Hicks, Logan Nance and Stacy Thurman, and Adam Bailey of Old Towne Walk.

Bailey, 33, is director of marketing and community outreach for a long-term and subacute care firm in Lexington. He said he and his wife Amy grew up in Woodford County (his father is EMS Director Freeman Bailey) and they have lived in Midway for five years. He said he is running to give back to a community that has a neighborly culture.

The signers of Bailey's nominating petition were his wife and Mayor Grayson Vandegrift and his wife Katie. The mayor said he signs such papers for anyone who asks "so long as I think they have their heart in the right place." He also signed for Southworth and Nance. (Magistrate Liles Taylor and his wife Robin also signed for Nance.)

Other newcomers filing for the council Tuesday were Mary C. Raglin and Andrew B. Nelle.

Raglin, 69, of the 400 block of South Gratz Street, was appointed to the Midway seat on the Woodford County Human Rights Commission in 2016. She would have to resign from the commission if elected, Vandegrift said. She would the the first African American on the council since Aaron Hamilton didn't seek re-election in 2014; he signed her nominating petition.

Raglin said she is retired from the 911 branch of the Lexington police department. She said she is running because she wants to be a voice and a positive influence for Midway, and was asked to run by two people. She declined to say who they were, but said one is a public official. Vandegrift, asked if it was him, said it was. "I’ve known Mary for quite some time and seen her dedication on the HRC," he said, "and felt she could add new perspectives."

Nelle, 36, said he delivers for Amazon and is a part-time chaplain assistant and staff sergeant in the Air National Guard. He said he was in the Air Force from 2008 to 2016, leaving as a senior airman. He said he moved from Lexington to Midway in early November 2019, just in time to meet the one-year residency requirement. Vandegrift said Nelle has watched every council meeting since.

Nelle said he is running because he is familiar with the workings of government and his parents inspired him to public service. "In service of others is the most noble of paths," he told the Messenger. Two of his four nominating-petition signers were merchants and fellow musicians Bill and Leslie Penn.

Only one incumbent, John Holloway, did not file for re-election. He was elected in 2018 and serves as the unpaid manager of Walter Bradley Park.

Two former incumbents, John McDaniel and Steve Simoff, filed for the council on Monday, June 1. They each served one term in 2017-18; McDaniel finished a close seventh in an eight-way race for six seats in 2018, after running third in a three-way race for the Democratic nomination for Midway-area magistrate on Woodford County Fiscal Court. Simoff didn't seek re-election that year.

The 10-candidate field is the largest since 2012, when 10 people ran for the council and Southworth and Hicks were first elected. They are now the longest-tenured members. Mayors serve four-year terms; Vandegrift was elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2018.

School board: Amanda Glass filed for a four-year term in the District 1 school-board seat on May 21. She and her husband Ken own and operate Railroad Drug and Old Time Soda Fountain on East Main Street. The Vandegrifts and Thurman signed her petition.

Ian Horn filed for the seat at 2:26 p.m. Tuesday, County Clerk Sandy Jones said. He could not be reached for comment, but his LinkedIn page says he is an information systems engineer for the state Division of Geographic Information.

Council passes resolution saying it will confront racial issues in city; deadline to file for council is 4 p.m. Tues.

By Aaron Gershon and Al Cross
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The Midway City Council committed itself Monday to confronting racial issues and “taking an equitable approach to all decision-making” amid the nationwide protests of police brutality and racial injustice.

The all-white council unanimously passed a resolution saying the city will examine “the racial biases embedded in our city” and “the racial impacts of city polices,” encourage people of color to participate in government and try to “improve the quality of life for all residents of Midway by asking these questions: Who benefits? Who is burdened? Who is missing? How do we know?”

The resolution’s author, Council Member Stacy Thurman, said “I felt it was good to acknowledge what’s going on in the world right now and know that Midway can always do better . . . and maybe lead to a list of action items.”

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said he had already begun the process by reaching out to African American pastors. Noting the annual observance of the Rev. Martin Luther King’s birthday, he said he had long asked “how we have a discussion beyond a day in January every year … It’s almost like the country doesn’t have the appetite to tackle this problem,” which he said began when the Constitution included compromises on slavery.

