Hilary “Hil” Boone IV defeated Chad Walker for the 12th District seat on the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council, a huge district that represents much of Fayette County’s horse country.
Unofficial results show Boone received about 64% of the vote.
Boone, 32, is a farmer and business owner who has said he will serve as “a truly independent voice focused on what is best for District 12.” Boone has said one of his top priorities will be protecting Lexington’s greenbelt from development.
The 12th District covers 70% of Fayette County’s land area and includes both horse farms and suburbs. Several of Lexington’s largest parks are located in the neighborhood, including Raven Run Nature Sanctuary, Veterans Park, and Hisle Farm Park. It also includes Blue Grass Airport, Keeneland and the Kentucky Horse Park.
Boone said his first steps would be “to get the transition period over with and get right to work getting to know all the other council members and the most pressing issues on the agenda.”
Boone said some of the key issues he wants to address include planning for the recently approved expansion of the urban services boundary, industrial solar farming, which he opposes on agricultural land, and short-term rental regulation.
He said he also wants to continue some projects started by Kathy Plomin, who held the District 12 seat for four terms and did not run for re-election.
“I’m really just trying to come in and make some friends and get things done for the greater good of Lexington,” Boone wrote. “I look forward to representing the 12th and being their voice on council.”
Boone, a political newcomer, defeated Walker, a developer focused on infill redevelopment who serves on the Board of Adjustments and chairs the city’s Vacant Property Review Commission.
Boone is a graduate of Louisiana State University and owner of Boonedogs Restaurant and Bar and Wimbledon Farm, founded by his grandfather, Hilary J. Boone Jr., an equestrian and philanthropist for whom a faculty club and tennis center at the University of Kentucky are named. .
All Fayette County Council races are nonpartisan.
