Election results: Manheimer Asheville’­s next mayor; Wisler, Smith, Bothwell win Council seats

With all precincts reporting, turnout in the Nov. 5 city of Asheville elections was low, but the results were decisive. Vice Mayor Esther Manheimer defeated former city risk manager John Miall by a considerable margin to become the next mayor. Former Coleman CEO Gwen Wisler, along with incumbents Gordon Smith and Cecil Bothwell, also won Asheville City Council seats by a large number of votes. Photo by Nick King.

Election interviews­: Esther Manheimer and John Miall

As the municipal election on Tuesday, Nov. 5 draws near, time is running out for Asheville voters to decide who they want to be the city’s next mayor. The two candidates vying for the job are current Vice Mayor and lawyer Esther Manheimer and former City Risk Management director John Miall. Today, Saturday, Nov. 2 is the last day to vote early. (Caricatures by Randy Molton)

The Halloween Voter Guide to Asheville City Elections

With Halloween and the Asheville city elections so closely aligned, we offer both some scary art (by cartoonists Brent Brown and Randy Molton) and the candidates’ replies to five key questions.
Come midevening on Nov. 5, Asheville voters will have picked their new mayor and three City Council members. There are two mayoral candidates and five Council contenders (of whom two are incumbents). In a series of forums, what positions have the candidates taken? How have they responded to voter questions? Look for recent stories at mountainx.com/election, and check these excerpts from the candidates answers.

The great divide: Issues of race, justice, opportunit­y discussed at YWCA election forum

The final question asked of Asheville’s two mayoral and five city council candidates did not focus on the usual inquires raised during this municipal election. It wasn’t about the economy. It wasn’t about jobs. It wasn’t about the police department — though it certainly touched on all of those topics. And it had nothing to do with the Asheville Art Museum. (Photo by Max Cooper)

Primary results by the numbers: Manheimer, Miall emerge from Asheville mayoral primary

With all precincts reporting, Asheville Vice Mayor Esther Manheimer emerged from the mayoral primary with a strong lead, racking up 60 percent of the vote. Former city risk manager John Miall was runner-up with 25 percent of the vote, and will go on to face Manheimer in the Nov. 5 general election. The third candidate, community activist Martin Ramsey, gathered 14 percent of the vote.

Storify: Asheville’­s 2013 mayoral primary through social media

Today, voters in the City of Asheville cast their ballots to decide which two candidates will continue onward in the journey to become Asheville’s next mayor. These are the tweets, photos and quotes from throughout the day and night of the mayoral primary. Use the hashtag #avlelect to become part of the story. This post will be updated throughout the evening. (Photo courtesy of Instagram user Wes Wehking)

Doublehead­er: Mayoral candidates tackle forums sponsored by business and bikes

The stages and the supporters could not have been more different for the Asheville Mayoral candidates yesterday: A power lunch at Magnolia’s Bar & Grille sponsored by the more conservative Council of Independent Business Owners and an evening forum at the Odyssey Ceramic Arts Studio hosted by the multimodal-minded group Asheville On Bikes. (Photos by Max Cooper)

Asheville-Buncombe League of Women Voters invites public to mayoral candidate forum

In two weeks, Asheville’s three mayoral candidates will be fielding questions before members of the public for the second time since their campaigns began.
Conducted by the League of Women Voters of Asheville-Buncombe County, the political discourse will take place on Thursday, Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. at the Asheville Chamber of Commerce Board Room. All three candidates have confirmed their attendance. (Photos by Max Cooper)

The first face-off: Mayoral candidates debate issues affecting the city

Voicing different ideas about funding the Asheville Art Museum, adopting the living wage ordinance and deciding downtown development, the trio of political candidates vying to be Asheville’s next mayor debated with one another for the first time on Wednesday while also revealing a shared consensus among them about the perceived relationship between the General Assembly and the City of Asheville.  (Photos by Max Cooper)

Asheville’­s city election season off to early start

Last week made it clear the city of Asheville’s political season is off to an early start, as this year’s elections will determine the majority of seats on Asheville City Council. Two mayoral candidates (Vice Mayor Esther Manheimer and former city staffer John Miall) have already declared, and Council member Cecil Bothwell says that he’ll run for another term. Photo by Max Cooper