“The founding fathers were well aware of the hypocrisy,” he said. “They created a great country with a terrible flaw to it.” He said solving it “starts with the heart, and it starts in the home, and it branches out from there.”

Council Member John Holloway, who first asked how the resolution would be implemented, shared a personal story to illustrate the racial divide that needs bridging.

He said one of his neighbors, an African American, reportedly said “one of the most awful things I ever heard” before the last election: that he was not going to vote “because voting’s for white people.”

“I was just crushed when I heard that,” Holloway said. “I’m not sure the relationship between the races in Midway is as rosy as what white people think it is.” Vandegrift agreed. “It’s not enough to say you’re doing better than other cities. That’s a pretty low bar.”

Council Member Logan Nance said the resolution was “a great first step,” but “We need to make sure people in the community that are minorities feel they do have a voice and that they can be part of this. . . . We can use this resolution as a reminder for ourselves when doing projects to make sure everyone has an equal voice.”

Nance said he has encouraged African Americans to run for office. The last black city council member was Aaron Hamilton, who did not seek re-election in 2014.

Holloway expanded the electoral encouragement to Latinos, saying he would vote for candidates of color and would even pay the $50 filing fee for any in Midway wanting to run for council. The deadline to file is 4 p.m. Tuesday, at the county clerk’s office in Versailles.

(Holloway and Council Members Kaye Nita Gallagher and Bruce Southworth had not filed for re-election as of 4 p.m. Monday, but Southworth and Gallagher said Tuesday morning that they plan to file; the other three members had. Other filers were Adam Bailey of Old Towne Walk and former council members John McDaniel and Steve Simoff.)

The resolution says “The City of Midway seeks to unify efforts aimed at reducing disparities and commit to intentionally and collectively advancing equity,” and “is committed to hearing individuals who meaningfully engage in raising awareness of disparities and in actively engaging in suggesting and supporting methods by which they may be resolved.”

Council Member Sara Hicks alluded to the shortage of affordable housing in Midway, saying “If we have the intention not to be a gentrified community, we can make policies as a city that will provide those things.”

In other action, the council approved an encroachment permit for an eight-foot-wide concrete driveway behind 230 South Gratz St., the former Midway Woman’s Club building, leading to Stephens Street; and reappointed Michael Michalsin to the Woodford County Economic Development Authority board for a three-year term. 

“He understands all sides of our goals of growth, to grow reasonably sustainably, slowly but to also fit into what makes us who we are,” Vandegrift said.

Michalsin said, “I am keenly aware that I am the only that I am the only Midway appointee to that board. I really do try to think about that and represent what’s important to us.” The EDA controls the Midway Station commercial and industrial development.

'Continuing the Conversation' about race, unity and diversity at 6:30 p.m. Sun. at Midway Christian Church

By Sarah Landers

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The public conversation about race, unity and diversity in Midway will continue on Sunday, Oct. 22, as a follow-up to the city’s ‘Peace in the Park’ event in August.

“Continuing the Conversation: A Peaceful Discussion on Race, Unity, and Diversity in Our Community” be held at Midway Christian Church, 123 E. Bruen St., at 6:30 p.m.

The meeting follows an initial gathering on the topic that was held in August. The first ‘Peace in the Park’ event, organized by Mayor Grayson Vandegrift, was a response to the violent white-supremacist protests in Charlottesville, Va.

Around 50 citizens attended the first meeting, and several of them spoke their thoughts and concerns to the crowd.

Vandegrift said after the August meeting that he wanted to continue the discussion on diversity, and that he hoped Midway could serve as an example to other communities.

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift announces for second term more than a year before the election

Grayson Vandegrift

By Katia Davis

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

More than a year before the mayoral election, Midway already has its first candidate.

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift announced Tuesday that he would run for re-election next year. The election will be in November 2018; the filing deadline is in August.

“It’s something I probably thought I would do from the get-go,” Vandegrift told Midway Messenger reporters. “I feel we’ve accomplished a lot over the last three years and I feel like there’s a lot left to do.”

