By Haley Stoltz
Lexington voters will elect three members of city council on Nov. 3, with a trio of contenders on the ballot and a fourth mounting a write-in campaign.
Interim Mayor David Sigler, Amber Ansted, and Meghan Ferguson will appear on the ballot, while local gallery owner Will Kirchner is seeking office as a write-in candidate. The seats up for reelection are currently held by Sigler, Nicolas Betts and Chuck Smith. Betts is running for mayor, and Smith is not seeking re-election.
almost 12 years. Sigler is also running in the special mayoral election.
Sigler is running to maintain his seat on city council, but he will also appear in the special election for mayor. Mayor Frank Friedman died in July and Sigler was chosen by city council to serve as interim mayor until the special election.
The candidates have had opportunities to lay out their priorities during several candidate forums, including one hosted by the nonprofit group 50 Ways Rockbridge and another hosted by the Lexington-Rockbridge Chamber of Commerce.
Candidates discussed issues including affordability, support for local schools, promoting downtown businesses, and addressing the need for affordable housing.
Kirchner, the son of former Lexington City Council member Fred Kirchner, was not included in the forums since he was not on the ballot. Ansted only appeared at the one hosted by the chamber.
years. Ansted says that her priority would be to support downtown businesses.
Ansted is seeking a city council seat for the first time, after living in Lexington for a decade. She said in an interview that her experience in event-management – and the problem solving that work involves – has prepared her for office.
Ansted said her main priority is to help promote small businesses in Lexington.
“I want to make sure that we’re taking care of our small businesses here in town, because that is a crucial part of our economy,” she said.
Ferguson, who grew up in Rockbridge County, is also seeking her first term on city council. She said she wants to improve city infrastructure, improve wages for city and school employees, and make housing more accessible.
and has served in positions at both VMI and W&L.
“Specifically, I support the city’s current leadership on securing living wages for city and school employees and upgrading essential water and sewer infrastructure,” she said.
Sigler has served on city council for almost 12 years. He has said that, if he were to win both elections, he would choose the mayor’s office. If that happened, Sigler said, there would be a temporary appointment to city council, followed by a special election later next year.
Sigler said he would lean on his extensive experience in local government to continue serving Lexington. He said he wants to emphasize cooperation between city council and the mayor.
Affordability is one of the biggest issues facing the city, Sigler said.
“Lexington’s water and sewer rates have increased a good bit in the past eight or nine years,” he said in an interview. “And they are projected to continue to increase as we have to accomplish more and more projects.”
Lexington raised water and sewer rates by 8% for fiscal year 2027, increases that the city’s water provider says are going toward needed infrastructure improvements.
Kirchner announced his write-in candidacy through a Facebook post on Aug. 21. He said that he will focus on a “downtown renaissance” where he would hope to make significant improvements with trash collection and housing. He said he also wants to add bike lanes and bike racks, which he hopes will make cycling easier and help address parking concerns.
councilman. Kirchner owns the 18 West gallery where he and his family also reside in the upstairs apartment.
“Living downtown, experiencing downtown, having an ear to the street, a finger on the pulse, I feel like is only an advantage to be able to make smart changes and evolutions to the downtown historic district,” he said.
Kirchner said his position as a write-in candidate has made him more proactive in his campaign. Even though he could not take part in either candidate forum, he has set up yard signs, posted on Facebook and campaigned door-to-door.
“It’s [in reference to his write-in candidacy] causing me to work harder, which I think is going to pay off,” he said. “As opposed to being more lackadaisical about it, it’s urging me to try to promote pretty much every single day.”
Kirchner’s father served on city council from 1994 to 1998. He died in March 2025.
All four candidates are in favor of the local option sales tax that is on the ballot. If approved, the measure would allow the implementation of a 1% tax on hotel rooms, meals in restaurants and many retail items. Revenue generated from the additional tax would help fund local school construction projects.