Amid claims he's too cozy with developers, Blythe seeks third term
And he's ambivalent about growth in Richmond
RICHMOND—We invited Mayor Robert Blythe to sit for an interview before Election Day, but he did not respond to our multiple attempts to reach him. So, we're profiling him ourselves.
What are Blythe's major achievements and what has his impact been on topics that matter most to Richmond residents? We didn't find much he initiated, other than tanking the interlocal agreement to collect 911 fees through the county tax roll, so we stuck with his voting record and comments he's made about City business.
Growth and development
Blythe has largely supported every zone change put before him since becoming mayor in 2018.
At a time when the Richmond-Berea area has been designated by the US Census Bureau as the nation's fastest growing micro-region, these zone change approvals have not been without public controversy. Sometimes, the controversy has come from within City Hall.
Over the summer, the mayor raised his voice while smacking his hand on the table during a Commission workshop meeting.
It was his reaction to two Planning and Zoning Commissioners who had come to him with concerns a fellow Commissioner is too compromised to vote on zone changes without bias.
"If you don't like the board, resign," he yelled at Commissioners Coy Perkins and James Miller before directing the city manager to, "Calm me down."
The Commissioner in question, Mike Francis, later spoke with The Edge and identified himself. "It's me," he said.
Francis is a recent Blythe P and Z appointee who works for the Grant family, developers of Carriage Place, just one of the latest large subdivisions being built in Richmond and supported by Blythe. The family is among the wealthiest land owners and developers countywide. Francis subsequently recused himself from any Carriage Place-related votes.
But questions about cozy relationships between Blythe's City Hall and area developers have overshadowed his tenure.
The drama between Blythe, Miller, and Perkins was the latest go-round after a proposed zone change by the developer Richmond Place, LLC, had already created drama. The developer wanted the change to allow for highway exit-related business, adjacent to the residential Castlewood subdivision near the perennially congested Barnes Mill Rd. The property currently is zoned B1 for small, neighborhood-focused business.
Vigorous public push-back helped focused attention on whether the proposal was aligned with the City's comprehensive plan and whether it would, as Miller said, "ruin" the property values in Castlewood. Miller claimed the developer was seeking to build a ten-story hotel just 50 feet away from the subdivision, although that has not been confirmed.
"It is totally inappropriate," Miller said of the alleged hotel proposal.
Miller, standing side by side with Perkins, made his comments at a City Commission meeting, where he advised the City to reject the zone change. At the meeting, Miller also chastised his P and Z colleagues for having voted to recommend it in the first place (Miller and Perkins had voted no), and said Blythe's latest appointments to the P and Z didn't know what they were doing.
The stand off led the City Commissioners to table their vote on the matter. The developer's attorney ultimately withdrew the application for the zone change.
But posters on social media would not let it drop.
'Favors' for developers?
Other chatter on social media has directly accused Blythe of being "bought" by developers.
A major zone change Blythe did not support when it came up for a vote in 2021 was the rezoning of 422 acres for The Farm, a mixed-use project at Goggins Lane and Barnes Mill Rd that has since seen construction begin on a Publix grocery store. The Farm's developers are the Ramseys, business competitor and sometimes political nemesis of the Grants, as evidenced by the county judge executive primary race in May.
That's when the Ramseys backed challenger Donna Agee and the Grants backed the incumbent Reagan Taylor, who lost to Agee by a 20% margin.
We looked into Blythe's recent voting record on projects by the two families. Although Blythe has tended to favor zone changes proposed by the Grants such as for Carriage Place, overall, we did not see a convincing pattern one way or another in our small sample.
When we reviewed campaign finance records to see if the Grants or Ramseys had contributed to Blythe's re-election campaign, and if so, how much, we found nothing. Literally.
Whether Blythe has been unsuccessful at raising money for this race or doesn't believe he needs to bother with fundraising is unclear, but at present, he has reported zero contributions to the state election finance registry.
This suggests contributions to his campaign have not crossed the $5,000 threshold for mandatory reporting, according to a state election finance registry official who spoke with The Edge on background. A final report on all campaign spending is due out on Dec. 3.