Vandegrift, 35, served one two-year term as a council member before being elected mayor in 2014, defeating three-term council member Sharon Turner. He has been Midway’s mayor since Jan. 1, 2015.

“When I ran for mayor originally, one thing I said is that, you know, when it is all said and done, Midway, I think, should be considered the model for small cities,” Vandegrift said. “I think we are on our way there, but I think we still have some work to do. I feel like I’m the right person to keep the ship heading in that direction.”

The filing deadline for city office was once in January, but the council recently moved it to August. Vandegrift was asked why he is announcing now.

“I just figured, I’d made up my mind and there was really just no reason to wait,” he said. “I just figured, no time like the present.” He noted that some countywide offices already have candidates.

“I don’t think it hurts to just remind everybody that I’m going to run for re-election. I’m very proud of my record; I’d put it up against anybody,” he said. “There’s always one or two people who, I think, like to dip their toe in the water and see what people think.” But he said in response to a question that he hadn’t heard of anyone else interested in running. Turner didn’t return a call seeking comment.

On Sept. 18, the city council voted 5-1 to increase the pay for the mayor and council members elected next year. The mayor will get $1,400 a month, not the current $100 a month.

Vandegrift said the big pay raise did not effect his decision to run for mayor again.

“They could’ve lowered it and I would’ve done it,” he said with a laugh. “I put a lot of time into this, and you do make sacrifices. I think it’s fair, to be honest with you, but it didn’t have any bearing on my decision.”

The mayor once ran a restaurant on Main Street. He said he works part-time at Railroad Drug and cares for his son in the mornings. His wife Katie is a banker.

Vandegrift said that if elected, he would continue to work on “paying down the water and sewer debt,” which would lower water and sewer bills for residents. He added that he would like to pay off the debt on the current sewage-treatment plant early.

“I don’t think its fair for a city that is doing well in every respect to have to ever raise rates on citizens just because it has to come from that fund,” Vandegrift said.

Asked to name his biggest achievement in office, he said it was the recruitment of Lakeshore Learning Materials, a supplier of preschool and elementary school educational materials, which says it will employ 262 people, making it by far Midway’s largest employer. “I worked very hard on Lakeshore,” he said, adding later, “I think they will have just as big of a community impact as Midway University does now.”

Vandegrift said in his announcement, “Working together as a community we’ve brought new industry to Midway Station, creating what will eventually be over 350 well-paying jobs. We’ve increased the city’s revenue, lowered property taxes each of the last two years, and absorbed a rate hike by Kentucky American Water so as not to pass it on to the consumer.  We’ve encouraged volunteerism, which among other things has led to the vast improvements of Walter Bradley Park.

“We’ve paved roads and launched a successful public/private sidewalk program. We’ve made upgrades to the Midway Volunteer Fire Department, begun water and sewer upgrades, and improved city properties and city services. We also amended our civil-rights code to include protections in housing, public accommodations, and employment for the LGBT community.”

About 50 attend mayor's 'Peace in the Park' and many offer views on issues of race and diversity

Many in the crowd remained in the park's quarry area to talk after the "Peace in the Park" event concluded.

Story and photo by Sarah Landers
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

About 50 Midway residents responded to Mayor Grayson Vandegrift’s call of a meeting Sunday afternoon in the recently opened quarry area at Walter Bradley Park, where the serene nook set the tone for a peaceful and unifying discussion on race and diversity. Many offered their own sentiments on how to make Midway a home to everyone.

Vandegrift said in an interview before “Peace in the Park” that he was inspired by the recent violent white-supremacist protests in Charlottesville, Va. In opening the meeting, he said Midway has an annual unifying celebration for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, but race isn’t discussed enough, and he believes it is the duty of political leaders to hold such events, to open the discussion on diversity.

“Race is a moral issue, and I think we all have a moral obligation to do the right thing and to say the right thing,” he said.

During the open discussion, Helen Rentch told the crowd that the number of African Americans in Midway has declined due to the job market and housing availability, a perspective on the issue that many may not have considered.

