Lexington-Fayette Urban County Councilwoman Brenda Monarrez said she has worked hard to fix longstanding problems in her district and deserves two more years to continue to serve the people of Lexington’s 4th Council District.
“I’m very proud to have implemented dozens of traffic and pedestrian safety measures throughout the 4th District,” Monarrez said.
She’s lived in the district for more than 20 years. She’s a regular attendee of school, neighborhood and homeowner association meetings in her district. She has a bi-weekly newsletter to keep residents informed.
“I’ve got my finger on this district, and I can hit the ground running,” Monarrez said.
But Monarrez’s tenure on council has been overshadowed by a sexual assault case filed against her this fall. On Oct. 16, Fayette Circuit Judge Traci Brislin imposed a 3-year protection order against Monarrez, barring her from contacting fellow Councilwoman Denise Gray.
Brislin ruled Monarrez sexually assaulted Gray twice over three years, most recently in August. During the Oct. 16 hearing, Gray testified Monarrez tried to kiss and fondle her in August. In another instance in October 2021, Gray said she woke up at Monarrez’s home and found her performing a sexual act on her.
As part of the protection order, Monarrez can’t enter city hall. She has been attending council meetings virtually since Aug. 20, when a temporary restraining order was entered.
Challenger Emma Curtis called on Monarrez to step down Friday, saying Monarrez can’t serve the constituents of the 4th District because she can’t enter the city government center until 2027.
“Ms. Monarrez is no longer legally allowed to fulfill even the most basic responsibilities that come with being a council member,” Curtis said. “She will not be legally able to do so until 2027 at the earliest. If she cares at all about the people she was elected to represent, she will decide to do the right thing — leave office and end her reelection.”
Monarrez has repeatedly denied she sexually assaulted Gray and has said she will not step down.
“I have done nothing wrong and have absolutely no intention of resigning,”Monarrez said. “I continue to campaign and ask for your continued support.”
Curtis said if Monarrez doesn’t step down, people should vote her out.
“Sexual assault is a cruel and inhumane act. Its perpetrators have no place in our government, nor in our city,” Curtis said. “If she doesn’t decide to do so now, the people of the Fourth District will make that decision for her this November.”
Coming out of the May primary, Monarrez appeared to be in the lead in the race.
The 4th Council District includes neighborhoods between Nicholasville and Tates Creek roads south of New Circle Road. Monarrez, 52, was the top vote-getter in the May three-way primary, securing 48% of the vote. Curtis, 28, an organizer with Kentuckians for the Commonwealth and an independent filmmaker, was second with 30% of the vote.
All council races are nonpartisan.
Curtis has out-raised raised and outspent Monarrez, according to Kentucky Registry of Election Finance reports. Curtis has raised more than $9,081, according to Oct. 8 campaign finance report. She had $5,525 remaining heading into the Nov. 5 general election.
Monarrez raised $2,378 as of Oct. 8. She still had $1,361 left to spend.
Allegations of sexual misconduct, attendance questions
Curtis said Monarrez has brought too many problems to city hall and that she would be a bitter fit for the council.
Monarrez has struggled with poor council attendance since she was elected in November 2022. She missed 18 council meetings in 2023, the most of any council member.
“Her attendance was abysmal,” Curtis said.
Monarrez said she missed council meetings in 2023 due to a car crash that required surgery and physical therapy. Her attendance improved as her health improved. She completed physical therapy in June.
“In the past 10 months, I’ve missed one day,” Monarrez said.
Curtis also argued Monarrez should not be trusted on council due to the protection order against her.
During the Oct. 16 hearing, Monarrez testified she did not sexually assault Gray, and she also released a statement Aug. 26 denying the allegations.
“I can assure the press, the public, my constituents and any other interested party that the allegations are patently false. I do not know exactly what is driving this sudden unexpected derogatory accusation, but it does not escape attention that the allegation has been made within 90 days of our next city council election,” she said in thee statement.
Monarrez, in an interview, declined to say more about the allegations.
No criminal charges have been filed against Monarrez. A Lexington police detective testified during the Oct. 16 hearing that a criminal investigation is ongoing.
Curtis also came forward in September as one of Rep. Daniel Grossberg’s victims. Curtis said the Louisville Democrat made inappropriate and highly sexual comments to her while she was visiting Grossberg’s Frankfort office in 2023.
