Commissioner Edwards of Files for Chair of Buncombe County Commission

Press release from Elect Amanda Edwards Buncombe Commission

Commissioner Amanda Edwards seeks to become the first woman elected as Chair of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. Edwards filed for office this afternoon alongside her family.

Growing up deep in the Appalachian Mountains shaped Amanda into a lifelong advocate for people, our beautiful mountains, and our vital natural resources. Amanda is the Executive Director of the A-B Tech Foundation, which raises scholarship funds for community college students. Amanda is the past Executive Director of the Western North Carolina Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Amanda, a Democrat, has been twice elected to the County Commission. She currently represents District 3. Amanda has led on policy to make Buncombe County more livable and affordable for locals, and more resilient to climate change, pandemics, and economic downturns. Amanda is endorsed by fellow Commissioners Al Whitesides and Parker Sloan, current Chair of the Board of Commissioners, Brownie Newman, and a diverse coalition of community leaders.

“I’m known for my inclusive, accountable, transparent leadership, and for bringing people together in our community,” Amanda said. “As Chair, I’ll draw on my lived experiences and my career in human services and education to strive for common ground and to deliver real solutions, efficiently and respectfully. Kitchen table issues are my issues.”

Amanda won the 2022 and 2018 general elections by wide margins and defeated multiple candidates in the 2018 Democratic Primary. Amanda has lived and worked in Buncombe County for more than 25 years.

Amanda has served as a consistent force in the community and on commission for early childhood through adult education since she worked as the Executive Director of the Literacy Council of Buncombe County. Amanda is also a proven leader on creating an economy that supports locals, funding emergency services, and conserving farms and forests for future generations.

“As Commissioner and throughout my life I’ve worked hand-in-hand with our community to reimagine and meaningfully improve how we respond to people who are in need, who are chronically underserved, and who are marginalized.”

“We’ve had successes and yet there is more to do. We have hard-working people who aren’t finding good-paying career-track jobs, who are struggling to afford rent or mortgages, and who are simultaneously caring for their children, parents, and neighbors,” Amanda said. “These kitchen table issues are my issues. I’m here, especially for people who are feeling walked over and pushed out.”

Amanda was an early proponent of the Community Paramedicine Program, advocating for its pilot program and its expansion. The Program dispatches specially trained medical professionals to medical and behavioral health emergencies including opioid overdoses and mental health calls. Amanda prioritized increasing EMS staffing and supported consolidating 911 centers to increase effectiveness. Amanda’s experience with emergency services dates to her years leading our regional American Red Cross, which coordinates with local and federal agencies to provide disaster relief.

Amanda’s record as a Commissioner includes advocating for farmland and wildlands preservation, supporting the County’s lawsuit against opioid manufacturers, committing to creating 2,000 new affordable homes by 2030, and voting to install solar on the rooftops of county government buildings, which will save millions in taxpayer money and reduce carbon emissions. Amanda also advocated for adopting a fiscally responsible plan to achieve 100% renewable energy for county operations by 2030 and for the entire community by 2042. Amanda voted for the non-discrimination ordinance and helped revamp and increase transparency for the County’s nonprofit funding process, which is also used for Recovery Act funding.

Amanda is a strong supporter of unions. As a child she walked the picket line with her mother, a kindergarten teacher, during a teacher’s strike for better wages, benefits, and working conditions. In 2022, Amanda for the first time publicly shared her experience of surviving a school shooting at age 16. She supports the MOMS Demand Action WNC chapter and its advocacy for gun safety.

Amanda serves on the Affordable Housing Committee, Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission, Buncombe County Local Emergency Planning Committee, and French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization. She is a past board member of the YWCA of Asheville. Amanda is a member of the inaugural Hunt Institute State Policy Fellows, which is composed of select elected leaders from throughout the state. Amanda was recently selected to serve on the Public Education Steering Committee for the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC). Edwards will help advocate for effective legislation to strengthen public education across the state.

Amanda launched her first campaign in 2018, in the wake of the arrests (followed by convictions) of mother and son county staff on fraud charges. Amanda successfully advocated for adopting county policies to increase transparency and prevent fraud, prevent nepotism, and codify employee conflict of interest rules.

Amanda is married to Derek Edwards, a longtime educator in Asheville. The couple met on their first day as students at UNC-Asheville. Amanda graduated from UNC-Asheville and earned a Master’s in Public Administration from UT-Knoxville. Amanda and Derek live with their teenage son, family dog, and cat, at their rural Weaverville home. Amanda is an avid cyclist and hiker. She enjoys exploring our beautiful mountains.