With hundreds of jobs coming to Midway Station, Rentch said the town could be “in danger of becoming an exclusive little enclave,” instead of a place that all can enjoy. “I think the issue of housing is something we need to talk about if we want to become a diversified community,” she said.

After the meeting, Vandegrift said Rentch’s comments were an interesting point that he would like to address further.

The Rev. Dr. Sheila Harris, one of two scheduled speakers, asked the audience powerful questions in her opening. “When you see me standing here, do you see me as a person? Do you see me as an American? Do you see me as a woman?” she asked. “Or do you put a label on me, and say that I’m an African American female? What do you see?”

Instead of moving forward, she said, it appears time is moving backward in regards to the issues of racism. “The time now is that we stop pushing it under the covers. The time now is that we stop just having the community gatherings and talk about it,” she said, calling for “action behind the words.”

During the open discussion, Sally Kinnard recalled a conversation she had last year with an African American friend, in which they discussed what they could really do about race issues. “We all love each other and that’s fabulous, and then what do we do now?” she asked. “Do we have dinner together?”

Kinnard asked how the community would respond if a hate group visited the town, and offered some entertaining solutions. “I hear things like somebody says, ‘We’re going to throw glitter on them, ’cause it’s really hard to get rid of glitter’,” she said, adding that staying home would be too passive.

Kinnard said she wants community members to think about how they could protect each other if that ever occurred in Midway. “I sort of say let’s leave that to Grayson,” she said, provoking more laughter, “but that we need to have community conversation around that, so that we’re not caught like Charlottesville was caught in a hateful situation that just deteriorated.”

Angela King-Belleville also brought up questions, about how to effectively denounce racism on social media. She also asked how she could be more expressive of her feelings.

Liles Taylor opened a conversation on being an ally to minority communities as a white man. Taylor said that “not being racist” is too low of a bar, and he wants the community to be more proactive and intentional in loving others.

The other scheduled speaker besides Harris, also African American, was state Sen. Reginald Thomas, a Lexington Democrat who is running for Congress. In a two-minute speech, he said of the events in Charlottesville, ”We thought those times were behind us.” But he added, “It’s gatherings like this that help lead us back, to a path forward of togetherness. . . . We all have to have those conversations because we all have to understand that in the end, the only way that we are going to become a stronger, better nation, and a more cohesive community is when we come together as one and realize that fundamentally, we are the same.”

Thomas also said the bounds of diversity can stretch to include language, gender, and LGBTQ populations.

Two pastors from Midway shared stories of inspiration from Dr. Kevin Cosby, senior pastor of St. Stephen Church in Louisville, who visited Midway Baptist Church last year for a “Reconciliation Meal” and spoke about overcoming the culture of conflict from segregation.

Steve Hadden, pastor of Midway Baptist, offered an opportunity for audience members who wondered what they could do to help stand against racism. He said that on Sept. 11 at the Galt House, there will be a meeting with an emphasis on education in black colleges and universities, inspired by Cosby’s position as president of Simmons College of Kentucky. Next year, the meeting will cover economic empowerment.

“What I’m learning is there can be no reconciliation without reparation,” Hadden said.

Pastor Rick Smith of Second Christian Church shared one of his core values with the audience. He referenced Cosby’s eulogy of Muhammad Ali, saying forgiveness, truth, reparations, and reconciliation are all necessary steps to overcome conflict and heal from transgressions. Smith asked that community members raise their children to be “strong advocates for their neighbors.”

Sarah Wilson made a similar request. “I work with children on a fairly regular basis, and you would be shocked to hear some of the things that come out of their mouths,” she said. “They’re just repeating what they heard at home.”

Wilson said that while it is difficult to change the opinion of adults, it is important to teach children to love their neighbors. “When you don’t think about what you’re saying in front of children, you’re going to cause some problems down the road,” she said.

Vandegrift said after the meeting that he hopes to inquire more about ideas and concerns that Midway residents have about their community, and would like to continue the open discussions of diversity. Vandegrift also said he believes Midway could serve as an example to other communities.

