Asheville Council member Bill Russell will run for re-election

Posted on by David Forbes

Asheville City Council member Bill Russell tells Xpress he will run for a second term. Russell is the first incumbent in this cycle to announce he’s running for re-election. Filing begins today at noon.

“I love my work and I’d like to continue for another four years, I feel compelled to do this again,” Russell says, adding that he’ll focus on “non-partisan, respectful communication, that’s an overlying topic.”

Russell, along with Council member Jan Davis and Vice Mayor Brownie Newman had remained publicly undecided on another run. He says he made the decision this Tuesday. Russell’s main priority, if re-elected, will be “the continuation of good, sound financial management. We’ve done pretty well for the last four years, dropping our total operating budget since 2008.”

He also says he wants to do more on jobs growth, citing the Linamar deal as an example, noting “we may rethink our strategies on how we attract employers.”

Russell has hired former Xpress writer Michael Muller as his campaign manager. Filing for this year’s Council elections begins today, July 1 and lasts until July 15. Russell says he’ll file today. Council candidate Marc Hunt has also announced that he will file today.

— David Forbes, senior news reporter

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

5 thoughts on “Asheville Council member Bill Russell will run for re-election”

  2. Paul -V-

    He hired Muller? Smart move.

    Muller is the kind of guy you hire, then take a nap knowing that he’ll wake you up in time for the victory parade.

    – pvh

  3. Jim Shura

    What’s really too bad about Muller is that he can only focus on one reasonable person per election.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.