Whitney McKnight
'The will of the people'?
Although The Farm was ultimately approved, Blythe cited public opposition as his justification for voting it down.
Yet, public outcry does not always rate with him.
“You should know that I really do have, and these Commissioners do have, the ability to consider the matter that is before us in the right light without being bombarded,” Blythe said during a September 2024 Commission meeting where the public spoke against the rezoning of 328 acres of agriculture.
The application for development on Old Town Branch Road and Congleton Lane owned by Hampton 210, LLC, ultimately was withdrawn by the developer before any vote was taken.
We noted how often Blythe talks about Richmond's infrastructure investments over the past two decades as a population draw. He said as much before voting no on The Farm, and again in 2022, during his State of the City address when he proclaimed, "Our population growth is facilitated by visionary infrastructure additions and improvements over the years."
But, he seems ambivalent about the influx of folks such investments attract. In an extended 2024 interview with WKYT's Bill Bryant, Blythe said that Richmond's newest arrivals make things "awkward" in part because they are "unaccustomed to small town ways." He further opined, "That's the kind of thing that's difficult to deal with," even though he was trying to "educate" them on how to behave.
Interlocal agreement for regional industrial development
In late 2024, Blythe voted down Richmond's participation in an interlocal agreement with the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, Scott County, Madison County, Georgetown, and Berea that would have required the City to commit $500,000 toward a regional business park. As part of the deal, Richmond would have received 8.33% of the revenue generated by the first of what is supposed to be several business parks in the deal.
In June of 2024, Blythe previously had voted in favor of applying for a state grant that would go toward the project. However, when he changed his mind in October, he said he did not think the City should commit to a 10 to 20 year project that cannot guarantee returns. He referenced an industrial park in Scott County that has been open for several years but is not filled.
Richmond Regional Sports Park
Blythe voted for the City's purchase of 280 acres on Goggins Lane in order to build the Richmond Regional Sports Park, calling it the “crown jewel” of Richmond during an interview. The sports park would attract new businesses and improve the quality of life in Richmond, he said during the park's groundbreaking.
More recently however, the sports park opening has been delayed numerous times and the construction site has been linked to flood damage in a neighboring subdivision.
Blythe recently commented that the City is working to address the problem and that “folks can be consoled knowing that.” As of this writing, we have not found any evidence Blythe has visited affected property owners to review the damage, nor has he directly reached out to them.
911 fee
In July 2025, Blythe voted to end the City’s participation in a countywide collection of 911 service fees that would have been calculated based on a property’s square footage and zoning.
Blythe claimed that the original agreement proposed by the County, which was to charge a flat monthly fee of $75 per door, was changed without the City’s knowledge.
“All I know is that by the time we got back here, and were forced to deal with this matter, it was not what we agreed to. That’s all I can say. I don’t know where it fell apart,” Blythe said during the meeting.
However, a timeline of events presented by the County Fiscal Court showed that the City had approved the fee before Blythe claimed the deal had been changed.
Jemi Chew
'Gossipy City Hall'
During an executive session on March 7, 2024, Blythe voted to launch an investigation against City Manager Rob Minerich after Commissioner Tammy Cole received an anonymous email from someone claiming to be a City Hall employee, accusing Minerich of sexual harassment, inappropriate comments, and creating a toxic work culture.
Commissioner Jim Newby referenced the investigation during a regular meeting held on March 13, where he recommended tabling a pay increase for City employees until the conclusion of the investigation. Blythe voted not to table the pay increase.
When the investigation concluded with mixed results—nearly 20% of those surveyed agreed with the allegations—Blythe commented publicly on the “gossipy nature in City Hall.”
If Blythe, a Baptist minister, or any of the City Commissioners have taken an initiative to address the dysfunction, it has not been made public.
Flock cameras
Blythe has said he was in support of Flock Safety cameras and their usage by local law enforcement.
Data centers
Blythe has not expressed a true pro or con stance on data centers, only that he would need more information to make a decision if one were to be proposed for Richmond. About the pros and cons of data centers, he has said, "I'm personally collecting thoughts."
This story was updated on Nov. 3, 2026.
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