Al Cross, editor and publisher of the Midway Messenger, told the crowd that the state’s relatively small African American population means that many Kentuckians do not even know a person of color, so change needs to come “one relationship at a time.”

'Peace in the Park' Sunday, Aug. 27 to 'celebrate diversity and discuss important topics of the day'

Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift has announced a special event in response to the tragedy in Charlottesville, Va., and related issues. "Peace in the Park" will be held in the newly landscaped quarry area of Walter Bradley Park Sunday, Aug. 27 from 4 to 6 p.m. Here's a poster:

Message from the Mayor: We should, and will, do our part to make the world a better place; stay tuned

By Grayson Vandegrift
Mayor, City of Midway

With the horrific tragedies that occurred in Charlottesville over the weekend I am once again struggling to wrap my mind around the fact that in 2017 there are white supremacists marching in the streets of our cities and towns. Racism is a vile and infectious idea – and completely un-American. The very idea that someone’s value is determined at birth was at the heart of the American Revolution, and the rejection of that notion is our highest principle.

But the division in this country has recently gone from polarizing political speech to violence and death, and so many of us are simply bewildered – and afraid. It’s as if a wheel has been spun that we can’t get to stop turning, and it continues to pick up speed. I’ve long believed that true change and true progress does not happen from the top down, but from the bottom up.

We are so fortunate to live in a wonderful and peaceful community, but we don’t live on an island, and we can and should do our part to make our world a better place. In the spirit of that, we are in the early stages of planning a city event to allow anyone and everyone to share what they’re feeling – regardless of who they are or what they believe. We will make details available as soon as they are ironed out. Perhaps we can even set a good example for other cities by showing how we can come together and enjoy one another, despite our petty differences.

June 4 picnic will celebrate 2nd anniversary of anti-discrimination ordinance, promote passage elsewhere

A group promoting a countywide "fairness ordinance" like the one in Midway will have a picnic Sunday, June 4, from 2 to 5 p.m. in Walter Bradley Park.

The picnic is coordinated and organized by the Woodford Fairness Coalition, which wants Versailles and/or the county government to pass an ordinance banning discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The Midway City Council passed such an ordinance almost two years ago, and the picnic is scheduled for the second anniversary of its effective date.

"The Woodford Fairness Coalition believes it is important and time to organize such an event in order to bring the community together in support of the LGBT community as well as to celebrate the city of Midway," spokesman Dan Brown said in an email. "We are proud of Midway for stepping forward, and taking a prominent stand in the Commonwealth of Kentucky by becoming more welcoming and affirming."

The picnic is sponsored by Woodford Reserve, Ouita Michel's Family of Restaurants, MBS Writing Services and Photography, Homegrown Yoga and individuals in the community. 

"The event is family-oriented," Brown said. "Games, music, food, a rally and good fellowship will be part of the afternoon. The Northside Elementary playground is adjacent to Midway's Walter Bradley Park. The Woodford Fairness Coalition is also providing informational booths for several Central Kentucky organizations. Everyone is invited to attend. Bring a side dish to share, a blanket and/or chair. We are providing all paper products, water, and fried chicken."

Lakeshore expects to be operational with 100 workers Nov. 3; unsure but 'optimistic' on timeline for goal of 262

The Lakeshore Learning Materials distribution center is under construction in Midway Station.

This is an expanded version of the original story.
By Elizabeth Allen

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Construction of Lakeshore Learning Materials’ distribution facility in Midway Station is right on schedule, a top company official told the Midway City Council Monday evening.

Paul Chisholm, the company’s vice president of Eastern U.S. distribution, said it is still on track to begin shipping from the facility by Nov. 3, at which point it expects to have 100 people on the payroll.

Paul Chisholm of Lakeshore spoke to the council Monday evening.

Chisholm said the company will make a “big push” for hiring in August and September, with the goal of work starting Sept. 29, depending on weather. He said 46 construction days have already been lost to rain, but the company still hopes to have the plant under roof by its original target date of May 16.

Support from local and state officials “has been phenomenal,” he said.