Grossberg has been accused by multiple women inside and outside of politics of inappropriate behavior and sexual harassment A state ethics investigation is ongoing amid calls for the first-term legislator to resign.
Grossberg asked Curtis multiple questions about her sexual orientation, Curtis said. Curtis, if elected, will be the first transgender person elected to the city council.
Monarrez, the first Hispanic person to be elected to council in 2023, said she has tried to keep the race about the issues and the people of the 4th District not rumors or “hate politics.”
“I’m not a fan of misinformation, half-truths or just flat-out lies,” Monarrez said. “Kindness doesn’t cost us anything.”
Monarrez touts road, safety improvements
Monarrez said she has focused on her accomplishments in the district while campaigning.
She highlighted some of the public works and safety issues she had addressed since 2023 as:
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Re-starting a long-stalled sidewalk project on Wilson Downing Road that will be completed in fall 2024
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Extending turn lanes on Reynolds Road to Nicholasville Road
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Making the entrance to Brigadoon Parkway right-in and right-out only
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Lowering the speed limit on Tiverton Way from 35 to 25 mph
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Installing flashing stop signs in several areas to keep drivers from running stop signs
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Multiple improvements to Veterans Park, including proposing a new parking configuration in the park
Monarrez also said she has spent dozens hours working with city officials to address odor complaints around the West Hickman sewage treatment plant. Those odor complaints increased in August 2023.
“I brought it to our CAO (Sally Hamilton) and Commissioner Nancy Albright,” Monarrez said. The city has set aside funding for an employee whose sole task is to deal with the odor issue. The city has also hired a consultant to help it test and come up with solutions, she said.
“I am very appreciative of the response that I got. The mayor put an emergency (request for proposals) to evaluate this and come up with solutions,” Monarrez said.
That work is still ongoing, she said. Monarrez sends out an odor update from Charlie Martin, the director of water quality, every 60 days.
Nicholasville Road
Monarrez said she understands there are a lot of issues surrounding Nicholasville Road, Lexington’s busiest corridor. Imagine Nicholasville Road, a plan to make changes to the road, was released several years ago. That’s only a plan, Monarrez said. It has not been funded, she said.
The plan calls for rapid Lextran bus transit through the corridor. That might not be possible, Monarrez said.
“Ridership has plummeted, even on Nicholasville Road, since the pandemic,” Monarrez said. Lextran can’t commit resources if there is no ridership, she said.
Nicholasville Road is a state road. Any changes have to be OK’d by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Monarrez said she’s been able to work with the cabinet on other changes to Nicholasville and can navigate city and state leadership to get necessary changes done.
Curtis said Nicholasville Road needs to be fixed now.
“I would focus on more pedestrian infrastructure and increasing public transit,” Curtis said. Curtis said the city can also work with its state legislators to get funding for major improvements for Nicholasville Road that were called for in the Imagine Nicholasville Road plan.
“I don’t care if you are a Republican or a Democrat, you hate Nicholasville Road,” Curtis said. “If we can’t come together to do something about that, I’m not sure if we can come together about anything.”
Affordable housing and short-term rentals
A recent overhaul of the city’s zoning ordinance to make it easier for more types of housing to be allowed in more business zones will hopefully lead to more housing in Lexington, Curtis said.
“I think it’s a start, but we can go a lot further,” she said.
Curtis said she would like to explore taxing out-of-state limited liability companies at higher rates to keep the number of investors buying up houses down. Curtis said she would not have voted to expand the urban service boundary. Monarrez voted to expand in June 2023, citing the crunch in the housing market.
“I would have voted against it because it was not proper to go forward without a plan,” Curtis said. “We also can’t fall into the trap that more housing will mean more affordable housing.”
Monarrez said the city should also pursue more grants at the state and federal level for more affordable housing funding.
The council is in the midst of making changes to its short-term rental ordinance. Those changes include adding restrictions on the number of short-term rentals allowed in a given neighborhood and decreasing the number of people allowed inside a short-term rental.
Curtis and Monarrez said they agreed with those changes, though Monarrez said she wanted to know more about why the city wants to decrease the number of people allowed in short-term rentals that do not have an owner living on-site.
“I want to know why. I don’t want an arbitrary number. I’m not in favor of over-regulating,” Monarrez said.
The changes to the short-term rental ordinance have been sent to the Urban County Planning Commission for its review. They will then return to the council for final approval.