Press release from UNC Asheville:
The Student Government Association (SGA) and the Political Science Club at UNC Asheville will host a mayoral and city council candidate forum on Monday, Sept. 18, at UNC Asheville’s Sherrill Center, Room 417 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. The event is free and open to everyone and is part of SGA’s programming for Constitution Week.
Three of the four candidates for Asheville mayor are scheduled to participate in the forum – incumbent Esther Manheimer, and challengers Martin Ramsey and Jonathan Wainscott. The forum has also attracted 11 of the 12 Asheville City Council candidates who will appear on the primary ballot. Council candidates expected at the forum are: Pratik Bhakta, incumbent Cecil Bothwell, Jeremy Goldstein, Vijay Kapoor, Jan (Howard) Kubiniec, Rich Lee, Kim Roney, Sheneika E. Smith, Adrian Vassalo, Dee Williams and incumbent Gwen Wisler.
The forum is open to everyone, and will be hosted on campus by the SGA at UNC Asheville to make it easiest for students to attend.
“It is important for students to take part in local elections just as much as, if not more so, in general elections,” said SGA President Tim Hussey. “A lot of times, national change starts at the local level and by taking part in local elections, we can be a part of that change. SGA was able to register students to vote in the general elections and UNC Asheville, with a 69 percent turnout rate, was tied with UNC-Chapel Hill for best turnout in the system in November of 2016. I hope our students will continue to exercise that right during the local elections as well.”
The candidates at the forum will be on the ballot for City of Asheville voters in the Oct. 10 primary election. The primary will narrow the field down to two Asheville mayoral candidates and six candidates for Asheville City Council for the Nov. 7 general election.
For more information, contact UNC Asheville’s Student Government Association at sgapresident@unca.edu.
Note: The original version of this release stated that the event would take place in the Highsmith Student Union Grotto. Organizers later changed the event venue and it will now take place at UNC Asheville’s Sherrill Center, Room 417.
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