Lexington will welcome a new mayor and potentially three new council members come Nov. 7.

The town of Lexington has three seats available during that day’s election, as incumbents Todd Lyle, Kathy Maness, and Mayor Pro-Tem Hazel Livingston finish their terms. Lyle quickly filed for re-election, while Maness isn’t running running for re-election. After roughly two decades on council, Livingston is running for mayor and giving up her council seat.

That means there will be at least two new members of council once ballots are cast.

In addition to Lyle, seven challengers have filed for a council seat, with Mathew Graham and Edwin Gerace, who both ran in Lexington’s special election earlier this year, running again.

Lyle didn’t respond to the Chronicle's questions regarding his campaign.

In a previous article before filings were finalized, the Chronicle spoke with some of the candidates – Graham, local restaurant owner Will Allen, Greg Brewer, who was a vocal voice against Smallwood Cove, and Jeannie Michaels.

Since then, Gerace, Bennett Casto, a local attorney, and Amelia Cherry Pocta, a local business owner, filed to run. Casto later informed the Chronicle that due to her work and personal life getting busy, he is withdrawing from the race.

The Chronicle caught up with Pocta and Gerace – as well as Michaels, who didn’t respond before our previous article on the Lexington council race.

Edwin Gerace

Gerace has been a town resident for almost two decades and owns a local marketing business that focuses on small businesses and nonprofits. 

He told the Chronicle that he believes it’s his time to run and serve the town, adding that he has been encouraged by many residents to run again. He said he has been active in the town through the Advisory Board and Planning Commission, as a Kids Day volunteer, a mentor in Lexington Lexington School District 1, among other contributions.

Gerace told the Chronicle that some of his priorities include strengthening communication between residents and the town, encouraging smart and responsible growth, discovering ways to improve traffic flow, increase communication with small businesses and bring back a community forum.

He also wants to improve the town’s relationships with the county, the state Department of Transportation, the state Legislature, school boards and other stakeholders, explaining he wants to make sure everyone is on the same page.

“At the end of day, community matters. It is critical to continue to enhance the quality of life for our residents in Lexington for us and future generations,” he said.

“I want to be the voice for the residents.” Gerace added.

Jeannie Michaels

Michaels has lived in Lexington for 6 years and said she wants to run to make the town of Lexington an even better place to work, live and raise a family.

“We have positive momentum, but we need to balance progress with preserving our town’s charm and the commitment to smart growth and tackling our traffic concerns.” she told the Chronicle.

Michaels said that her priorities include aligning land use with infrastructure, seeking state and federal funding, and addressing traffic congestion. She added that the town needs pre-emptive traffic solutions and improved downtown parking mentioning that the parking is a crucial aspect to town growth.

The candidate told the Chronicle that the big changes she would like to see within the town are improved infrastructure, enhanced safety, economic growth and more community engagement.

“Encouraging greater participation in local decision-making and fostering a sense of community with more transparency. Tackle our town's traffic concerns head-on!” she said.

Amelia Cherry Pocta

Amelia Cherry Pocta is a local business owner, operating the remodeling company Bald Cypress Builders. She told the Chronicle that she adores the town as a resident, community member, and business owner, adding that there have also been areas of challenge.

“I’d love to be a part of the team that tackles those areas in ways that work well for our residents and Lexington supporters,” she said. “I truly believe that we as a Town have an opportunity during this election to establish a diverse Town Council Team, representative of many Lexington voices which is critical to the Town’s short- and long-term future.”

If elected, Pocta said that one of her biggest goals is to strategically translate resident and Lexington support voices to the Town’s decision makers to ensure that all voices have a chance to be heard. She also added that she plans on being an “integral component of enhancing the town's long-term,responsible development vision, bolstering local, small business development, focusing on enhancing outdoor and green space initiatives, and importantly, bridging any gaps in residents.”

“Lexington is rich with history and we’re fortunate to have a number of folks who have been in Lexington for decades, and who in many ways, created the Lexington we see today. We also have incredible newcomers who have fresh perspectives and ideas,” Pocta told the Chronicle. “It’s important we bring those lenses together in order to preserve the reason we all live here in Lexington in the first place.”