Asked after the meeting when the 262 jobs Lakeshore has promised are expected to be filled, Chisholm said that depends on when the building's expansion is completed. He also said recent elections may affect the timetable, since the company is heavily reliant on public-school funding.

“We’re optimistic,” Chisholm said, adding that he expects the plant to employ 150 to 175 people a year from now. It has three years to reach 262 jobs and kick in the state and local incentives offered to attract it.

Chisholm also gave new insight into Lakeshore's decision to come to Midway. He said the final decision essentially came down to three factors: location, available labor and a sense of community.

The central location of Midway made it a better choice than the runner-up, High Point, N.C., Chisholm said. North Carolina has a “right to work” law and no inventory tax, but those advantages were not enough to outweigh Midway’s.

Chisholm said Midway was also expected to provide a workforce that was more likely to stick around and contribute to the culture of the company. He said Lakeshore could already be shipping from readily available buildings in Shepherdsville or Hebron, but competition for workers is heavier there.

Perhaps most importantly, Chisholm said, Midway is a place where he and other Lakeshore officials felt like the company could be part of a community.

He recalled Lakeshore CEO Bo Kaplan saying as they left Midway, "'This place feels right; this place feels like home. Chisholm said the feeling was "intangible."

In response to a question, he said one thing was not a factor: the recently passed "fairness ordinance" that bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

After Chisholm updated the council members on Lakeshore's progress, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift updated them on Midway's occupational tax revenue.

Through December, Vandegrift said, Midway had already taken in $331,000 in payroll taxes. This means that in only half of the fiscal year, the city had already received 82 percent of the budgeted $400,000 in payroll taxes for the year.

After the meeting, Vandegrift told the Midway Messenger that the council was conservative in its occupational-tax budgeting. He said construction work on Lakeshore’s plant and the American Howa Kentucky auto-parts plant, now open, is bringing in unexpected revenue, local restaurants are doing better and Midway University has added to its payroll.

Among other business, the council approved an event permit for the 14th annual 5K Race for Education on April 8 and agreed to have the cemetery house torn down. Vandegrift said he would probably seek bids for the work because city workers are about to enter their busy season.

Vandegrift tells statewide 'fairness' supporters that ordinance has been good for business in Midway

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift speaks at the ACLU's legislative reception at the Kentucky History Center in Frankfort as Kirsten Hawley of Brown-Forman Corp., right, listens.

By Austyn Gaffney

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift told an audience in Frankfort Wednesday night that Midway’s fairness ordinance, prohibiting discrimination against people based on sexual orientation and gender identity, has been good for business.

“The argument as to whether fairness laws are bad for business is over,” said Vandegrift, one of three invited speakers at an American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky legislative reception. “And with every new job we create and every business that opens its doors and every person that feels that they and their loved ones are welcomed we will continue to show that fairness is good for business.”

Vandegrift led the City Council to make Midway the eighth city in Kentucky with the anti-discrimination measure, known by advocates as a “fairness ordinance.” Although state and federal civil rights laws ban discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, marital status, disability or national origin, they do not include sexual orientation and gender identity. In Kentucky, it is still legal to discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity in housing, employment, and public accommodation, such as a business or restaurant. Fairness ordinances make discriminatory practices illegal within city or county limits.

“Like a lot of people, I assumed those protections already existed,” Vandegrift said. “When I ran for mayor it wasn’t on my radar.” Just three weeks into his term, the Woodford County Human Rights Commission presented the issue to him, and he quickly agreed to push it.

Opponents argued the ordinance would drive people out of business or drive businesses out of town. But instead, according to the mayor, the opposite happened, and businesses sought out Midway.

A year after passing the ordinance, the city projected a 33 percent increase in occupational-tax revenue and the Midway Station industrial park transformed as two new businesses announced their plans to open plants, Vandegrift noted. American Howa Kentucky Inc., an auto-parts manufacturer, promises to employee 88 full time workers. Lakeshore Learning Materials, an educational supply company from California, will open its first eastern distribution center, employing 262 full time workers and 140 seasonal workers.

