Lexington Mayoral Candidate Bastin Vows to Go to Bat for Racing

[Wandering Eyes]

Ronnie Bastin has never directly worked in the racing industry and admits to being a lousy handicapper, but neither of those facts, he says, will stop him from becoming a “cheerleader” for the racing and breeding industries in Kentucky if he is elected mayor of Lexington.

Bastin realizes that the major decisions that affect the sport are made at the state level in the halls of the capitol building, but believes the Lexington mayor’s office can influence decisions in Frankfort. He says previous mayors have not done enough for the sport or fully realized how much clout they really have when it comes to helping the industry.

“We have a tremendous industry here and it’s the best place in the world to breed horses and we have to do what we can to protect that and make sure the industry thrives,” Bastin said. “We don’t want to look around one day and realize that the same thing that happened to the Standardbred industry in Kentucky back in the eighties has happened to the Thoroughbred industry. We have to realize the treasure we’ve been blessed with and do all we can to make it thrive. I’ve talked to people in the industry and they’ve relayed to me, to my surprise, that there’s never really been a mayor in Lexington that has taken an interest in the economic model of the Thoroughbred industry.”

Bastin will face off against Linda Gorton. The Lexington mayoral election is non-partisan, meaning that the candidate’s political affiliations are not listed on the ballot. However, it is well known that Bastin is a Democrat, while Gorton is a Republican. The office opened up when Jim Gray stepped down to launch an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate, losing to Rand Paul.

Bastin joined the Lexington Police force in 1984 and was appointed Police Chief in 2008. In 2015, he was appointed Public Safety Commissioner, an office that oversees the corrections department, emergency management, 911, fire, police and security.

While Bastin has never worked in racing or with horses, he does have an agricultural background. He grew up on a farm in Barren County, worked as a young corrections officer assigned to the farm at the Blackburn Correctional Facility and studied agriculture, economics and farm management at the University of Kentucky. He said that while in school he mulled the possibility of going into the racing industry with an eye on one day becoming a farm manager.

“I think people in racing realize I have a farm background and that I pursued an economics, agricultural, farm management degree in college,” he said. “I really do understand the agriculture industry. I’ve always been interested in the economic model of the equine industry but haven’t been able to have the opportunity to get too close and personal because of the profession I wound up pursuing. During the campaign I’ve been visiting lot of farms and really have come to understand a lot more than I ever knew about the industry.”

Bastin believes the Lexington mayor’s office should have enough clout that he can go to Frankfort and be seen and heard by the governor and legislators. There are, obviously, other issues he will get behind in addition to horse racing, but promises that the sport will always be on the front burner when it comes to his dealings with state government.

“I think the mayor needs to be one of the biggest cheerleaders and advocates for the industry that there is,” Bastin said. “If there is legislation in Frankfort that can help our industry thrive the mayor needs to be arm in arm in with the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and others to go to Frankfort and work together for positive results. It just makes sense.”

Bastin added that the need for expanded gaming is at the top of his list when it comes to issues he will fight for. He also believes that, over the years, the Lexington mayor’s office has done a poor job forming alliances with county officials in Fayette County and other counties where horse farms are vital to the communities.

“Fayette and the surrounding counties have not always come together in a way they need to have an effective voice in Frankfort because we haven’t been unified,” Bastin said. “Im going to develop good working relationships with all the surrounding counties that support the industry. Together, we should have a louder voice in Frankfort.”

Lexington tends to vote Democratic, which is why Bastin is the favorite in the race. Bastin said he feels the racing industry is behind him and believes that people put party affiliation aside when voting for local offices.

“There are some very large farms and owners and managers that are supporting me,” he said. “This is not a partisan race and people look at the skill sets that someone brings to the table to select their mayor. The mayor of a local community needs a unique skill set. The mayor has more to do with quality of life in a local community than a president, governor or senator does.”

When on the stump and speaking before people not involved with the racing industry, Bastin’s primary talking point is about improving the quality of life in Lexington. He says local government has to do a better job dealing with the opioid crisis, which goes hand in hand with his vow to reduce violent crime and homicides in the city.

He paints himself as pro-business, fiscally conservative and someone who has the bona fides to cut down on gun violence and other societal problems. That and a pro-racing guy. On Nov. 6, the citizens of Lexington will decide if that’s what they’re looking for in their next mayor.

 

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