He defeated incumbent mayor Teresa Isaac by the largest vote margin in the history of Lexington-Fayette's merged "Urban County" government.
[1] Jim Newberry grew up in Hiseville, Kentucky, the son of a state legislator and farmer father and a school teacher mother.
[3] Upon graduation, Newberry briefly practiced law, and then served as Vice-President and General Manager of Airdrie Stud, a thoroughbred farm in Central Kentucky.
As Mayor, he focused on a wide range of initiatives, including projects meant to stimulate the economy, balance the budget, make government more efficient, and protect the environment.
Additionally, when Newberry first took office, he had an auditing firm hired to assess the efficiency of Urban County Government operations.
The audit identified over 400 ways in which Lexington's government could save taxpayer money, and Newberry's administration worked to utilize this advice.
[9] At the time Newberry took office, the city had been sued by the Environmental Protection Agency for allowing its storm and sanitary sewers to pollute local water sources for decades.
[13] In March 2008, private developer The Webb Companies announced plans to build a high-rise mixed-used skyscraper (see: CentrePointe, Lexington), on the block occupied by several businesses.
These included The Dame, a popular music venue with young Lexingtonians and students, and Mia's, a gay and lesbian bar.
Newberry supported the project because it was purported to create over 900 jobs and infuse $250,000,000 into the Lexington community through Tax Increment Financing.
[15][16] The story sparked an investigation by Kentucky Auditor Crit Luallen, the result of which led to criminal charges against airport employees.
[17] As Mayor, Newberry was responsible for appointing members of the Airport Board, and was criticized by Vice Mayor Jim Gray and some Council Members for an alleged lack of action in response to the scandal, as well as his continued support of Airport Board officials and confidence in their ability to clean up the worrisome practices there.