“We’re about to experience a nearly 100 percent increase in jobs in a matter of a few years,” Vandegrift told supporters of the Kentucky Competitive Workforce Coalition, which favors fairness ordinances and a statewide law.

“So as not to appear disingenuous, I am not claiming all this growth is the because of a fairness ordinance,” the mayor said. “But it is indisputable that the ordinance did not cause hardship to our existing businesses, it did not drive employers out of town, and it did not keep companies from coming to Midway. And I’m happy to add that Lakeshore Learning Materials has expressed their support for our ordinance and laws like it.”

The Midway Messenger asked Lakeshore if its decision to locate here had anything to do with the fairness ordinance. The company declined to comment.

The coalition is a group of over 200 businesses, from small, locally owned businesses to large Fortune 500 Companies like PNC Bank, United Parcel Service, Humana and Brown-Forman. Kirsten Hawley, senior vice president and chief human resources officer of Brown-Forman, explained why her company is committed to the coalition’s work: “We know through 145 years of experience talent doesn’t come in one shape, one size, one color, one religious background, or one type of sexual orientation or identity.”

But the coalition recognizes it faces a long, uphill battle.

“A non-discrimination ordinance has been introduced for 17 or 18 years now, and has not gained enough support for passage,” said Michael Aldridge, director of Kentucky’s ACLU. “We were building and building more support over the years but with the November elections it looks unlikely within the General Assembly that a statewide anti-discrimination law will pass in the near future.”

In fact, bills with an opposite vision have been introduced in the 2017 General Assembly. House Bill 105, commonly known as the “religious freedom” bill, says no law or court shall take the place of “a person’s right of conscience” to stand by their religious beliefs. The bill threatens to reverse fairness ordinances, but leaders of the newly Republican House have indicated it won’t be heard.

Vandegrift finds it ironic that Rep. Rick Nelson, a Democrat from Middlesboro, filed the bill and one to ban transgender people’s use of bathrooms for the gender with which they identify.

“When he was running for state treasurer,” said Vandegrift, “I co-hosted a fundraiser for him. What’s funny is that the ordinance had just passed, and I find it funny he didn’t have a problem raising money here but then turns and files a bill saying we don’t have the right to govern ourselves on laws like this. You just can’t write this stuff.”

Vandegrift’s push for Midway to move towards fairness is noticed not only by the coalition, but by Woodford County citizens as well. Dan Brown, secretary of the Woodford County Human Rights Commission and a retired school teacher, shared a personal story.

“For 27 years I drove to school and almost every morning I worried a little bit that I could be fired for my sexual orientation,” said Brown. “That loss of energy and that amount of worry would give more vibrancy to city if you didn’t have to be concerned. It makes a city more welcoming to all people.”

He also shared that when he and his husband go out to eat now, they do so in Midway. “We’ve been together about 33 years. We’ve lived through a lot of being hidden just to survive but we feel very comfortable in Midway,” said Brown.

Aldridge said Midway was always a welcoming community, but attributed the success of the ordinance to Vandegrift.

“I really applaud his leadership,” said Aldridge. “I think he’s a leader we really need in other parts of the state.”

Community Unity Meal and Service to be held at Midway Baptist Church at 6 p.m. Wednesday

A Community Unity Meal and Service will be held at Midway Baptist Church at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24. The event is also sponsored by three historic African American churches: Second Christian, Pilgrim Baptist and St. Matthew AME.

Rev. Dr. Kevin Cosby

The event, listed as "Reconciliation Meal" on the Midway Baptist Church's online calendar, is being held in response to recent tragedies around the nation that had racial components. Speakers will include the Rev. Dr. Kevin Cosby, president of Simmons Bible College and senior pastor of St. Stephen Church in Louisville. He was among the speakers at Muhammad Ali's memorial service.

"The fact that these churches are taking the initiative is really, really helpful, especially since they are in many ways the driving force of unity in our community," Mayor Grayson Vandegrift told The Woodford Sun for its latest edition. He said that because society remains segregated on many levels, "Any time we can come together . . . and just talk, I think it starts to break up a lot of that division."