Johnny Shedd
Crawford quickly filled a vacancy on its city council, but Lexington continues to search for a replacement for Jennifer Whitlock.
Josh Patterson replaced Johnny Shedd, who resigned in July, and served at his first meeting on Aug. 11.
Shedd had been on the council since January 2022, city clerk Amy Wall-Lance wrote in an email.
He also works on the water lines and maintenance, and he felt he could serve the city more by focusing on that, Mayor Alan Erwin said.
Erwin said Patterson is new in the city and wanted to be involved in the community, so he decided to join the city council. He’ll serve the remainder of the term, which is about 18 months.
Lexington is searching for a replacement for Whitlock, who attended her last meeting in February, just months after being reelected to a two-year term. She filled a vacancy on the council in February 2024 and won an uncontested race last fall.
Mayor Evelyn Reece said a resident has been attending city council meetings to understand the commitment.
Reece said a special election shouldn’t be required. She and the council will be able to appoint a candidate, with approval from city attorney Charlie Barrow.
There are several qualifications in order to serve as a city council member in Lexington: the candidate must be at least 21 years old, a resident of Lexington for at least one year and a registered voter in the city.
Reece said in an email that a full city council is vital for making progress on projects.
“There are so many things that we are trying to accomplish during this term and we need all of our council member seats filled.”
Erwin said having a full city council is important to the city for various reasons.
“I believe it is important because it gives you a lot of diversity,” he said. “It gives you numerous different opinions and ways of looking at problems that arise.”